British Rail Class 81
Encyclopedia
The British Rail
Class 81 is an AC
electric locomotive
that formerly operated on the West Coast Main Line
of the London Midland Region of British Rail
. Originally designated AL1, it was the first type of AC electric locomotive to be delivered to British Railways.
which included electrification, 100 locomotives of five types were acquired, each type from a different manufacturer.
The first locomotives to be delivered were of type AL1 designed by British Thomson-Houston
(BTH), an order being placed for 25 examples. Of these, 23 were for use on passenger trains with a top speed on 100 mph and were designated Type A. The two remaining locomotives were to be for use on freight trains with a top speed of 80 mph, and were designated Type B.
Before the work was completed, BTH amalgamated with Metropolitan Vickers to form AEI (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 engine, number E3001, was handed over to British Railways on November 27, 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 / E3097; The first twenty-three were Type A, while the last two were to have been the Type Bs and numbered E3301 and E3302. However the last two were instead geared for passenger service, being delivered in February 1964 as E3096 and E3097.
. Cities where these engines could be seen included London
, Birmingham
, Manchester
, Liverpool
, and Glasgow
. They operated passenger trains, freight trains, and parcel trains. There is no record of operation on the Ex-Great Eastern line, which was being electrified at the time of their introduction, nor subsequently on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) when that was electrified in the 1980s.
system. E3002 and E3019 were damaged by fire and both were scrapped at British Rail
Crewe
Works. E3009 was destroyed in an accident at Hixon
in 1968 when the train that it was pulling collided with a transporter lorry on a level crossing. The remains of this locomotive were also cut up at Crewe
Works.
system, twenty-two examples were reclassified as class 81 and numbered 81001 - 81022.
others were withdrawn as a result of damage after being renumbered.
81016 was involved in an accident on 9 December 1982 near Linslade
, being officially withdrawn in 1983.
81001 was damaged by fire on 26 August 1983 near Carstairs
on a Motorail train.
Euston Station
and Willesden
sidings between 1989 and 1991. The last two examples withdrawn from service were 81012 and 81017.
The majority of the class were scrapped at Coopers Metals in Sheffield
.
, located at Barrow Hill Engine Shed
.
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Class 81 is an AC
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
electric locomotive
Electric locomotive
An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
that formerly operated on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
of the London Midland Region of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
. Originally designated AL1, it was the first type of AC electric locomotive to be delivered to British Railways.
History
As part of the modernization of the West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
which included electrification, 100 locomotives of five types were acquired, each type from a different manufacturer.
The first locomotives to be delivered were of type AL1 designed by British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were known primarily for their electrical systems and steam turbines. They were merged with the similar Metropolitan-Vickers company in 1928, but the two maintained their own...
(BTH), an order being placed for 25 examples. Of these, 23 were for use on passenger trains with a top speed on 100 mph and were designated Type A. The two remaining locomotives were to be for use on freight trains with a top speed of 80 mph, and were designated Type B.
Before the work was completed, BTH amalgamated with Metropolitan Vickers to form AEI (Associated Electrical Industries
Associated Electrical Industries
Associated Electrical Industries was a British holding company formed in 1928 through the merger of the British Thomson-Houston Company and Metropolitan-Vickers electrical engineering companies...
) traction division, and it was under this name that the locomotives were built in 1959 under subcontract by Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon in Smethwick
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
. The first engine, number E3001, was handed over to British Railways on November 27, 1959. The type was initially used for crew training on the Styal Line between Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
.
The AL1 were numbered E3001 - E3023 and E3096 / E3097; The first twenty-three were Type A, while the last two were to have been the Type Bs and numbered E3301 and E3302. However the last two were instead geared for passenger service, being delivered in February 1964 as E3096 and E3097.
Power supply
The locomotives always worked on power provided by overhead catenary energized at 25,000 V AC. However, the main transformer, normally operated with the four windings in series, could be operated at 6250V 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.Operations
Because they were restricted to those lines electrified at 25 kV AC they only operated on the West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. Cities where these engines could be seen included London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, and Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. They operated passenger trains, freight trains, and parcel trains. There is no record of operation on the Ex-Great Eastern line, which was being electrified at the time of their introduction, nor subsequently on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) when that was electrified in the 1980s.
Early withdrawals
Three locomotives, E3002, E3009, and E3019, were withdrawn before they could be renumbered under the TOPSTOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
system. E3002 and E3019 were damaged by fire and both were scrapped at British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
Works. E3009 was destroyed in an accident at Hixon
Hixon rail crash
The Hixon rail crash occurred on 6 January 1968 when a low-loader transporter carrying a 120-ton electrical transformer was struck by an express train on a recently installed automatic level crossing at Hixon, Staffordshire in England.-Background:...
in 1968 when the train that it was pulling collided with a transporter lorry on a level crossing. The remains of this locomotive were also cut up at Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
Works.
Renumbering
Under the TOPSTOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
system, twenty-two examples were reclassified as class 81 and numbered 81001 - 81022.
Accidents
In addition to the three examples withdrawn before renumbering under TOPSTOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
others were withdrawn as a result of damage after being renumbered.
81016 was involved in an accident on 9 December 1982 near Linslade
Linslade
Linslade is an English town, located on the Bedfordshire side of the Bedfordshire-Buckinghamshire border . It abuts onto the town of Leighton Buzzard with which it forms the civil parish of Leighton-Linslade. Linslade was transferred from Buckinghamshire in 1965, and was previously a separate...
, being officially withdrawn in 1983.
81001 was damaged by fire on 26 August 1983 near Carstairs
Carstairs
The name Carstairs refers to a pair of villages located some 4–5 miles east of the town of Lanark in the administrative region of South Lanarkshire in southern Scotland....
on a Motorail train.
The end
Over the years examples of this class were withdrawn from service. The final examples were used for the transfer of empty coaches between LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Euston Station
Euston station
Euston station may refer to one of the following stations in London, United Kingdom:*Euston railway station, a major terminus for trains to the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and part of Scotland...
and Willesden
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
sidings between 1989 and 1991. The last two examples withdrawn from service were 81012 and 81017.
The majority of the class were scrapped at Coopers Metals in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
.
Preservation
One example, 81002, has been preserved by the AC Locomotive GroupAC Locomotive Group
The AC Locomotive Group is the UK's only dedicated AC electric locomotive preservation society. It currently has ten AC locomotives in its care, numbers 81002, 82008, 83012, 84001, 85101, 86101, 86213, 86401, 87002, 89001.- Locomotives :...
, located at Barrow Hill Engine Shed
Barrow Hill Engine Shed
Barrow Hill Roundhouse & Railway Centre, until 1948 known as Staveley Roundhouse & Train Centre, is a former Midland Railway roundhouse in Barrow Hill, near Staveley and Chesterfield, Derbyshire .-History:...
.
Fleet details
| Key: | Preserved | Scrapped |
|---|
| Numbers | Works Number | Date Introduced | Withdrawn | Final Depot | Disposal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type B | Type A | TOPS | |||||
| - | E3001 | 81001 | 1083 | Nov-59 | Jul 1984 | GW | Fire damaged Scrapped at Crewe Works September 1986 |
| - | E3002 | - | 1084 | Jan-60 | Nov 1968 | ACL | Fire damaged Scrapped at Crewe Works January 1969 |
| - | E3003 | 81002 | 1085 | Feb-60 | Oct 1990 | WN | Preserved at Barrow Hill Engine Shed Barrow Hill Engine Shed Barrow Hill Roundhouse & Railway Centre, until 1948 known as Staveley Roundhouse & Train Centre, is a former Midland Railway roundhouse in Barrow Hill, near Staveley and Chesterfield, Derbyshire .-History:... |
| - | E3004 | 81003 | 1086 | Apr-60 | Mar 1988 | GW | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3005 | 81004 | 1087 | May-60 | Apr 1990 | WN | Scrapped at MC Metals, Glasgow May 1992 |
| - | E3006 | 81005 | 1088 | Jul-60 | Feb 1989 | GW | Scrapped at Coppers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3007 | 81006 | 1089 | Aug-60 | Oct 1988 | GW | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3008 | 81007 | 1090 | Sep-60 | Feb 1990 | GW | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3009 | - | 1091 | Oct-60 | Aug 1968 | ACL | Accident damaged Scrapped at Crewe Works August 1968 |
| - | E3010 | 81008 | 1092 | Oct-60 | Mar 1988 | GW | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3011 | 81009 | 1093 | Nov-60 | Feb 1990 | WN | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield December 1991 |
| - | E3012 | 81010 | 1094 | Nov-60 | May 1990 | WN | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3013 | 81011 | 1095 | Dec-60 | Apr 1989 | GW | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3014 | 81012 | 1096 | Dec-60 | Jul 1991 | WN | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield December 1991 |
| - | E3015 | 81013 | 1097 | Dec-60 | Oct 1989 | GW | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3016 | 81014 | 1098 | Mar-61 | Mar 1988 | GW | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3017 | 81015 | 1099 | May-61 | Dec 1984 | GW | Scrapped at MC Metals, Glasgow May 1992 |
| - | E3018 | 81016 | 1100 | Mar-61 | Jul 1983 | GW | Accident damaged Scrapped at Crewe Works January 1985 |
| - | E3019 | - | 1101 | Apr-61 | Jul 1971 | ACL | Fire damaged Scrapped at Crewe Works October 1971 |
| - | E3020 | 81017 | 1102 | Apr-61 | Jul 1991 | WN | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3021 | 81018 | 1103 | Jun-61 | Jan 1986 | GW | Scrapped at MC Metals, Glasgow June 1992 |
| - | E3022 | 81019 | 1104 | Sep-61 | Jan 1989 | GW | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| - | E3023 | 81020 | 1105 | Sep-61 | Jul 1987 | GW | Scrapped at Coopers Metals, Sheffield November 1991 |
| (E3301) | E3096 | 81021 | 1106 | Apr-62 | Apr 1987 | GW | Scrapped at MC Metals, Glasgow July 1992 |
| (E3302) | E3097 | 81022 | 1107 | Feb-64 | Jul 1987 | GW | Scrapped at Crewe Works by A Hampton November 1988 |
Further reading
- AC Type A Electric Locomotives for British Railways, No E3001-E3023 Publisher: Associated Electrical Industries Ltd.