The first of a pair of ‘59s’ is reviewed by MARK CHIVERS – but how does it compare to its new rival?
Very seldom do two models of the same prototype in the same scale arrive together, but Dapol’s all-new ‘N’ gauge Class 59 Co-Co diesel did so within a day or two of Revolution Trains’ all-new example. As a result, over the next few pages we will consider both models, with Revolution’s model appearing on pages 74-75.
Built by General Motors in the USA and Canada, the Class 59s first appeared in the UK in the mid 1980s. They were introduced to replace BR’s then unreliable traction on aggregates workings for Foster Yeoman. Four Class 59/0s arrived for use with Foster Yeoman at Merehead in Wiltshire, followed by a fifth in 1988. Amey Roadstone Company (ARC) then ordered four more (Class 59/1s) for use on its trains originating at Whatley Quarry near Frome. In the 1990s, National Power ordered a small fleet of Class 59/2s for limestone and coal traffic, based at Ferrybridge in Yorkshire.
Above: Dapol’s newly-tooled ‘N’ gauge Class 59/2 Co-Co diesel is now available from retailers.
For review we received a sample of Class 59/2 59204 Vale of Glamorgan in National Power’s blue colour scheme – 59/0 and 59/1 examples are also now availabl…
