Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI images rather than photographs
Prototype Era
Era 9 (1995 to 2004) Initial Privatisation
Manufacturer description
66501 was the first Class 66 to arrive in the UK for another operator, in this case Freightliner, on 17 July 1999 aboard the ‘M.V. Gajah Borneo’. On 19 July 1999, the locomotive was formally handed over at Newport Docks before making its way to Ipswich for acceptance. It settled into normal Freightliner intermodal operations and gained the name “Japan 2001” to commemorate Freightliner’s support of the Japan 2001 Festival. It remained in this condition until being taken to the former Brush works of UKRL in 2024 for assessment and overhaul. Chosen as one of a pair to receive special commemorative livery for the “Freightliner 60” celebrations, it was outshopped from Loughborough in striking orange paintwork on 8 March 2025 and subsequently named “Spirit of ’65”. This locomotive has now received the modified driver’s door handle arrangement, with the upper handle plated over.
Catalogue listing
Model details
Prototype information
* Class names often change over the lifespan of a locomotive, so this is not necessarily the class name used by the operator in the period modelled.
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