Our exclusive range of Class 89 locomotives from Accurascale are nearing completion at the factory, with release expected during Q2 2025!

PRODUCTION UPDATE - Thursday 6th March 2025

With so many new projects reaching the end of their production cycle, our friends at Accurascale recently sent out a delegation to the factory in China to oversee the final stages of the Class 89s. Upon receiving the first production samples earlier this year (more on that later!) Accurascale identified a couple of minor tweaks required to the locomotives to reach that museum quality level we required from these stand out models. We're happy to say that the factory have been busy implementing these, and they're almost complete.

One key area for attention is the operation of the raising and lowering pantograph. Accurascale have refined its operation and look following on from the Class 92, and while the original design worked, it left the pan head in a non-prototypical position. They have worked hard to improve the finesse of the 89 pantograph after feedback from modellers, with features such as a metal, scale head and new hidden 'clip-down' technology for DC users, but as as result the fine tuning in the set up, notably with the wonderful ESU mechanisms, has been a slow and iterative process.

However, working closely with the internal and external engineers, this has now been nailed down, and the new design is currently being manufactured ahead of fitting to the otherwise finished Class 89s. Below you can see a short video of the pantographs in action - see how the springing and the pan head in particular now swivels to stay in contact at all times.

These are a highly intricate and complex part, that need to be highly calibrated and hand-tuned at the factory, and cannot be rushed. This now puts delivery of the 89 to our warehouse to Q2 2025. While this slight delay is regrettable, this is likely the only chance the British modelling public will ever get to obtain a top tier model of the Badger, so we are determined to make it as perfect as it can be.

One variant we have yet to show was GNER livery with gold lettering, but we are delighted to present it now in its production sample state. Pre-orders are still open for the Class 89 here at Rails of Sheffield, but please note that quantities are limited, so do make sure to order yours ASAP to avoid disappointment!

Designed by Brush Traction and constructed by British Rail Engineering Ltd at Crewe Works in 1986, the unique Class 89 was the prototype for a planned fleet of locomotives that would take over from the HSTs on the electrified ECML and supplement existing motive power on the WCML. 

Unfortunately, British Rail changed its requirements before the locomotive was even completed, eventually ordering Class 90s and 91s instead. The Class 89 design was later considered for Channel Tunnel use, but was superseded by what eventually became the Brush Class 92.

Used as a test bed between 1986 and 1988 on both the East and West Coast routes, it eventually settled into service working between Kings Cross and Leeds. Delivered in the InterCity Executive scheme, it was repainted in the new Swallow livery in December 1988 and named ‘Avocet’ by the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher the following month. It continued in this duty until July 1992 when it was side-lined following a failure.

It was subsequently purchased for preservation and wore de-named Swallow livery until, in a shock move, it was acquired by privatised ECML operator GNER in 1997 to help with a drastic motive power shortage. Repainted into GNER dark blue, it returned to operation on Kings Cross to Leeds and Bradford trains. Withdrawn for a second time in 2001 it joined the AC Locomotive Group’s preserved fleet at the end of 2006 and repainted back into its original InterCity livery the following year.

The Class 89 story does not end there. The ACLG is currently restoring this locomotive back to operational condition with plans to fit it with the necessary equipment for a return to the national network. In December 2021 it announced a partnership with Locomotive Services Ltd to fund the final stages of 89001’s rebuild that will also see the unique machine join LSL’s stunning fleet of main line certified electric locomotives for a period of five years.