Dapol Class 142 'Pacer' Lightbar Installation (DC/DCC)

Mistakes may damage your locomotive, controller or other accessories. Use a multimeter to make absolutely sure you have completely isolated the motor from the track before testing. Always use the Programming Track for testing. Our guides are provided for reference only, and you proceed entirely at your own risk. Unsure about something - try our DCC Conversion Service instead.

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This guide shows how to install lightbars in your Dapol Class 142 DMU models running on DC or DCC, including:

• Dapol Class 142 142065 in Northern Rail livery (ND116A)
• Dapol Class 142 142081 in Regional Railways livery (ND116B)
• Dapol Class 142 142025 in Northern Spirit livery (ND116C)
• Dapol Class 142 142085 in Arriva Trains Wales livery (ND116D)
• Dapol Class 142 142021 in Tyne & Wear yellow livery (ND116E)
• Dapol Class 142 142096 in Northern Rail livery (2D-142-001)
• Dapol Class 142 142042 in Merseyrail livery (2D-142-002)
• Dapol Class 142 142022 in Regional Railways livery (2D-142-003)
• Dapol Class 142 142001 in GMPTE Orange & Brown livery (2D-142-004)
• Dapol Class 142 142053 in provincial turquoise & blue livery (2D-142-005)

The standard Dapol lightbars are too long to fit in this model, and require modification. They can simply be cut down to fit using a craft knife or pliers. The procedure is exactly the same for the motorized and dummy cars.

Step 1 - Remove body

The easiest way to remove the body on these models is to turn the unit upside down and start at the front. There is a clip right at the front of the chassis holding the body on, get your finger nails in at either side where the plastic tapers inwards.

Step 2 - Modify Light Bar

Cut the light bar just before where the part number is printed on the circuit board. The black wires are long and will fit inside the body of the Class 142, but for a neater finish it's better to remove about 20mm from each.

Step 3 - Install Light Bar

Plug the light bar into the socket furthest away from the decoder socket. Remove the black foam from the inside of the roof, and fit the light bar into the groove.

A piece of double-sided tape or black tack is ideal to hold it in place. Add a piece of kapton tape to the decoder to prevent any possibility of the lightbar components coming into electrical contact with anything on the decoder.

Step 4 - Hide Wires

The interior of this model has several wires running around. A piece of black tape judiciously placed will hide these nicely.

Step 5 - Refit Body

Refit the body, starting at the back. Make sure none of the wires are trapped. It can make it easier if you remove the exhaust pipe first.Neatly arrange the wires so they sit as flat as possible, then cover the entire top surface with kapton tape.

Step 6 - DCC Programming (Optional)

If you are running your Class 142 on a DC layout, you can skip this section.

In this model, only the motorized car has its directional lights controlled by the conventional lighting function button (F0), which shows red or white lights according to the direction of travel.

The dummy car has the directional lights wired to AUX1 and AUX2 decoder outputs respectively. This means the red and white lights can be independently controlled, e.g. both ends prototypically red when stationary. The interior light bars on both the motorized and dummy cars are connected to AUX4.

Zimo MN180 Next18 Decoders

If using Zimo MX/MN decoders and you find that the interior light bars flash in one direction, and don't work at all in the other direction, you may need to disable SUSI. Set CV124 to 128 (or see manual for configuring CV201).

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