LSL Class 87 confirmed for Norwich visit in mid-March

WHAT is believed to be only the second occasion of a Class 87 working on the Great Eastern Main Line with a passenger service has been planned by LSL’s InterCity railtour arm on Wednesday, March 16. Using LSL’s Mk.3 first class only set, the ‘East Anglian’ will start at Crewe and call at Stafford, Tamworth Low Level, Nuneaton, Rugby, Milton Keynes Central and Watford Junction before taking the North London Line to Stratford and the Great Eastern route to Norwich, where there will be a three-hour break. Return is the same route as outward. LSL expects the formation to have a DVT at the southern end. LSL’s Class 87 No. 87002 Royal Sovereign has been allocated to haul the train, and in preparation for a number of railtours this year, the locomotive and the Mk.3 set undertook test runs from Crewe to Carlisle on January 13 and 14. Fares are £129 per person, and there is a supplement of £30 per person for a guaranteed window table for two. Call 0800 038 5364 to book or visit www.inter-city.co.uk ■ The only previous record of Class 87s working to Norwich on a passenger train was on September 24, 2005 for the inaugural Community Rail Festival and utilised Nos. 87007 and 87019. There have also been some ECS movements using the class on the GEML.