Colas Rail Freight leased 5 class 66 locomotives following the collapse of Advenza freight (numbered 66841 to 66845), in 2011 these locomotives were then leased on to GBRF. Leaving a hole in the fleet, Colas purchased 5 class 66 locomotives from Freightliner (formerly numbered 66573 to 66577). These 5 were given a fresh coat of Colas’ house colours and renumbered to 66846 to 66850. 66849 was given the name of “Wylam Dilly” straight after its repainting and has carried it to this day. Wylam Dilly is the second oldest surviving steam locomotive in the world and was built for hauling coal at Wylam Colliery near Newcastle in 1815.
The Accurascale Class 66 model is based on the award winning ‘accura-standard’ platform, with all-wheel powered six-axle bogies, a powerful twin flywheel fitted motor and market leading electronics package.