British Rail Class 87
The British Rail Class 87 is a type of electric locomotive built from 1973-75 by BREL. These locomotives were built to work passenger services over the West Coast Main Line after electrification spread north from Crewe to Preston, Carlisle and Glasgow. This allowed the pairs of Class 50 diesel locomotives that previously worked these services to be redeployed.
Contents
Description
Design of the Class 87 was clearly derived from that of the previous Class 86; this was deliberate as British Rail at that time had a policy of restricting the variability of the outward appearance of its AC electric locomotive fleet. The only major detail differences were two front cab windows on the 87 instead of the three of the 86; also the lack of headcode boxes, present on the Class 86 but absent on the 87 as visual recognition of train reporting numbers by signallers was by then no longer necessary. In 1977/78, British Rail named its entire Class 87 fleet, many receiving names previously carried by the Class 7P "Britannia" Pacific steam locomotives. The rest were named after towns, cities or counties along the WCML.
Current operations
GB Railfreight
In November 2004, GB Railfreight (GBRf) acquired two locomotives, nos. 87013 and 87014, which had recently been retired from passenger service. They are used as standby locomotives, to rescue failed Class 325 units for the new parcels contract recently won by GBRf. In July 2005, the fleet was increased with the addition of nos. 87012 and 87019, both of which had recently been stepped down by Virgin Trains. They replaced nos. 87013 and 87014, which required works attention. The fleet was increased to three in September 2005, with the addition of no. 87002, but this was stored later in the year after developing faults. Two further machines, nos. 87026 and 87028 were leased during December 2005 due to the increase in mail traffic at Christmas. Number 87026 was soon stored after developing transformer problems, to be replaced by nos. 87006 and 87022 - however, 87026 continued to work into February 2006 despite being officially stored.
The regular fleet then included 87012, 87019, 87022, and 87028. Numbers 87022 and 87028 carry a modified version of the GBRf livery, based on their previous DRS blue, but with orange window surrounds. Numbers 87002, 87006 and 87026 were released by GBRf from mail duties in May 2006 and have been reallocated to Virgin Trains.
This was followed by 87012 and 87019 going off-lease at the beginning of July 2006. GBRf has however made some investments in the remaining pair (which regularly work the new special Blue Pullman trains) which 87022 regaining its original name Cock o'the North at the beginning of August, and 87028 regaining it's former Lord President plates shortly after. Currently this pair have a relatively secure future.
Former operations
Cotswold Rail
In April 2005, Cotswold Rail acquired three locomotives, nos. 87021/025/026, all of which had been out of service for 4-5 months. These were joined by nos. 87007/008 later in April, and nos. 87003/023/033 in May. The locomotives were acquired to work charter trains, for spot-hire contracts and a new possible intermodal traffic flow. The fleet is based at Oxley depot in Wolverhampton.
At one point, it was thought probable that Cotswold Rail would acquire a fleet of up to ten locomotives. However, number 87026 was transferred to GBRf in December 2005, and in May 2006, all except four locomotives were removed for storage. The fleet then consisted of operational locomotives, nos. 87007 and 87008, both painted in CR silver, and nos. 87003 and 87023 undergoing repairs. 87021, 87025 and 87033 were stored away from the wires in the Ministry of Defence depot at Long Marston.
In July 2006 the fleet, which had seen very little use, went off-lease. While 87007 and 87008 remained at Wembley depot, 87003 and 87023 were moved in August 2006 to Long Marston from Oxley. Cotswold Rail no longer operates AC electrics.
Direct Rail Services
In November 2004, Direct Rail Services (DRS) acquired four locomotives. Three of these, nos. 87006/022/032 were recently retired by Virgin Trains, whilst the fourth, no. 87028, had been out of traffic for a period, but was still operational. DRS acquired the locomotives to work new freight paths on the WCML.
Three of the locomotives were repainted into DRS blue livery. They were infrequently used on Anglo-Scottish intermodal services, but were never used on a regular basis. In June 2005, after the end of the trials period, the four locomotives were stored. The main reason for their lack of use was the need for a diesel to shunt the train in non-electrified sidings.
Following their withdrawal by DRS 87032 was sent to Springburn depot in Glasgow while 87006/022/028 were moved to Wembley depot in London. Subsequently the Wembley trio returned to service with GBRailfreight while 87032 remained out of use in Glasgow. In September 2006 this locomotive was moved to join the other stored 87s at Long Marston.
EWS
EWS inherited a sole locomotive from Railfreight Distribution, the unique Class 87/1, no. 87101. The locomotive was used infrequently on freight and charter trains. However in early 1999 it suffered a major failure, and was subsequently withdrawn due to its non-standard nature. After languishing at Crewe for several years, it was eventually sold to Alstom for spare parts. It was finally scrapped at Barrow Hill by HNRC in 2002.
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains inherited all 35 Class 87/0 locomotives, which were operated as part of the West Coast franchise.
The original intended final day of operations was 10 June 2005, when no. 87012 worked a Northampton-Euston service and no. 87019 a Wolverhampton-Euston service. These were followed by the final service from Euston to Manchester, which was double-headed by nos. 87010 and 87002.
In May 2006, numbers 87002, 87006 and 87026 have been released by GBRf for a return to working passenger services, whilst the Class 390 Pendolino electric multiple units are undergoing modifications. In October 2006 87026 was swapped for recently stored and fully operational 87007, owing to deterioration in 87026 which has been stored for a lengthy period before being returned to service and worked hard with little attention, causing increasing mechanical difficulties involving heavy work, particularly with the expensive transformer.
On 22nd December 2006, 87002 worked the 1651 Euston-Birmingham and then the 1900 return to Euston, which again brought the use of class 87 haulage on scheduled passenger services to an end. The loco carried the headplate 'Electric Scot 1973-2006' and the driver wore an authentic 1970's British Rail uniform.
Export for further use
Bulgaria
Locomotives 87012 and 87019 were sold to an operator in Bulgaria, with the transfer to take place in early 2007 after Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, in order to minimise customs formalities. It is expected that more units will follow.
Preservation
Currently, three locomotives have been preserved:
- The first locomotive to be preserved was no. 87035, which will be based at The Railway Age in Crewe. It was handed over for preservation by owners Porterbrook at Crewe Works Open Day on 10th/11th September 2005.
- This was followed by class pioneer no. 87001, which was donated to the National Railway Museum in November 2005.
- In May 2006, Porterbrook released no. 87031 for use in a training scheme at Tyseley TMD in Birmingham. It is not classed as 'preserved'. Although it was intended for use by MainTrain for apprentice fitters to practice their skills, it currently resides on the roundhouse at Birmingham Railway Museum. Many interior parts have been removed or dismantled and it is unlikely that this locomotive will ever run again.
There are also definite plans for at least one more to be saved:
- The AC Locomotive Group is currently campaigning to preserve at least one example, with possibly another for spares. It is possible that the operational locomotive will be the group's namesake, no. 87002[citation needed]. The group has already preserved Class 86/1, no. 86101, which was a test-bed for the Class 87.
Technical details
| BR Class 87 | ||
|---|---|---|
| TOPS numbers | 87 001-87 035; 87 101* | |
| Early numbers | None | |
| Builder | BREL Crewe | |
| Introduced | 1973-4 | |
| Wheel Arrangement | Bo-Bo | |
| Weight | t | 83 tonnes |
| Height (pan down) | 13 ft 1 1/4 in | 3.99 m |
| Width | 8 ft 8 1/4 in | 2.64 m |
| Length | 58 ft 6 in | 17.83 m |
| Wheel Dia. | 3 ft 9 1/2 in | 1160 mm |
| Wheel Base | 43 ft 6 1/8 in | 13.25 m |
| Minimum radius | 4 chains | 80.47 m |
| Maximum speed | 110 mph | 177 km/h |
| Max. Tractive Effort | 58000 lbf | 258 kN |
| Power at Rail (max.) | 7680 hp | 5860 kW |
| (continuous) | 5000 hp | 3730 kW |
| Brake type | Air and Rheostatic | |
| Brake force | tons force | 392 kN |
| Route availability | 6 | |
| Heating type | Electric-index 95 | |
| Multiple working | ||
- 87 101 was a one off locomotive for testing thyristor control; not all the data in this table applies to it.
Source: TheRailwayCentre
Fleet Details
| Key | Operational | Preserved | Withdrawn | Sold for further use | Scrapped |
|---|
| Number | Name(s) | Dates | Final Livery | Operator | Withdrawn | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87001 | Stephenson Royal Scot Stephenson Royal Scot/Stephenson |
1976-1977 1977-2003 2003-2006 2006- |
BR Blue | Virgin Trains | 06/2005 | Preserved at National Railway Museum |
| 87002 | Royal Sovereign The AC Locomotive Group |
1978-2003 2005- |
Porterbrook Purple | Virgin Trains | 12/2006 | Stored |
| 87003 | Patriot | 1978-2005 | Virgin Red/Black | Cotswold Rail | 03/2005 | Stored |
| 87004 | Britannia | 1978- | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 06/2005 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87005 | City of London | 1977-2003 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 09/2003 | Scrapped at MoD Caerwent (10/2005) |
| 87006 | City of Glasgow Glasgow Garden Festival City of Glasgow George Reynolds |
1977-1987 1987-1988 1988-1999 2000-2004 |
DRS Blue | Virgin Trains | 12/2006 | Stored |
| 87007 | City of Manchester | 1977-2004 | CR Silver | Cotswold Rail | 12/2006 | Stored |
| 87008 | City of Liverpool | 1977-2004 | CR Silver | Cotswold Rail | - | Stored |
| 87009 | City of Birmingham | 1977-2004 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 04/2004 | Stored: at one stage earmarked for preservation at Tyseley depot, Birmingham |
| 87010 | King Arthur Driver Tommy Farr |
1978-2005 2005-2005 |
Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 06/2005 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87011 | The Black Prince City of Wolverhampton |
1978-2000 2001-2003 |
Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 12/2003 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87012 | Coeur de Lion The Royal Bank of Scotland Coeur de Lion The Olympian |
1978-1986 1988-1998 2001-2005 2005-2006 |
Network SouthEast | GBRf | 12/2006 | Sold to private operator in Bulgaria |
| 87013 | John O'Gaunt | 1978-2004 | Virgin Red/Black | GBRf | 08/2005 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87014 | Knight of the Thistle | 1978-2004 | Virgin Red/Black | GBRf | 08/2005 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87015 | Howard of Effingham | 1978-2004 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 11/2004 | Scrapped at MoD Caerwent (10/2005) |
| 87016 | Sir Francis Drake Willesden InterCity Depot |
1978-1988 1992-2004 |
Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 04/2004 | Scrapped at MoD Caerwent (12/2004) |
| 87017 | Iron Duke | 1978-2003 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 12/2003 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87018 | Lord Nelson | 1978-2004 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 01/2004 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87019 | Sir Winston Churchill Association of Community Rail Partnerships |
1978-2005 2005-2006 |
LNWR Black | GBRf | - | Sold to a private operator in Bulgaria |
| 87020 | North Briton | 1978-2003 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 12/2003 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87021 | Robert the Bruce | 1978-2005 | Virgin Red/Black | Cotswold Rail | 01/2005 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87022 | Cock o' the North Lew Adams The Black Prince |
1978-2000 2000-2004 |
GBRf Blue/Orange | GBRf | - | Operational |
| 87023 | Highland Chieftain Velocity Polmadie |
1978-1984 1985-1998 1998-2005 |
Virgin Red/Black | Cotwold Rail | 01/2005 | Stored |
| 87024 | Lord of the Isles | 1978-2004 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 10/2004 | Scrapped at MoD Caerwent (11/2005) |
| 87025 | Borderer County of Cheshire |
1978-1982 1982-2004 |
Virgin Red/Black | Cotswold Rail | 12/2004 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87026 | Redgauntlet Sir Richard Arkwright |
1978-1982 1982-2005 |
Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 12/2006 | Stored |
| 87027 | Wolf of Badenoch | 1978-2004 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 08/2004 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87028 | Lord President | 1978-2004 | GBRf Blue/Orange | GBRf | - | Operational |
| 87029 | Earl Marischal | 1978-2004 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 11/2004 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87030 | Black Douglas | 1978- | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 03/2005 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87031 | Hal o' the Wynd Keith Harper |
1978-2004 2004-2005 |
Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 01/2005 | Training scheme at Tyseley depot. |
| 87032 | Kenilworth Richard Fearn |
1978-2003 2003-2004 |
Virgin Red/Black | DRS | 06/2005 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87033 | Thane of Fife | 1978-2005 | Virgin Red/Black | Cotswold Rail | 03/2005 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87034 | William Shakespeare | 1978- | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 12/2003 | Secure storage at MoD Long Marston |
| 87035 | Robert Burns | 1978-2005 | Virgin Red/Black | Virgin Trains | 01/2005 | Preserved at The Railway Age, Crewe |
| 87101 | Stephenson | 1978-2002 | BR Blue | EWS | 04/1999 | Scrapped by HNRC at Barrow Hill (02/2002) |
External links
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| Electric locomotives | ||
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