Hornby: Co-Co Diesel Class 56 – Colas Rail Freight

The British Rail Class 56 Type 5 Co-Co diesel locomotive was first introduced in 1976 to cope with the increased requirement for heavy freight. British Rail awarded the contract to design and build these new engines to Brush Traction in Loughborough who subcontracted the construction to Electroputere in Romania due to the lack of capacity in their own works.

The initial 30 locomotives to be delivered from Romania suffered from transit damage and construction deficiencies. With this in mind the decision was made to build the remainder of the fleet in the UK. British Rail Engineering Limited were given an order to produce a further 55. A total of 135 locomotives were built as part of this Class with the construction being divided between the Doncaster and Crewe Works.

Specifics:

• Gauge: 00
• Livery: Colas Rail Freight

Hornby is a household name and is famous as the UK brand leader in the model railway hobby