The Last, The Everything; 60100 Revealed!
It's been nothing but "Tug Life" over the past few weeks since we launched our 00 gauge model of the Class 60, with them being the talk of the hobby and industry.
We previewed some of our decorated samples in our launch video, along with the recent DEMU show in Sutton Coldfield, and with our friends at Hornby Magazine, and now we can reveal the first of the rest of our decorated samples from the first run, starting with 60100 in DB traffic red!
The First, The Last, The Everything...
As you may know, 60100 makes up one of two Accurascale Exclusive editions in our first run as we preview the very first Class 60 in its most original form; 60001 in triple grey construction livery from 1989. and 60100 as it is today. Let's check out the history of 60100!
On the 30th November 1992, The final member of Class 60, 60100, departed Brush Traction for the metals of British Rail along with 60097, 60098 and 60099. The locomotives had been completed much earlier in the year but were unofficially held back as part of the dispute between BR and Brush Traction. The “Liquidated Damages” dispute centred around matters arising from the commissioning and modification of locomotives and the resulting delay in accepting the locomotives into traffic. Eventually, the matter was resolved sometime after the quartet of locomotives had been released to traffic.
Because 60100 had been a late build ‘60’ and been retained at Brush for a period of time, it emerged looking very different to what 60001 did just over 3 years before. By now, the engine room roof had its first stage of cooling modifications with the fitment of a pair of scavenger fans, The fibreglass cowling around the ends of the buffer planks were fitted along with an easy access multiple working socket door on the ‘face’ of the locomotive. The now standard 3-piece drivers window was fitted, standard style of snowplough and the “view blockers” had been fitted in the radiator room, 60100 was very much a “production” model when compared to 001.
Initially 60100 was not allocated a name, but by late 1991 had been fitted with nameplates “Boar of Badenoch”, named after the Scottish mountain, near Dalwhinnie, and was to carry trainload construction sector decals before being allocated to its home depot of Toton, Nottinghamshire – it did not receive depot plaques to show this though. ‘100 settled down to a normal working life for BR, often found on aggregates trains emanating from the Midlands.
Falling under the ownership of Mainline, 60100 didn’t lose its construction sector markings for the “wheels” of Mainline until late 1995 by which time it had gained the second stage of engine room roof modifications, in this case the governor breather vent. It remained in this condition when ownership was transferred to EWS in 1996.
The biggest appearance change to date came in July 2003 when 60100 lost its “Boar of Badenoch” plates and BR Triple grey base livery in favour of a full repaint into the EWS house colours of Maroon and gold, and, given the new name “Pride of Acton”. 60100 went through a period of change and was placed in store for a couple of months during late 2005 and 2006. The locomotive soldiered on until January 2009 when it was placed in storage with high engine hours (17803hrs) and other power unit faults.This period would last for four years until the locomotive was brought in from the cold in 2013 as part of the “super 60” program initiated by new owners DB Schenker. An upgrade to various components and a heavy overhaul brought a new lease of life to many DB class 60s, they were outshopped in the smart bright red livery of the parent company, 60100 was now without a name but carried the DB Schenker logo in full on the bodyside until the ‘Schenker’ part was removed in 2017. In 2018, 60100 re-entered the workshops at Toton for a refresh including the application of the new larger DB Cargo logo on the bodyside along with “bulled up” silver buffers and the application of a new name.
On the 15th of June 2018, 60100 travelled with 66065 and the Royal pair of Class 67’s to the diesel gala at the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley where it would be officially named “Midland Railway – Butterley”. The locomotive remains in this condition right up to the present day and it is in this condition we have chosen to model the loco as part of our "first and last" pair of exclusives along with 60001 as it was delivered in 1989.
Pre-ordering for 60100 has already been very strong, and now having shown off the pre-production model, it is likely to get even stronger. Don't miss out on this wonderful exclusive; pre-order below in DC/DCC Ready specification for just £169.99 or DCC Sound Fitted for £269.99 with free UK postage and packaging below!