Dapol have revealed production samples of their next run of Class 56 diesel locomotives in N Gauge!

Dapol have now revealed these up-to-date production samples of their retooled Class 56 diesel locomotives in N Gauge! The first four have been showcased with the remaining three set to be revealed in the coming days.

Dapol introduced the much-acclaimed Class 56 diesel-electric locomotive to our range in 2012 and the model has proved popular ever since. As part of their ongoing improvement program, they are updating the Class 56 with a retooled all-new bodyshell. The new tooling will allow for accurate representation of the original Romanian and later UK-built locomotives and feature etched brass grilles.

2D-004-012, 2D-004-013, 2D-004-015 and 2D-004-016 are expected to arrive at Rails towards the beginning of June. 2D-004-010, 2D-004-011 & 2D-004-014 are expected to arrive with us towards the end of June or possibly just into the beginning of July. Please be mindful that some allowance may have to be made for international affairs and how this may impact shipping routes.  

The British Rail Class 56 is a type of Co-Co locomotive designed for heavy freight work and was introduced between 1976 and 1983. In all, 135 Class 56’s were built, the first 30 by Electroputers in Romania, but due to poor quality of construction the remainder were built by BREL at theirDoncaster and Crewe works.

The Class 56 was considered to be a successful locomotive and had a long service life, however performance and maintenance costs savings made from the deployment of the new imported Class 66 resulted in most of the fleet of Class 56’s being decommissioned or sold on by 2006. 7 Class 56’s are currently preserved including Frank Hornby at Barrow Hill.