Factfile: Class 86/0
As electrification of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) progressed in the 1960s, a need for an improved AC electric locomotive design was identified by BR. The initial AL1-5 types (later Class 81-85) had proved to be a mixed bag in terms of their performance, so the plan was to combine the best elements of each design and produce the ultimate 25kv electric traction package with a power output of 3,600hp. The order for the new AL6 (Class 86) proved to be the largest single batch of electric locomotives hitherto procured in the UK, with 100 locomotives being delivered from BR Doncaster (E3101-3140) and Vulcan Works, Newtonle-willows (E3141-E3200) from 1965. Of note was the move to a single pantograph, rather than the twin arrangement originally installed on AL1-5S, with the AL6S designed to work on 25kv AC only. Another innovation was the use of axle-hung traction motors, rather than framemounted units. While this offered improved performance, their weight combined with a poorly designed bogie to cause rough-riding and damage to the permanent way. To solve these issues, the suspension system was modified with a Flexicoil arrangement and new wheels installed as part of a trial in 1969. The modifications proved successful and were fitfully rolledout across the whole fleet over the next two decades. Until they were converted, original condition Class 86s were classified as ‘86/0’ and eventually limited to 80mph, meaning that they were used mostly for freight work during the late 1970s and 1980s.
As well as handling all manner of express and secondary passenger and freight services on the WCML, electrification of the Great Eastern line saw a batch of ‘86s’ transferred from Willesden to Norwich Crown Point depot. Once the suspension issues were resolved, Class 86s proved to be one of – if not the best – AC electric designs of the BR era, giving sterling service on WCML and GE services until the mid-2000s. Privatised freight companies also made use of ‘86s’, with EWS only disposing of its fleet when Post Office traffic was lost in the early 2000s. In recent years, several Class 86s have been exported for use in Eastern Europe, while the UK’S last survivors have been Freightliner’s Class 86/6s, which have only just been retired from intermodal work, after a service life of well over 50 years.