Freightliner contemplating retro Class 59 livery to mark type's 40th anniversary

The first Class 59 (59001) could be returned to its original silver and blue Foster Yeoman livery by its current owner Freightliner, to celebrate 40 years of the type in the UK.

The General Motors-built loco, along with 59002-004, arrived in the UK in January 1986. They were the first privately owned and funded diesel locomotives to be allowed to run on the national network.

Despite opposition from the unions at the times especially over the decision to buy from America, Foster Yeoman secured the agreement it needed with BR to order the ‘59s’, to replace traction which had been unreliable and caused many trains cancellations.

A fifth loco (59005) arrived in June 1989, while fellow aggerates company Amey Roadstone followed Foster Yeoman’s lead and bought its own four Class 59/1s (59101-104) in 1990.

At privatisation National Power started its own open access freight operations with 59201-206 from 1994 - although these were soon sold to EWS, which took over NP’s work.

A reduction in Mendip stone traffic led to 59003 moving to Germany in 1997, before being brought back to the UK in 2014 by GB Railfreight.

But 59001/002/004/005, 59101-104 and 59201-206 all passed to Freightliner when won the contract from DB Cargo to move stone in April 2019.

The repaint, still to be rubber stamped, would be carried out at the end of the year, to tie in with the four decade landmark milestone in January.