Hornby R2935 | Class 59 | Diesel Locomotive | 59206 | DB Schenker | OO Gauge | Review | HD
8This is a review of the Hornby Class 59 Diesel Locomotive numbered as 59206 in the striking DB Schenker livery. The locomotive is actually a Class 59/2 which is one of the former National Power locomotives that was bought by the company and entered service in 1986 and is the more powerful older cousin of the commonly seen Class 66 that is used widely on the UK railways. The model is an ex-Lima type with some upgrades carried out by Hornby such as a newer more reliable truck-mounted 5 pole motor. Most of the extra external detail parts like the cylinders and the pipes are now factory applied and this model has NEM type couplers as I believe this model was released around 2009/2010 and is no longer produced by Hornby. Performance is okay but the model has those dreadful rubber traction tyres as only two axles are powered on this model and sadly this model lack directional headlights as well which is a bit of a let down. But on the positive side. Express Models do make a lighting kit for this model which should improve things if you wish to run the model at night. But to be fair to Hornby, it is a nice model for a mid-range locomotive that has been tweaked to make it more reliable with a newer motor and it is DCC ready as well. The performance in the tst run with a base test train was satisfactory and I believe the model could haul 6-8 wagons with ease. So I won't be too harsh with the final score, but its time for a new Class 59 to come with the similar amount of features to that of the Hornby Class 67 that was released in 2012. I have improved my model by painting the buffers into US Air Force grey using the Revell matt 76 paint which makes the model look more realistic.
Overall Rating: 8/10.