Review - Revolution Trains N Gauge Class 66 - Part One
- Tom Everitt
- Aug 25
- 13 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Announced in 2023 as a follow on to the exquisite Class 59, the Revolution Trains N Gauge Class 66 is about to land with customers and promises to be one of the most important N Gauge releases in recent times.
Whilst N Gauge has featured models of the type from two other manufacturers since 2006, a Class 66 to modern standards allowing for comprehensive DCC lighting and sound options as well as the level of detail now expected by modellers is a more than welcome development and, with a class now totalling 480 built for the UK market across multiple operators and over 60 liveries between them, it is perhaps the one locomotive class able to stand up to duplication in the smaller N Gauge market. Revolution Trains announced in 2023 that the Class 66 would follow on from their highly acclaimed Class 59 and the production models are due to arrive in the UK shortly, but NGN have been able to take an early look to see if Revolution have delivered shed heaven for N Gauge modellers.
This review will be a two-parter, with the first part covering the basic model and it's features and part two taking a closer look at the mechanism and DCC features once the DCC sound fitted models have arrived.
The Prototype
When Wisconsin Central created English Welsh & Scottish Railway in 1995 through the acquisition of five of the six freight companies sold during the Privatisation of British Rail, they inherited a fleet of over 1600 locomotives of multiple difference classes, many of which had already been cannibalised for spares and with an average age of over 30 years old. Many of the types were from the early days of diesel, such as the 1960's built Class 37 and Class 47, and required frequent and costly overhaul. In order to be competitive in the newly commercial environment of privatised rail freight, EWS needed to resolve the question of how to reduce operating costs and increase reliability.
The answer lay partly in a small fleet of American built locomotives introduced in 1985 by Foster Yeoman to haul heavy aggregate trains after they became frustrated with the poor reliability of BR supplied traction. After evaluating and being impressed by the Class 59, EWS approached their builder, Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), with a view to ordering a modernised version of that design capable of hauling freight services at 75mph (The class 59/0 and 59/1 was geared for a maximum of 60mph) with high fuel capacity and a route availability category of seven.
EMD created the JT42CWR, which used the same body profile of the Class 59 to simplify the gauging certification process, but fitted a 12 cylinder engine, updated electronics, gearing to allow higher speed services and High Traction Radial Bogies, which are designed to steer the wheels into the curve and reduce the forces acting on them, improving the ride quality and reducing flange wear.
In May 1996, EWS announced "The biggest British Locomotive order since the steam era" with a £350 million order for 250 for what would be classified as the Class 66 and the first of the class arrived on UK soil at 08:53 on April 18th 1998. 66001 and 66002 were considered to be prototypes, and as such undertook a period of testing with 001 in the UK and 002 remaining in the USA for a year. With testing of the first two locos going well, production of the remaining 148 started in earnest, with 11 per month arriving by boat from the USA. With the majority of testing already being carried out before sailing, they could enter service almost immediately after arrival in the UK. With the successful introduction of the type into service, the removal of older classes in the EWS fleet accelerated. This earned the 66 the moniker 'Red Death' amongst enthusiasts given their distinctive red & yellow EWS livery and their arrival precipitating large scale removal from service of classes 31 and 33, and a significant reduction in classes 37 and 47. At the height of deliveries, five legacy class locomotives were being withdrawn for every one class 66 arriving in the UK.
The success of the class soon drew the attention of Freightliner, who had previous EMD experience thanks to their project to re-engine Class 47s with more reliable power units under the Class 57 programme. The Class 66 soon caught their eye however, and their first order for five of the type was placed in March 1999, with another fifteen being ordered shortly after. With 12 Class 57's already delivered, a planned follow on order to bring that fleet to 25 was never placed with more Class 66's ultimately being ordered. Freightliner were also the first company to order a significant variation over the initial design, with the 66/6 featuring a lower gear ratio and higher tractive effort for hauling the heaviest block freight trains.
The introduction of the type was not completely trouble free, with issues around conditions for the drivers being a source of complaints, namely temperature control, noise and seating. These issues were eventually resolved by changes to the cab layout and the addition of air conditioning.
The improvement in operational reliability and milage between failures for EWS and Freightliner was so dramatic that the class became the go-to option for diesel freight motive power. GBRf placed an order for seven locomotives in 2000, followed by DRS, who had previously relied on a small fleet of updated Class 20s and Class 37s, ordered their first Sheds in 2002. Advenza Freight and Fastline Freight also operated the type before bankruptcies brought those operations to a close and the locos passed to other operators. Colas Rail were the last operator to jump on the 66 bandwagon in 2009.
The DRS locos were some of the last 'standard' Class 66's built, with new emissions regulations requiring modifications to the design to ensure it was compliant. The new UIC regulations for all new orders placed after December 2002 resulted in over 50 of the class being ordered in a single day. Almost being reclassified as Class 68 due to the number changes made to meet the requirements, they were eventually numbered in the 66/9 range.
The final Class 66 rolled off the production line in 2016, numbered 66779 and delivered to GBRf, it was named 'Evening Star' and painted in BR lined green livery in tribute to the final steam locomotive built in the UK. In total 480 locomotives were built for the UK market, and over 650 in total as operators in other countries looked to take advantage of the savings and efficiencies enjoyed by UK operators. Some UK locos were exported to Europe for use by DB and Freightliner's EU operations and with demand for rail freight increasing, some locos built for European customers have since been imported into the UK with many retaining their EU design variations making them easily identifiable amongst the fleet. Now 27 years old, 66001 is still in service with DB Cargo UK and plying it's trade around the UK. With no obvious successor and the probability of an order anywhere near the 250 originally ordered by EWS slim to non-existent, it's highly likely the class will remain a staple on the UK rail network for many years to come. Even enthusiast ambivalence toward them has softened over the years, with a whole generation growing up knowing little else. There can be little doubt that the Class 66 has played a fundamental role in the reshaping and reinvigorating rail freight in the UK.
The Model
As much as the prototype was a game changer for the real railways, this model also represents something of a watershed moment for Revolution Trains, representing their first move into a significant British class of mainline locomotive, and going into direct competition with two existing and one yet to be released models of the same class. Duplication is always a touchy subject, particularly in the much smaller N Gauge market, but the Class 66 is perhaps the one type where the number produced and range of liveries is able to support multiple manufacturers. The existing models also date from 2005 for Dapol and 2006 for Graham Farish, and DCC and DCC sound features particularly have moved on significantly in the intervening period, so a new Class 66 to modern N Gauge standards was arguably long overdue.
When Revolution Trains announced they were producing the Class 59, it rapidly became the worst kept secret in railway modelling that a Class 66 would follow. The Class 59 set the bar very high indeed with superb running quality, fantastic detail and for DCC users probably the best sound yet to feature in an N Gauge model, not to mention the prototypical lighting configurations achievable.
Starting with the initial impressions, the usual high quality revolution packaging holds the model securely in place, however gone is the inner clear plastic tray and sleave of the Class 59. A little bit of care is therefore needed when removing the model from the foam surround that you don't catch the cab front handrails. It should also be noted that the model must be inserted back into the foam surround the correct way as the coupling end has a larger cut out to accommodate it.
The distinctive peaked roof of the prototype, which gave rise to the nickname 'Sheds', has been excellently captured and contributes to the cab front looking more or less spot on when compared to the prototype. The front windows also look to be an accurate reproduction of the prototype proportionally, which also contributes to the face of the locomotive appearing correct.
Revolution have invested a great deal of time and effort into creating a tooling suite that will allow most of the cab detail variations to be produced from the early locomotives right through to the last, including variations in light fittings, handrails styles, tie down fixings & buffers, all of which contribute to giving each loco the correct configuration with 12 different body mouldings alone. Revolution have also tooled several variations of cab interior to represent the changes from the original EWS style cab layout, modified wraparound layout and imported Euro cabs. All of this contributes to what must be one of the most comprehensive tooling suites ever produced for an N Gauge model.
Of note are the finely etched horn grills (there was a little infilling of the detail with paint on the example reviewed here) and light fittings that have a moulded texture to give the impression of the LED lighting where appropriate, another first for N Gauge I believe. The model is supplied with the full cab front air dam, coupling and pipework pre-fitted to one end, and an air dam with a cut out to allow for the standard rapido coupling fitted at the other. This is on a kinematic mount to allow for close coupling. A spare full and cut out air dam are supplied in the accessory bag for those wishing to fit couplings at both ends or vice versa, along with a spare dummy screwlink coupling and pipes. Another detail variation accounted for by Revolution is the fitting of Buckeye couplers where appropriate. Fine etched footsteps are fitted to each corner of the air dam, although a couple of the steps required bending back to the horizontal on this particular model - easily done with a pair of fine tweezers. The handrails are of the correct pattern for this locomotive, and once again there are several variations accounted for, meaning whichever model you choose will have the correct number of supports! Very fine etched windscreen wipers round out the cab front detailing.
Moving to the bodysides, all of the body side grills are represented by some really quite fine etched inserts, this example featuring the extended grills of the low emissions locomotives at the number 2 end. The roof radiator grill is also etched and features the larger, slightly asymmetric design of the low emissions locos, although on this particular example it was fitted ever so slightly askew, leaving a small gap along one side which the close up photos highlight, but in reality it's not particularly noticeable. Beneath the grill there is a moulded representation of the cooler group equipment giving some nice relief visible through the etch and at the number 1 end the distinctive silencer is a neat separate moulding and correctly sits slightly higher than the roofline.
The overall quality of the body moulding is excellent, with sharp details such as the double door handles and the distinctive 'corrugated' sides being captured perfectly. Fine, separately fitted cab & bodyside door handrails are fitted in all appropriate locations. The finesse of the detail is also impressive with nothing looking overly chunky or out of place. The cab glazing is nice & clear and with any prism effect being kept to a minimum. Once again Revolution have accounted for the changes to the cab side windows over the years, with this model featuring the larger twin panes of the low emissions locos over the original three pane design of the EWS machines.
As with the Class 59, the Class 66 model features a removeable body section in order to access the DCC chip. This cleverly replicates the same removable body section of the prototype and simply unclips to give access for those wishing to DCC their DC models meaning you don't need to remove the entire body. Looking at this feature subjectively I can see why Revolution took this approach. It reduces the risk of damage to some of the fine detail removing the entire bodyshell may result in, but it does also risk the join between the lift off section and the rest of the body becoming more obvious than it should be at certain angles, or if the lift off section is not properly seated, particularly with liveries where the body is a single colour with no elements to break up the join line. In truth, personally I could live without the removable section if given the option, but it's certainly not a deal breaker given the exceptionally high quality of the model overall and I will caveat that the high res photos (you're looking at an N Gauge model blown up to OO, or even O Gauge in size) and harsh studio lighting used here do exaggerate the join over the normal lighting conditions the vast majority of these models will be operated under.
For those who receive DC versions and wish to convert to DCC, Revolution are offering ESU chips that are pre-programmed to give the full range of lighting options appropriate to the model in question and these are available to order now directly from their online shop.
DC users can control the lighting functions via a small bank of switches attached to the blanking plate, giving them the ability to turn on or off various lights, including the cab lights, depending on whether they are running light engine or hauling a train. The included manual covers in detail the switches and their individual functions, but we'll also take a closer look at these in Part 2 of the review.
Where the Revolution model really comes into its own is below the bodywork, featuring some of the best detailing on an N Gauge ready to run locomotive we've seen to date. The myriad of pipework found running along the exposed frames of the prototype has been perfectly captured by both moulded detail and separately fitted parts and Revolution have also been able to do in N what no manufacturer in OO Gauge have done and feature separate bodyside stanchions along the length of the frames allowing various details to run behind them uninterrupted as per the prototype. This gives a superb level of depth to the detail which gives the feel of a model much larger in scale than it actually is and the separate front and rear frame portions allow for any subtle variations in detail to be accounted for in future releases. This even includes features like the deeper cab end sandboxes found on some of the last of the class to be built. The Class 59 features the same design, but the extra pipework found on the Class 66 really takes it to another level.
The battery boxes and the bodyside stairs leading to the additional bodyside door are all present and correct as is the smaller fuel tank of the low emissions locos on this particular version, whilst the earlier locos feature the longer, larger capacity tank. The fuel tank also houses the speaker which is pre-fitted to both DC and DCC versions. The daylight visible between the bottom of the frames and the top of the battery box is particularly pleasing when viewed from a low angle!
The miniature representation of the HTCR-E bogies share an equally high level of detail and relief with separately fitted brake shoes and reservoirs, very fine mouldings for the axle ends (No, they don't rotate!) and even the GM MTCR-E lettering and serial numbers that are cast into the sides of the prototypes. Sand pipes, the distinctive large iron guards, separately fitted steps, handbrake & chain are all present and the body-bogie gap is commendably small which gives the model a stance and feeling of weight that is often difficult to capture in a small scale.
It's difficult to convey just how good the detailing is below the body on the Revolution model without resorting to all the usual superlatives, but every time you look a the model you'll notice another little detail you hadn't before and Revolution should really be congratulated on taking the time and the attention to detail in getting this area absolutely spot on.
Finish
The finish is up to Revolution's usual high standard, with excellent colour density and sharp application. The gold drax livery recently applied to 66301 to celebrate their 50th anniversary has been well captured, and although metallic colours are incredibly difficult to accurately replicate in small scales Revolution have done a great job with it here.
The ribbed sides of the Class 66 must be a manufacturer's nightmare when it comes to printing livery elements, with the risk that the printing doesn't get through into the space between the ribs, however there was almost no sigh of that here with just a small area of one of the 'd's of drax not quite printing right between the ribs, but in honesty I didn't notice until I was editing the photos for the review. The other livery elements were all perfectly printed, with a plethora of warning signs and labels included, most of which are legible under close inspection. Lifting lugs and steps are painted yellow, with the multiple working cable socket painted orange and the handrails painted white. The nameplate is very nicely printed, but Revolution have also included a separately fitted version for owners to fit if they so wish.
Summary
Based on the model reviewed here, it's clear that the Revolution Trains Class 66 is one of, if not the best Ready to Run N Gauge locomotive ever released. The level of detail that has been included and overall high standard, combined with excellent performance, makes this a superb addition to the Revolution line up and, with the number of tooling options available and liveries worn by the prototype, it should keep them going for years to come! The lift off section may not be to everyone's liking, but checking it's correctly seated will help reduce any gaps. You'll spend most of your time looking at the underframe & bogie detailing anyway and wondering how they were able to include so much of it!
As mentioned at the start of the review, Part 2 will cover the mechanism, DCC sound and look at some of the differences between some of the different tooling variations Revolution have provided for.
Availability
You can still pre-order 'Bespoke' models directly from Revolution Trains, which allows you to choose almost any of the Class 66s operated by EWS, DB, DRS, GBRf, Freightliner or Colas. These are available for £179.95 DC and £269.95 - £284.95 for DCC sound depending on the model chosen.
The 'standard' range will be available from Revolution stockists on release.
NGN was lucky to acquire one of a very limited number of 66301s available for sale at 'The Greatest Gathering' event held at Derby and the model was purchased by the reviewer for £164.95