Graham Farish 8828

British Rail Class 90 90022 Freightconnection English, Welsh & Scottish Railway Railfreight Triple Grey

Contents

Tooling

The Graham Farish British Rail Class 90 in N gauge was first introduced in 1995, marking an important addition to the range of modern image AC electric locomotives. The prototype Class 90 entered service in 1987–1990 as a development of the Class 87, designed for mixed-traffic duties on the West Coast Main Line and beyond. The original Graham Farish tooling reflected the standards of the mid-1990s, offering a basic but serviceable representation of the locomotive for N gauge layouts.

At launch, the model was welcomed for filling a gap in modern electric traction for N gauge layouts. However, over time, reviewers noted limitations such as the lack of lighting, basic detailing, and absence of DCC provision. Enthusiasts often praised its running qualities and reliability but acknowledged that it fell behind newer standards as technology advanced.

Contemporary magazine reviews in the late 1990s described the model as a solid performer for its time. In later years, online forums and social media highlighted its historical significance while comparing it to the vastly improved 2022 retooling, which introduced features such as Next18 DCC sockets, lighting, and sound options.

The original Class 90 tooling remained in production for several years and was periodically updated with new liveries. It became a popular choice for modellers depicting the post-privatisation era, with versions in Freightliner and Virgin Trains schemes proving especially popular.

Detailing: Moulded body details, simplified roof equipment, and a fixed pantograph. Cab interiors were basic compared to modern standards.

The 1995 tooling was DCC incompatible. There was no decoder socket, and conversion required significant modification. This reflected the era before DCC became standard in British N gauge models.

Class & Prototype

  • Running Number: 90022
  • Name: Freightconnection

The British Rail Class 90 electric locomotive, built 1987-1990 at BREL Crewe, delivered 5,000 hp from 25kV AC overhead supply through sophisticated thyristor control. Fifty locomotives served BR InterCity, Virgin Trains, Greater Anglia, and freight operators across 37 years. Pioneer of Time-Division Multiplexing push-pull operations, the class worked West Coast and East Coast main lines at 110 mph with Mark 3 coaching stock. Over 35 liveries span InterCity Swallow through privatisation operators to contemporary Freightliner freight. Bachmann's 2019 OO gauge tooling features world-first servo-operated pantograph; Graham Farish offers excellent N gauge versions. Approximately 30 remain operational.

Operator & Livery

The English, Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) operated Britain's largest rail freight network from 1996-2007, controlling 90% of the UK freight market. Formed by Wisconsin Central through acquisition of five British Rail freight companies, EWS revolutionised British freight transport with 250 new General Motors Class 66 locomotives and distinctive maroon and gold livery featuring the famous "three beasties" logo. The company was acquired by Deutsche Bahn in 2007, eventually becoming today's DB Cargo UK while maintaining its freight market dominance.

The Railfreight Triple Grey livery was introduced by British Rail in the late 1980s as the standard scheme for its newly sectorised freight divisions, and some locomotives retained it into the EWS era after 1996. The design used three horizontal bands of dark, medium, and light grey, divided by fine red lining, with large sector decals originally denoting the locomotive’s allocation (such as Petroleum, Metals, or Coal). Under EWS ownership, the sector logos were often removed or replaced with the bold red and yellow EWS ‘three beasts’ logo placed centrally on the bodysides.

On locomotives such as the Class 90 fleet, the Railfreight Triple Grey livery created a professional and uniform appearance, reflecting the sector-based structure of late BR freight. Its survival into the EWS period gave it a transitional character, bridging the gap between British Rail’s sector branding and EWS’s later standard maroon and gold colours.