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 (BTH), 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 (AEI) 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 (initially numbered E3301 and E3302). 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.

The output of the transformer is converted to DC for the four six pole traction motors by three air-cooled six-anode pumpless steel tank mercury-arc rectifiers. The motors are also forced cooled. Voltage to the motors was governed by a 39 step tap changer on the low voltage side of the transformer.

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 (E3002, E3009 and E3019) 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:

The remaining locomotives of the class had relatively successful service lives of 25 to 30 years; in their latter years, they became unreliable and displayed an increasing tendency to catch fire. However, a shortage of electric locomotives ruled out withdrawal of the fleet until the newer locomotives came into service in the late-1980s. The remaining examples were withdrawn from service in the late-1980s and early-1990s. The final examples were used for the transfer of empty coaches between and Willesden sidings between 1989 and 1991 following the withdrawal of the final s in that role. The last two examples withdrawn from service were 81012 and 81017 in July 1991. The majority of the class were scrapped at Coopers Metals in Sheffield.

Preservation One example, 81002, has been preserved by the AC Locomotive Group; it is located at Barrow Hill Roundhouse, in Derbyshire.

Fleet details Key:PreservedScrapped

NumbersAEI Works NumberDate IntroducedWithdrawnFinal DepotDisposalType BType ATOPSLocationDate-E3001810011083December 1959July 1984GWFire damagedScrapped at Crewe WorksSeptember 1986-E3002-1084January 1960November 1968ACLFire damagedScrapped at Crewe Works January 1969-E3003810021085February 1960October 1990WNPreserved at Barrow Hill Roundhose-E3004810031086April 1960March 1988GWScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3005810041087May 1960April 1990WNScrapped at MC Metals, GlasgowMay 1992-E3006810051088July 1960February 1989GWScrapped at Coppers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3007810061089August 1960October 1988GWScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3008810071090October 1960February 1990GWScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3009-1091October 1960August 1968ACLAccident damagedScrapped at Crewe WorksAugust 1968-E3010810081092November 1960March 1988GWScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3011810091093December 1960February 1990WNScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldDecember 1991-E3012810101094December 1960May 1990WNScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3013810111095December 1960April 1989GWScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3014810121096December 1960July 1991WNScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldDecember 1991-E3015810131097December 1960October 1989GWScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3016810141098March 1961March 1988GWScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3017810151099May 1961December 1984GWScrapped at MC Metals, GlasgowMay 1992-E3018810161100March 1961July 1983GWAccident damagedScrapped at Crewe WorksJanuary 1985-E3019-1101April 1961July 1971ACLFire damagedScrapped at Crewe WorksOctober 1971-E3020810171102May 1961July 1991WNScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3021810181103June 1961January 1986GWScrapped at MC Metals, GlasgowJune 1992-E3022810191104October 1961January 1989GWScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991-E3023810201105February 1962July 1987GWScrapped at Coopers Metals, SheffieldNovember 1991(E3301)E3096810211106June 1962April 1987GWScrapped at MC Metals, GlasgowJuly 1992(E3302)E3097810221107February 1964July 1987GWScrapped at Crewe Works by A HamptonNovember 1988

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 (owners of the Tri-ang Railways brand). This model was very crude, even by the standards of the day; it lacked cab interiors, had a poor pantograph and there was a lack of detail in the roof pan. It was issued under Tri-ang Hornby (predecessors to the current Hornby Railways brand) from 1966.

There has, however, been a static model in HO scale produced by Atlas Editions; some of these have been successfully motorised.

References Citations

Sources

British Rail Class 81

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