RUSTY SHED

Class 66's unusual rust patches.

While out walking our dog this morning, I snapped this image of a Freightliner Class 66 (66622) hauling a rake of empty limestone hoppers. There was nothing unusual about this working at first glance but, as the train got closer, I noticed an array of large rust patches on the cab front. 

Although some of the older 66s are beginning to look somewhat 'lived-in', now that they're approaching 20 years old, it's not often that you see a rusty one. Furthermore, the hard-edged nature of these patches of corrosion made them look a little strange. Certainly one of those things that, if copied faithfully on a model, would have many people remarking that they looked unrealistic. There's a prototype for everything, as they say...