Category: Class 59

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Countdown for the 59s…

The deadline for pre-orders for the Revolution Trains Class 59 diesel locomotive of midnight on Friday March 31st is fast approaching.

And now we can reveal an exciting update on the light and sound arrangements for the models. In association with ESU the Revolution Classs 59 will be the British launch model for a new DCC interface which supercedes the existing Next-18 and is set to be known as Next 28.

ESU LokSound V5 Nano E24 decoders in Revolution Trains Class 59 locomotives. The DCC socket can be easily accessed by simply removing the top access panel, which replicates the arrangement of the real thing!

Let there be (lots of) light!

The Next-28 interface – coded E24 by ESU themselves – was developed for the North American market where Next-18 does not offer the functionality required. (And no, we have no idea why E24 becomes Next-28.)

We made the tricky decision to change the decoder socket from Next 18 to the new and improved Next 28 (ESU E24) decoder socket so that we could offer our customers a fuller range of prototypical lighting functions.

It means the Revolution Trains Class 59s can replicate all the lighting functions of the prototypes including operational directional day and night time main lights, red tail lights when running light engine, two different shunt modes, park mode and cab interior lighting. All are outlined in this short video:

Lights on the Class 59/0s are significantly different to that of the later Class 59/1s and 59/2s.

59005 showing standard arrangement of both headlights and both marker lights lit. Photo: Train Photos/Creative Commons.

By the time the Class 59/1s and 59/2s were built, in the early 1990s, the railways had settled on the WIPAC-type light cluster.

59101 at Westbury showing lights in Daytime configuration with right headlight and left marker light illuminated.
Photo Dave58282/Creative Commons.

As the video explains, our models will enable DCC users to drive their locomotive with full lighting control and entirely prototypically, whether running a train on the mainline, light engine or shunting back and forth in the yard.

The decoders required for this interface are the ESU Loksound 5 Nano (Sound) and Lokpilot 5 Nano (Silent).

For DC users the DCC blanking plate will incorporate switches that allow the directional red tail lights and cab interior lights to be independently switched on or off.

DCC Sound

We have not overlooked sound, and all Revolution DCC Sound supplied models will feature a Legomanbiffo sound project which we recorded at Freightliner’s Merehead TMD last year.

We’d ike to thank Freightliner for giving us access to 59204 with a driver for comprehensive sound recording

Revolution Trains model features high levels of detailing and we have tooled five different bodyshell configurations allowing us to represent each of the three different subclasses at various stages in their service lives.

EWS 59204 and Hanson’s 59101 are two of the liveries on offer

These variations include:

  • Two different bogie designs
    • Left or Right side exhausts
  • Locomotives with our without NRN roof pods in sub-class specific rebates
  • Three different designs of roof access panel
  • Three different solebar fitment components
  • Single or twin-handled cab doors

In addition all models have a heavy diecast chassis with low friction, low geared drivetrain, numerous separately fitted and photo-etched parts and kinematic NEM couplers sockets with superdetailed bufferbeam at one end with alternate open air dam supplied for customers requiring working couplers at both ends.

59s as they are now: Aggregate Industries 59/0 and Freightliner G&W 59/2. The colour of the Freightliner loco is being amended for production.

The Prototype

The Class 59s were both the first privately-owned locomotives to operate on the British Rail network, and the first to be designed and built in North America. Based on EMD’s established SD-40-2, but adapted to fit a body shell designed for the British loading gauge, they heralded a new era of reliability and power on entering service, and were the predecessor’s the now ubiquitous Class 66.

59001 in original livery with PGA wagons at Bradford Junction in 1990. Photo Graham Roose.

Introduced in 1986, the first four locomotives are approaching their fortieth birthdays still doing the work they were designed for: hauling heavy stone trains on the gradients around the Mendip hills.

59201 at Westbury with JNA ‘Ealnos’ box wagons. Photo Jo Alder.

Though 59003, now in GBRf ownership, does have a more varied work pattern.

Deadline Day Approaching

This pre-order deadline for these models is midnight on Friday, March 31st 2023.

This is the last date customers can order models for the low locked-in price of just £124.95. After this the MSRP rises to £154.95, though for those who prefer not to pre-order we anticipate selected retailers will carry stocks.

As well as the 16 different locomotives in eight liveries being offered by Revolution Trains, there are four retailer commissions.

59003 in two versions of GBRf livery can be ordered from Rails of Sheffield.

Rainbow Railways have commissioned a ‘First and Last’ twin pack covering 59201, with its US-style bell at the No.1 end, and 59206 to commemorate the introduction of the Class 59/2 sub-class in the eye-catching National Power livery.

59002 in Mendip Rail and 59101 in Revised ARC livery can be ordered from Kernow Model Rail Centre.

Copyright Kernow Model Rail Centre www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com Photography by Chris Nevard.
Copyright Kernow Model Rail Centre www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com Photography by Chris Nevard.
Purchase N gauge Class 59 diesel

You can order as many 59s as you like, but please don’t mix in wagons or other Revolution Trains products as they are likely to arrive at different times and this will increase admin for us and in turn delay processing of your models!

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EMD-esirable diesels arrive!

Revolution Trains has received decorated samples of its forthcoming Class 59 diesel locomotives. These models are now in the final stage of development before going into production.

59001 in 1986 original Foster Yeoman livery and 59101 in original 1990 ARC Southern livery

All the samples will be on display at the upcoming International N Gauge Show at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre on September 10th-11th.

The first 59/0 locomotives were delivered with the exhaust port on the left side and single dampers on the outer bogie axles. With experience, this arrangement was changed. Foster Yeoman were presented with an American-style locomotive bell by EMD and this was fitted to the No. 1 end of 59001 as can be seen above.

Appropriately, the Class 59 locomotives themselves revolutionised the expectations of the UK railfreight industry in terms of both haulage and reliability when they entered service in 1986.

59003, Merehead 1986. Photo: Nigel Menzies, used under creative commons.

They were the first mainline diesel built for the UK market in the United States, and the first privately owned locomotives that British Rail permitted.

59001 + 59101 showing the differences between exhaust port location and bogie dampers.
Class 59/2 locomotives in original National Power livery.

The original four Foster Yeoman 59/0 locomotives arrived in 1986, the second batch of four ARC locomotives in 1990 (along with an addional loco for Foster Yeoman) and then in 1994-5 six more Class 59s entered service with National Power. These were designated 59/2 and again featured extensive differences to the earlier versions, with prominent fire suppression systems, buckeye couplers and altered end details and revised roof latches and radio pods.

The Class 59/2 locomotives in National Power livery are available to pre-order as a twin set of 59201 (with commemorative bell) and 59206 exclusively from Rainbow Railways here.

In the late 1990s the Class 59/0 locomotives received a revised Foster Yeoman livery. ARC was taken over by Hanson the Class 59/1s were repainted and the Class 59/2 locomotives passed into the ownership of EWS and were similarly reliveried.

59004 in revised Foster Yeoman livery.
59204 in EWS maroon and 59101 in Hanson livery.

In due course the Class 59/2 locomotives joined their sisters on Mendip stone traffic, and as repaints became due the Class 59/0 locomotives went into Aggregate Industries colours while the 59/2s received DB red.

59005 in Aggregate Industries livery. 59005 was built later than the other 59/0 locomotives and has a unique combination of details, which have been faithfully replicated.
59201 in DB red. The roof grille will be corrected to grey on production models!

In 2019 the contract to move stone from the Mendip quarries was won by Freightliner. While the 59/0s and 59/1s remain in their AI or Hanson liveries, Freightliner is progressively repainting the 59/2s into its own orange Genessee and Wyoming livery.

59203 in Freightliner G&W livery.
The present day – Aggregate Industries and Freightliner liveries.

The last chapter in the Class 59 story involves the single loco 59003. It was sent on long term hire to Germany in the late 1990s, and for this it was fitted with a UIC standard light above the cab windscreen and other modifications were made.

Then, in 2015, it was acquired by GB Railfreight and returned to the UK. Originally painted in GBRf’s Europorte scheme, it was later repainted into more standard GBRf colours. Both of these versions can be reserved exclusively from Rails of Sheffield here.

The Revolution Class 59 will have a full suite of lights, factory-fitted speakers in every model (and DCC Sound versions of all our variants available) and the DCC socket is accessed by a removable centre section – which replicates the arrangement of the prototype.

The switches that enable DC users to deactivate the red tail lights when running with a train can also be seen.

These decorated samples will be assessed and some small amendments to colours will be adjusted, and customers should also note that these were assembled and painted by hand using components from the first test mouldings, and as ever some small adjustments will also be made to improve fit and finish, especially of the etched parts.

Other than the exclusives you can pre-order any Revolution Trains Class 59 from our shop page here:

Pre-order N Gauge Class 59

We are looking forward to showing these models off as the show season gets into full swing, and would be interested in any feedback. We expect the order book to close during the autumn, though we have not yet set a date.