The Class 59 locomotives were the first General Motors (GM) product to be employed in the UK and this was as a result of the Somerset-based quarrying firm of Foster Yeoman being dissatisfied with the unreliable motive power supplied by BR for their stone trains. It therefore decided to go its own way and ordered four class 59 locomotives for evaluation from Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of La Grange, Illinois, USA in  November 1984  . So successful were these locomotives that further examples were ordered by FY and by their rivals Amey Roadstone Corporation (ARC) and later National Power.

The original four 3600 HP co-co locos reached these shores on 21st January 1986, followed by a fifth at a later date.

During acceptance trials on 16 February 1986, locomotive 59001 hauled a train weighing 4639 tonnes – the heaviest load ever hauled by a single non-articulated traction unit on BR metals.

Although the author was not directly involved with the testing & commissioning of these locomotives they were around at the RTC in early 1986 when undergoing acceptance testing and commissioning by my colleagues. I was involved doing other things with Sprinters.

Click on the picture for a bigger image - pictures are the author's unless otherwise credited

By 31st January locomotive 59003 was coupled to Test Car 10 ready for a run to Cricklewood.

Thanks to www.therailwaycentre.com for info - look here and on www.Railfaneurope.net under Germany, diesel, class 259 for pictures

The deployment of these locomotives by Foster Yeoman lead in turn to a second order from the Amey Roadstone Corporation (ARC) for four class 59/1 locos which were delivered to UK in October 1990. This was followed in 1994 by five more 59/2 locos for National Power. Much later major orders for variants of the class 59  were placed by EWS, Freightliner and DRS and these became known as the class 66 locomotives, which continue to be delivered.

In 1990 a test with modified dampers was undertaken with 59104 in an attempt to raise the operating speed of the locomotive from 60mph to 75mph for container traffic. The trial with new dampers showed that the loco's max speed could be raised but the class remained with a max speed of 60mph. However the class 59/2 locomotives were capable of 75mph from new

Eventually ARC and Foster Yeoman amalgamated to form Mendip Rail but ARC was bought out by Hanson who applied their own livery to the locos

In mid-1997 59003 was modified and sent to Germany to operate for a new company jointly owned by Foster Yeoman and DB Cargo in order to operate high-capacity aggregate trains to various major construction sites. It was repainted at Eastleigh Works into a blue and red livery and received a number of technical modifications, including a high level headlight above the cab windows to conform with European standards. In 2001 this loco was sold to UK-based Heavy Haul Power who are now a major player in German private freight operations and operates alongside class 66 derivatives.

Before it was shipped abroad it underwent a bogie rotation test and was weighed at RTC

Click on the picture for a bigger image - pictures are courtesy Hugh Searle

However in 2014 it was repatriated and is now owned by GB Railfreight and wears their livery

However most class 59 variants carry DB Schenker red today.