The General Motors Class 59 Co-Co diesels were a revolution in freight haulage on the British railway network on arrival, but can Revolution Trains do the same for ‘N’ gauge with its all-new model of the design? MIKE WILD finds out.
The heavy freight Class 59 diesels were a radical step for the British railway system. They were the first American-built diesel locomotives to be used on the main line network as well being privately owned by Foster Yeoman. Their arrival set a new tone for performance and reliability which had never been seen before and ultimately led to the modern day go-anywhere Class 66 freight locomotives.
Three batches were built for Foster Yeoman, ARC and National Power between 1985 and 1995 with a total of 15 entering traffic. They were designed to haul the heaviest aggregate trains from the Somerset stone quarries of Merehead (Foster Yeoman) and Whatley (ARC) while National Power used them for limestone and coal traffic running to Drax Power Station in Yorkshire.
Above: Revolution Trains has delivered a standout model of the Class 59 for ‘N’ gauge with stunning attention to detail and variations within the class.
Models of these locomotives have always been popular, but until recently the choices were few –…
