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Rest In Peace David Boyle (founder of Dapol Model Railways)


MGR Hooper!
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It's been brought to our notice via the Dapol Ltd. facebook page that the founder of Dapol Model Railways, David Boyle hasd passed away on 17th Sept 2019.

 

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/blackpoolgazette-uk/obituary.aspx?n=david-boyle&pid=193950262&fhid=41140&fbclid=IwAR3__uc6f7m9MgzifyD-pPZGL_eC_pUrKUB-bjJpzh6cPJmmVNQoq6EQMBk

 

Rest In Peace David! Thoughts and prayers with his family.

Edited by MGR Hooper!
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,I helped his profits out as a kid by buying L&Y Pugs and Hunslet 0-6-0ST Austerity locomotives plus some of the un-painted wagons.

 

He will be missed by modellers of different ages and scales.  RIP

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I remember the days when he'd be chatting to visitors at shows and very candid about the industry. He explained that Dapol made as much profit from a Postman Pat van as they did from a coach, but would sell far more vans.

 

He also said that the Garratt chassis was tooled up, but it wasn't going to prove to be cost-effective to do the body so the project stalled.

 

From my POV, I loved the Pug and still have one in the stock box and am proud of it. David's legacy lives on. 

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He was a great guy, allowed me to shadow his business, and work on the factory floor during my university days contributing greatly to my dissertation on the industry.

 

It was a fascinating time, had just acquired wrenn, and toolings were all over the place, as was part finished items, upstairs was boxes of Airfix and Mainline stock on pallettes, downstairs was a moulding machine making Airfix kits and dog bowls, and trays of motorised chassis for making 124/50/55 units. I too remeber his plans for the Garratt, and re-producing the Trix class 81, which he had tons of bodies already made.

 

Very keen about Daleks and recall him telling me about some ex-Army tanks he had bought.

 

A true pioneer spirit in the hobby.

Edited by adb968008
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1 hour ago, adb968008 said:

re-producing the Trix class 81, which he had tons of bodies already made.

I bought one of the bodies over 30 years ago but never turned it into a complete model. Perhaps I should now, as a tribute to someone who kept a lot of models on the market that could otherwise have disappeared for good.

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I remember going to his house in Cheshire to buy ex Airfix and Mainline stock. He had stacks of them everywhere. He had taken on Wrenn and was charging over £300 for a loco. He made it clear, that this was the price we all would be paying for loco in the future!  Not quite there just yet.

 

Mike Wiltshire

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  • 1 month later...

The guy who founded Dapol has kicked the bucket - sad, really. Aside from model railway equipment and rolling stock, they also made toys, particularly the Dr Who action figures which combined the space fantasy touch of Star Wars and the impressive articulation from G.I. Joe and their action figures. I heard in the Railway Modelling newspaper he actually met Colin Baker the Sixth Doctor at a Comic Con in Preston. He even had a TARDIS coffin thus crystallizing his connection with the Whoovians and the franchise forever.

Edited by LNWR18901910
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