Dapol have provided a major update for their highly anticipated Class 66 in O Gauge! Significant progress has now been made, with the arrival of a working engineering sample. The final models are now expected Q4 2025. Read on for more...
Update from Dapol
"As you may be aware from our last update (02/2023) Dapol's new design team members had taken over this project and set to work making corrections. They and Dapol as a whole has expended a huge amount of time and resources to make this model as good as it possibly can be. We have got to the stage where we now have a second re-tooled and re-engineered prototype. there are a few minor issues left to sort out but on the whole we are very pleased with it.
Unfortunately, we have recently had communication from the factory that we have chosen to partner us in this project that they require a significantly higher price per unit (40% higher) to complete the project. At this stage, after we have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in the tooling and have bent over backwards to get the project back on track to say we are disappointed is a huge understatement.
To all of us at Dapol, this type of behavior is unacceptable and we have made the painful decision to move the tooling to one of our other factories, whom have agreed to take on the project with some new timescales for completion. The new factory has produced our incredibly popular OO gauge Hawthorn Leslie and O gauge GWR Railcars, 3MT and J94/Austerity, so we know their quality standards and attention to detail is superb and are confident they will make an exemplary job of the Class 66.
Unfortunately, as part of the hand over we have had to accept a higher price per unit for the model. Normally Dapol would look to absorb these extra costs but due to the delays we have experienced and post COVID, inflationary pressures in the Far East, these costs are too much for us to bear alone and we will have to pass some of these on to the modeller."
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Product Features
Highly detailed model with many separately fitted parts including handrails, handles, grilles, footsteps, pipework and more
Etched grilles now with added detail showing radiator equipment with engine room lighting
Heavyweight Diecast chassis and diecast bogie frames
Working rotating axle centres
Multiple Digital & Sound options:
- DCC Ready - 2 x Plux22 decoder sockets
- DCC Fitted - 2 x Imperium decoders
- DCC Sound - 1 x Zimo sound decoder + 1 x Imperium decoder with dual speaker system
- DCC Spatial Sound - 2 x Zimo sound decoders with quad speaker system
About DCC Spatial Sound:
DCC Spatial Sound using two Zimo Plux22 sound decoders to offer true stereo sound, a first for O gauge RTR. Amongst other effects, engine sounds will now emanate from the engine end, horns will be spatial and fan sounds will come from the fan end. The two-speaker system used will also be of our own design and incorporate 4 drive units which will enhance the bass and treble and make the whole experience more immersive than has been possible before. Coupled with our `RealDrive’ feature will make this a truly realistic driving experience.
Two motors (balanced & matched) for maximum pulling power and slow speed running control
Operating front/rear lights (independent operation for DCC, (switched for DC use) Includes day/night mode)
Operating ‘side’ lights (where lighting cluster is applicable)
Cab light (independent operation)
Detailed cab with illuminated cab control panel
Factory sound fitted models to be fitted with RealDrive
DC control switches to be accessible via lift-off roof panel
Appropriate couplings attached
O gauge society wheel profiles
Sprung buffers
Interchangeable front buffer beams with the option for an auto coupler to be used
The entire buffer beam assembly can be swapped out leaving no unsightly seams on the valance
Prototype Information
The Class 66 is a six-axle diesel-electric freight locomotive, somewhat based on the earlier Class 59 locomotives. The class has proved to be highly successful with a total production run of 480 in the UK (with additional locos imported from overseas following this) and alternative versions of the loco being marketed to Europe as the EMD Class 66.
Upon privatisation, a number of newly-privatised rail freight companies; Transrail, Mainline, Loadhaul, Railfreight Distribution, and RES were bought out and became EWS. EWS inherited a fleet of 1,600 mostly diesel locomotives, including many Class 47s which had to be overhauled every 7 years at a cost of £400,000. In an effort to reduce their operating costs, EWS approached Electro-Motive Diesel to build new locomotives based on the Class 59 bodyshell but with a different engine and traction motors to enable higher speed running - leading to the commissioning of the Class 66.
EWS ordered 250 Class 66 locos, in what was termed "the biggest British loco order since steam days". Further orders were placed by Freightliner, GB Railfreight, and Direct Rail Services in later years. 66779 was the last Class 66 to be built as the design could no longer meet the stringent stage 3b emissions regulations.
The locomotives have proved to be extremely reliable and adaptable, being used for across a huge spectrum of UK freight operations.