Class 87 Locomotives

When British Rail decided to electrify the West Coast Main Line north of Crewe towards Scotland, a new class of electric locomotive was needed to work these services. Thirty-six members of the Class 87 were built at Crewe Works from 1973 onwards and were an instant success. The first 35 members were standard locomotives, however the final member was fitted with an experimental thyristor control system, which resulted in it becoming the 87/1 subclass. All were initially used on passenger work, but they could also be found on freight workings, being fitted with multiple working equipment from new. The whole class stayed on West Coast workings throughout the BR era and into privatization, with all members, except for 87101, passing to Virgin Trains. The sole Class 87/1 passed to the Railfreight sector of BR and would eventually find its way into EWS ownership; it was unfortunately scrapped in 2002. When their work on the West Coast was at an end, 21 members of the class found further use in Bulgaria and three would be preserved, with the balance being scrapped. All 36 members of the class received names and were a regular sight on the West Coast for decades.