British Rail Class 87
Encyclopedia
The British Rail
Class 87 is a type of electric locomotive
built from 1973-75 by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL)
. 36 of these locomotives were built to work passenger services over the West Coast Main Line
(WCML). They were the flagships of British Rail's electric locomotive fleet until the late 1980s, when the Class 90
s started to come on stream. The privatisation of British Rail
saw all but one of the fleet transferred to Virgin Trains
they continued their duties until the advent of the new Pendolino
trains, when they were transferred to other operators or withdrawn. There is only one Class 87 still in use in Britain, and that is 87002, owned by the AC Locomotive Group
but is solely used alongside 86101 for the occasional charter train. A large proportion of the fleet have now been exported to Bulgaria
.
. Initially, three Class 86
locomotives were used as test-beds to trial equipment (mainly electrical equipment and suspension) that would be used in the new locomotives; effectively, these locomotives were Class 87s in everything but appearance.
The external design of the Class 87 was clearly derived from that of the Class 86; the only major detail differences were two front cab windows on the 87 instead of the three of the 86, and also the lack of headcode
indicator boxes; by 1973, visual recognition of train reporting numbers by signallers was no longer necessary. The 87s were also fitted with multiple working
equipment which enabled locomotives to work with other members of the class (and some Class 86s) while controlled by one driver. Power output was also increased to 5000 hp in order to deal with the more demanding gradients on the northern half of the WCML such as Shap Fell and Beattock Summit
.
In the 1980s, the multiple working system was replaced with a new system based on time-division multiplexing
(TDM) allowing 87s to work with other classes of locomotive (including most 86s, 90s and 91s) and most importantly, Driving Van Trailer
s (DVTs).
transformer and rectifiers, 87101 had a new thyristor
power control system, and spent over a year on test before entering service in 1976. The locomotive, named Stephenson
, worked the same services as the standard locomotives for many years, until British Rail was sectorised in the 1980s.
steam locomotive
s. The rest were named after towns, cities or counties along the WCML. In the 1980s, British Rail locomotives were allocated to separate sectors and the 87/0s were transferred to InterCity
(which meant their freight work largely came to an end), whilst 87101 went to work for Railfreight Distribution
.
took over the WCML franchise from British Rail. All 35 Class 87/0 locomotives passed to the Porterbrook
rolling stock company and were leased to Virgin as part of the deal. The locomotives continued to work the same services as before, the only outward indication of the change of ownership being the repainting of the locomotives in the red Virgin Trains livery. However, the Virgin policy of introducing a new fleet of trains inevitably meant that the writing was on the wall for the 87s. As Pendolino deliveries began to come on stream from 2002 onward, No.87005 City Of London was the first locomotive taken out of service, and although withdrawals were slower than expected due to the unreliability of the Pendolinos, the final day in service was set for 10 June 2005, by which time many locomotives had been withdrawn, and others transferred to other operators. On this day, four locomotives hauled special trains to Wolverhampton
, Northampton
and Manchester. However, this turned out not to be the final workings for Virgin, as further problems with the new trains meant sporadic appearances by Class 87s hired from other operators. The final working, between London and Birmingham, eventually occurred on 22 December 2006; 87002 performing the honours.
. The locomotive was used infrequently on freight and charter trains but suffered a major failure in 1999 and was withdrawn due to its non-standard nature. It was eventually sold to Alstom
for spare parts, and finally scrapped at Barrow Hill
by HNRC in 2002.
acquired three locomotives, all of which had been out of service for a number of months. The fleet later grew to eight, and were intended to work charter trains, for spot-hire contracts and a new possible intermodal traffic flow. They were based at Oxley
depot in Wolverhampton
. However the fleet saw very little use, only two ever worked a train (87007 and 87008) both were repainted into Cotswold Rail livery, and in July 2006 the locomotives went off-lease. Cotswold Rail is no longer in existence.
(DRS) acquired four locomotives. They were used on Anglo-Scottish intermodal services, but never on a regular basis. In June 2005, 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.
units working FirstGBRf parcels trains. The fleet increased to four at one point, but finally consisted of two locomotives, No.87022 Cock O' The North, and No.87028 Lord President, which were both withdrawn at the end of 2007. What was to have been their final working, a charter train on 29 December 2007, was cancelled.
by Romic-Ace after preparation for export by Electric Traction Services Limited (ETS). The transfer did not take place until after Bulgaria's accession to the European Union
the following year in order to minimise customs formalities.
Following successful trials and homologation by the state railways, a further 25 locomotives (the entire fleet, minus five that have been scrapped, two already in Bulgaria and the four locomotives preserved or staying in the UK) were purchased from Porterbrook by Romic-Ace and sold to the Bulgarian Railway Company (БЖК/BRC) in seven batches with the refurbishment being carried out by ETS at Long Marston. The locomotives were then moved to Crewe for 25 kV testing and sign off. The project involved the supply of the locomotives, spares, drawings, overhaul documents and the provision of driver/staff training, which was provided by ETS in the UK and Bulgaria on behalf of Romic-Ace.
The locomotive batches were scheduled to be exported in stages over the period 2008-2010. The first batch, locos 87007, 87008 and 87026, were prepared by Electric Traction Services Limited, and left the UK in June 2008 after testing and sign off by Romic-Ace and BRC at Crewe. The locomotives were delivered by rail via the Channel Tunnel. Subsequent batches of locomotives have been delivered by road to Hull, then ferry and barge to the port of Ruse in Bulgaria.
17 locomotives are in service with Bulgarian Railway Company.
Three Class 87 electric locomotives are currently preserved in Britain.
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 87 is a type of 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...
built from 1973-75 by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL)
BREL
British Rail Engineering Limited , was the railway systems engineering division of British Rail, until the design and building of trains in the UK was privatised in 1993. On 31 October 1969, the company was incorporated as British Rail Engineering Limited.-Main products:The vast majority of BREL's...
. 36 of these locomotives were built to work passenger services over 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...
(WCML). They were the flagships of British Rail's electric locomotive fleet until the late 1980s, when the Class 90
British Rail Class 90
The British Rail Class 90 electric locomotives were built by BREL at Crewe from 1987-1990. Each locomotive weighs 84.5 tonnes and has a top speed of . They operate from 25 kV AC overhead wires and produce...
s started to come on stream. The privatisation of British Rail
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
saw all but one of the fleet transferred to Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
they continued their duties until the advent of the new Pendolino
British Rail Class 390
The Class 390 Pendolino is a type of train used in Great Britain. They are electric multiple units using Fiat's tilting train pendolino technology and built by Alstom. Fifty-three 9-car units were originally built for Virgin Trains from 2001 to 2004 for operation on the West Coast Main Line , with...
trains, when they were transferred to other operators or withdrawn. There is only one Class 87 still in use in Britain, and that is 87002, owned by the AC Locomotive Group
AC 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 :...
but is solely used alongside 86101 for the occasional charter train. A large proportion of the fleet have now been exported to Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
History
A requirement for more electric locomotives came about after the electrification of the WCML spread north from to , and GlasgowGlasgow Central station
Glasgow Central is the larger of the two present main-line railway terminals in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 31 July 1879 and is currently managed by Network Rail...
. Initially, three Class 86
British Rail Class 86
The British Rail Class 86 was the standard electric locomotive built during the 1960s, developed as a result of testing with the earlier Classes 81, 82, 83, 84 and 85. One hundred of these locomotives were built from 1965-1966 by either English Electric at Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows, or...
locomotives were used as test-beds to trial equipment (mainly electrical equipment and suspension) that would be used in the new locomotives; effectively, these locomotives were Class 87s in everything but appearance.
The external design of the Class 87 was clearly derived from that of the Class 86; the only major detail differences were two front cab windows on the 87 instead of the three of the 86, and also the lack of headcode
Train reporting number
A train reporting number is used by railway staff in Great Britain to identify a particular train service. It consists of:* A single-digit number, indicating the class of train* A letter, indicating the destination area...
indicator boxes; by 1973, visual recognition of train reporting numbers by signallers was no longer necessary. The 87s were also fitted with multiple working
Multiple working
Multiple working is a term used on the UK rail network to describe the practice of having more than one diesel or electric locomotive hauling a train under the control of one driver.-Terminology:...
equipment which enabled locomotives to work with other members of the class (and some Class 86s) while controlled by one driver. Power output was also increased to 5000 hp in order to deal with the more demanding gradients on the northern half of the WCML such as Shap Fell and Beattock Summit
Beattock Summit
Beattock Summit is a high point of the West Coast Main Line railway and of the A74 motorway as they cross from Dumfries and Galloway to South Lanarkshire in south west Scotland.- Railway history :...
.
In the 1980s, the multiple working system was replaced with a new system based on time-division multiplexing
Time-division multiplexing
Time-division multiplexing is a type of digital multiplexing in which two or more bit streams or signals are transferred apparently simultaneously as sub-channels in one communication channel, but are physically taking turns on the channel. The time domain is divided into several recurrent...
(TDM) allowing 87s to work with other classes of locomotive (including most 86s, 90s and 91s) and most importantly, Driving Van Trailer
Driving Van Trailer
A Driving Van Trailer is a purpose-built railway vehicle that allows the driver to operate a locomotive at the opposite end of a train. Trains operating with a DVT therefore do not require the locomotive to be moved around to the other end of the train at terminal stations...
s (DVTs).
87101
Whilst the first 35 locomotives (numbered from 87001 to 87035, and known as Class 87/0) were identical, the 36th was numbered 87101 and had major equipment differences from the rest of the class. While the 87/0s were fitted with a traditional tap-changerTap (transformer)
A transformer tap is a connection point along a transformer winding that allows a certain number of turns to be selected. This means, a transformer with a variable turns ratio is produced, enabling voltage regulation of the output...
transformer and rectifiers, 87101 had a new thyristor
Thyristor
A thyristor is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating N and P-type material. They act as bistable switches, conducting when their gate receives a current trigger, and continue to conduct while they are forward biased .Some sources define silicon controlled rectifiers and...
power control system, and spent over a year on test before entering service in 1976. The locomotive, named Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
, worked the same services as the standard locomotives for many years, until British Rail was sectorised in the 1980s.
British Rail service
The great majority of the Class 87s' workload came on express passenger services from London Euston to the North West and Glasgow.They did, however, see some use on freight, especially on heavy services that required two locomotives. In the late 1970s, British Rail named its entire Class 87 fleet, many receiving names previously carried by the "Britannia"BR standard class 7
The BR Standard Class 7, otherwise known as the Britannia Class, is a class of 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive designed by Robert Riddles for use by British Railways for mixed traffic duties. Fifty-five were constructed between 1951 and 1954. The design was a result of the 1948 locomotive exchanges...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s. The rest were named after towns, cities or counties along the WCML. In the 1980s, British Rail locomotives were allocated to separate sectors and the 87/0s were transferred to InterCity
InterCity (British Rail)
InterCity was introduced by British Rail in 1966 as a brand-name for its long-haul express passenger services ....
(which meant their freight work largely came to an end), whilst 87101 went to work for Railfreight Distribution
Railfreight Distribution
Railfreight Distribution was a subsector of British Rail created by the division in 1987 of British Rail's previous Railfreight sector. It was responsible for non-trainload freight operations, as well as Freightliner and Intermodal services. In its early years the division was occasionally...
.
Post-Privatisation service
Virgin Trains
In 1997 Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
took over the WCML franchise from British Rail. All 35 Class 87/0 locomotives passed to the Porterbrook
Porterbrook
Porterbrook is one of the three major ROSCOs in the United Kingdom...
rolling stock company and were leased to Virgin as part of the deal. The locomotives continued to work the same services as before, the only outward indication of the change of ownership being the repainting of the locomotives in the red Virgin Trains livery. However, the Virgin policy of introducing a new fleet of trains inevitably meant that the writing was on the wall for the 87s. As Pendolino deliveries began to come on stream from 2002 onward, No.87005 City Of London was the first locomotive taken out of service, and although withdrawals were slower than expected due to the unreliability of the Pendolinos, the final day in service was set for 10 June 2005, by which time many locomotives had been withdrawn, and others transferred to other operators. On this day, four locomotives hauled special trains to Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
and Manchester. However, this turned out not to be the final workings for Virgin, as further problems with the new trains meant sporadic appearances by Class 87s hired from other operators. The final working, between London and Birmingham, eventually occurred on 22 December 2006; 87002 performing the honours.
EWS
EWS inherited the unique No.87101 from Railfreight DistributionRailfreight Distribution
Railfreight Distribution was a subsector of British Rail created by the division in 1987 of British Rail's previous Railfreight sector. It was responsible for non-trainload freight operations, as well as Freightliner and Intermodal services. In its early years the division was occasionally...
. The locomotive was used infrequently on freight and charter trains but suffered a major failure in 1999 and was withdrawn due to its non-standard nature. It was eventually sold to Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
for spare parts, and finally scrapped at Barrow Hill
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:...
by HNRC in 2002.
Cotswold Rail
In April 2005, Cotswold RailCotswold Rail
thumb|right|[[British Rail Class 47|Class 47]], no. 47316 'Cam Peak', at [[Doncaster railway works|Doncaster Works]] open day on 27th July 2003. This locomotive had recently been returned to traffic after a period in store...
acquired three locomotives, all of which had been out of service for a number of months. The fleet later grew to eight, and were intended to work charter trains, for spot-hire contracts and a new possible intermodal traffic flow. They were based at Oxley
Oxley, Wolverhampton
Oxley is a suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, and a ward of Wolverhampton City Council. Its area code is WV10. It is situated in the north of the city, bordering South Staffordshire and the Bushbury North, Bushbury South and Low Hill, St Peter's and Tettenhall Regis wards...
depot in Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
. However the fleet saw very little use, only two ever worked a train (87007 and 87008) both were repainted into Cotswold Rail livery, and in July 2006 the locomotives went off-lease. Cotswold Rail is no longer in existence.
Direct Rail Services
In November 2004, Direct Rail ServicesDirect Rail Services
Direct Rail Services is a freight operating company created by British Nuclear Fuels Limited. The company started rail operations in 1995 using five heavily refurbished Class 20/3 diesel locomotives. Since then it has expanded greatly, and has acquired many more locomotives, most bought...
(DRS) acquired four locomotives. They were used on Anglo-Scottish intermodal services, but never on a regular basis. In June 2005, 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.
FirstGBRf
In November 2004, FirstGBRf acquired two locomotives which had recently been retired from Virgin passenger service. They were used as standby locomotives to rescue failed Class 325British Rail Class 325
The British Rail Class 325 is a 4 car dual-voltage 25 kV alternating current or 750 V direct current electric multiple unit train used for postal train services. They are based on the Class 319. The Class 325 was British Rail's newest unit to take over parcels working on electrified...
units working FirstGBRf parcels trains. The fleet increased to four at one point, but finally consisted of two locomotives, No.87022 Cock O' The North, and No.87028 Lord President, which were both withdrawn at the end of 2007. What was to have been their final working, a charter train on 29 December 2007, was cancelled.
Bulgaria export
In 2006, Singapore trading company Romic-Ace International PTE Ltd approached Porterbrook to discuss the potential export of the Class 87 locomotives to a customer in Eastern Europe. Nos 87012 and 87019 were purchased and sold to BRC, an open access operator in BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
by Romic-Ace after preparation for export by Electric Traction Services Limited (ETS). The transfer did not take place until after Bulgaria's accession to the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
the following year in order to minimise customs formalities.
Following successful trials and homologation by the state railways, a further 25 locomotives (the entire fleet, minus five that have been scrapped, two already in Bulgaria and the four locomotives preserved or staying in the UK) were purchased from Porterbrook by Romic-Ace and sold to the Bulgarian Railway Company (БЖК/BRC) in seven batches with the refurbishment being carried out by ETS at Long Marston. The locomotives were then moved to Crewe for 25 kV testing and sign off. The project involved the supply of the locomotives, spares, drawings, overhaul documents and the provision of driver/staff training, which was provided by ETS in the UK and Bulgaria on behalf of Romic-Ace.
The locomotive batches were scheduled to be exported in stages over the period 2008-2010. The first batch, locos 87007, 87008 and 87026, were prepared by Electric Traction Services Limited, and left the UK in June 2008 after testing and sign off by Romic-Ace and BRC at Crewe. The locomotives were delivered by rail via the Channel Tunnel. Subsequent batches of locomotives have been delivered by road to Hull, then ferry and barge to the port of Ruse in Bulgaria.
17 locomotives are in service with Bulgarian Railway Company.
Fleet Details
| Key: | In Service | Withdrawn | Preserved | Converted | Scrapped | Exported |
|---|
| 87/0 Number | 87/1 Number | Last Number | Export Number | Intro Date | Disposal | Notes | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87001 | - | 87001 | - | 06/1973 | Preserved 2005: National Railway Museum | - | Stephenson (1976-1977) Royal Scot (1977-1998) Royal Scot (1999-2003) Stephenson (2003-present) Royal Scot (2005-present) |
| 87002 | – | 87002 | – | 06/1973 | Preserved 2008: The AC Locomotive Group | – | Royal Sovereign (1978-2003) The AC Locomotive Group (2005-2008) Royal Sovereign (2008-present) |
| 87003 | - | 87003 | 87003-0 | 07/1973 | Exported: Bulgaria | - | Patriot (1978-2005) |
| 87004 | - | 87004 | 87004-8 | 07/1973 | Exported: Bulgaria | - | Britannia (1978-2005) Britannia (2009-present) |
| 87005 | - | 87005 | 08/1973 | Scrapped 2005: JT Landscapes, MoD Caerwent | - | City of London (1977-2003) | |
| 87006 | - | 87006 | 87006-3 | 11/1973 | Exported: Bulgaria | - | City of Glasgow (1977-1987) Glasgow Garden Festival (1987-1988) City of Glasgow (1989-1997) George Reynolds (1997-2004) |
| 87007 | - | 87007 | 87007-1 | 10/1973 | Exported: Bulgaria | - | City of Manchester (1977-2004) |
| 87008 | - | 87008 | 87008-9 | 11/1973 | Exported: Bulgaria | - | City of Liverpool (1977-1998) Royal Scot (1998-1999) City of Liverpool (1999-2004) |
| 87009 | - | 87009 | - | 11/1973 | Europhoenix: Long Marston | - | City of Birmingham (1977-2003) |
| 87010 | - | 87010 | 87010-5 | 12/1973 | Exported: Bulgaria | - | King Arthur (1978-2005) Driver Tommy Farr (2005-2005) |
| 87011 | - | 87011 | - | 01/1974 | Scrapped 2011: EMR Kingsbury | - | The Black Prince (1978-1998) City of Wolverhampton (2001-2004) |
| 87012 | – | 87012 | 87012-1 | 01/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | Coeur de Lion (1978-1988) The Royal Bank of Scotland (1988-1998) Coeur de Lion (2001-2005) The Olympian (2005-2006) |
| 87013 | – | 87013 | 87013-9 | 02/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | John O' Gaunt (1978-1998) John O' Gaunt (2000-2004) |
| 87014 | – | 87014 | 87014-7 | 01/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | Knight of the Thistle (1978-2004) |
| 87015 | – | 87015 | – | 02/1974 | Scrapped 2005: JT Landscapes, MoD Caerwent | – | Howard of Effingham (1978-2005) |
| 87016 | – | 87016 | – | 03/1974 | Scrapped 2004: JT Landscapes, MoD Caerwent | – | Sir Francis Drake (1978-1988) Willesden Intercity Depot (1992-2004) |
| 87017 | – | 87017 | – | 03/1974 | Europhoenix: Long Marston | – | Iron Duke (1978-2004) Iron Duke (2011-present) |
| 87018 | – | 87018 | – | 05/1974 | Scrapped 2010: EMR Kingsbury | – | Lord Nelson (1978-2004) |
| 87019 | – | 87019 | 87019-6 | 03/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | Sir Winston Churchill (1978-2005) ACoRP Association of Community Rail Parterships (2005-2006) |
| 87020 | – | 87020 | 87020-4 | 03/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | North Briton (1978-2004) |
| 87021 | – | 87021 | – | 04/1974 | Scrapped 2010: EMR Kingsbury | – | Robert the Bruce (1978-2005) |
| 87022 | – | 87022 | 87022-0 | 04/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | Cock o' the North (1978-1998) Lew Adams The Black Prince (1998-2004) Cock o' the North (2006-2007) |
| 87023 | – | 87023 | – | 04/1974 | Europhoenix: Long Marston | – | Highland Chieftain (1978-1984) Velocity (1985-2000) Polmadie (2000-2005) Velocity (2011-present) |
| 87024 | – | 87024 | – | 04/1974 | Scrapped 2005: JT Landscapes, MoD Caerwent | – | Lord of the Isles (1978-2004) |
| 87025 | – | 87025 | – | 04/1974 | Stored: Long Marston | – | Borderer (1978-1982) County of Cheshire (1982-2004) |
| 87026 | – | 87026 | 87026-1 | 05/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | Redgauntlet (1978-1982) Sir Richard Arkwright (1982-2004) |
| 87027 | – | 87027 | – | 05/1974 | Scrapped 2010: EMR Kingsbury | – | Wolf of Badenoch (1978-2003) |
| 87028 | – | 87028 | 87028-7 | 05/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | Lord President (1978-2003) Lord President (2006-2007) |
| 87029 | – | 87029 | 87029-5 | 06/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | Earl Marischal (1978-2004) |
| 87030 | – | 87030 | – | 06/1974 | Scrapped 2010: EMR Kingsbury | – | Black Douglas (1978-2005) |
| 87031 | – | 87031 | – | 07/1974 | Scrapped 2010: EMR Kingsbury | – | Hal o' the Wynd (1978-2004) Keith Harper (2004-2005) |
| 87032 | – | 87032 | – | 07/1974 | Scrapped 2010: EMR Kingsbury | – | Kenilworth (1978-2003) Richard Fearn (2003-2004) |
| 87033 | – | 87033 | 87033-7 | 08/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | Thane of Fife (1978-2005) |
| 87034 | – | 87034 | 87034-5 | 09/1974 | Exported: Bulgaria | – | William Shakespeare (1978-2003) |
| 87035 | – | 87035 | – | 10/1974 | Preserved 2005: The Railway Age, Crewe. | – | Robert Burns (1978-2004) |
| – | 87101 | 87101 | – | 03/1975 | Scrapped 2002: HNRC Barrow Hill. | Originally allocated number 87036. Entered revenue-earning service 08/1976. Some equipment preserved by The AC Loco Group. |
Stephenson (1977-scrap) |
Preservation
- 87001 Stephenson/Royal Scot was donated to the National Railway MuseumNational Railway MuseumThe National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
in November 2005.
- 87002 Royal Sovereign is preserved by the AC Locomotive GroupAC Locomotive GroupThe 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 :...
, and has been returned to main line running conditions.
- 87035 Robert Burns was the first locomotive to be preserved. It is based at Crewe Heritage Centre. It was handed over for preservation by owners Porterbrook at Crewe Works Open Day on 10 September 2005.
Numbers Name Livery Location Status 87001 Stephenson
Royal ScotBritish Rail Blue National Railway Museum National Railway MuseumThe National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...Static display 87002 Royal Sovereign British Rail Blue Willesden depot Operational (mainline registered) 87035 Robert Burns British Rail Blue Crewe Heritage Centre Static display