British Rail Class 81
The British Rail Class 81 is a type of AC electric locomotives that formerly operated on the West Coast Main Line of British Rail's London Midland Region. Originally designated AL1, it was the first class of AC electric locomotive to be delivered to British Railways.
History
As part of the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line, which included electrification, 100 locomotives of five types were acquired; each type from a different manufacturer.The first locomotives to be delivered were type AL1, designed by British Thomson-Houston, an order being placed for 25 examples. Of these, 23 were for use on passenger trains with a top speed of 100 mph and were designated Type A. The other two locomotives were intended for freight train use and geared for a top speed of 80 mph; these were designated Type B.
Before the work was completed, BTH amalgamated with Metropolitan Vickers to form Associated Electrical Industries traction division and it was under this name that the locomotives were built in 1959, under subcontract by Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon in Smethwick. The first locomotive, E3001, was handed over to British Railways on 27 November 1959. The type was initially used for crew training on the Styal Line between Manchester and Crewe.
The AL1 were numbered E3001-E3023 and E3096/97; the first twenty-three being Type A and the last two Type B. However, these last two were actually geared for passenger service, being delivered in February 1964.
Power supply
The locomotives always worked on power provided by overhead catenary, energised at 25,000 V AC. However, the main transformer, normally operated with the four windings in series, could be operated at 6250 V AC with the transformer windings in parallel. This voltage was initially to be used where limited clearances gave concern over use of the higher voltage. However, this approach was never used on the West Coast Main Line, although it was employed elsewhere such as in the initial Blue Train electrification there. By the time the WCML wiring was extended to Glasgow, it had been revised there to the mainstream 25 kV voltage.Operations
The class only operated on the West Coast Main Line, initially because they were restricted to lines electrified at 25 kV AC. Cities where these engines could be seen included London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. They operated passenger, freight and parcel trains.Renumbering
Under the TOPS system, twenty-two examples were reclassified as Class 81 from 1972 and were numbered 81001-81022.Withdrawals
Three locomotives were withdrawn before they could be renumbered under the TOPS system, which was implemented in 1972. E3002 and E3019 were damaged by fire and both were scrapped at British Rail's Crewe Works. The remains of E3009 were also cut up at Crewe Works; the locomotive was wrecked in the Hixon rail crash of January 1968.Two further members of the class saw relatively early withdrawal due to accident or fire damage:
Preservation
One example, 81002, has been preserved by the AC Locomotive Group; it is located at Barrow Hill Roundhouse, in Derbyshire.Fleet details
Models
There have been no recent OO gauge models of the Class 81, although Hornby Dublo produced a model from 1964, prior to the purchase of Hornby by Lines Bros. This model was very crude, even by the standards of the day; it lacked cab interiors, had a poor pantograph and there wad a lack of detail in the roof pan. It was issued under Tri-ang Hornby from 1966.There has, however, been a static model in HO scale produced by Atlas Editions; some of these have been successfully motorised.