British Rail Class 86

The BR Class 86 was the first production electric locomotive for the West Coast Main Line, built between 1965 and 1966 at BR Doncaster Works and BR Vulcan Foundry, with AEI electrical equipment incorporating the silicon rectifier technology proven by the Class 85. One hundred locomotives were constructed — the largest single electric locomotive order in British history — reflecting BR's confidence in the 25 kV AC overhead system and the WCML's central importance to the national network. The Class 86 was designed to be the standard WCML electric for a generation, and it achieved that goal: the class worked principal WCML expresses for over four decades and a significant number remain in active service as of 2026.

The original Class 86 specification followed the 100 mph, 3,600 hp Bo-Bo layout established by the AL evaluation classes, but the production volume allowed for a more thoroughly engineered and standardised locomotive. The AEI silicon rectifiers converted the 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead supply to DC for the nose-suspended traction motors, and tap-changer control regulated the voltage to the motors. The original design proved too rigid in the bogies for the high-speed running demands of the WCML, leading to a significant bogie redesign programme in the early 1970s that produced the modified Class 86/2 subclass with resilient wheel centres and revised bogies that transformed the class's riding characteristics at speed.

The one hundred locomotives underwent numerous modifications and upgrades through their service lives, producing a complex series of subclasses: the 86/0 retaining original bogies, the 86/2 with revised bogies for 100 mph running, the 86/3 with additional electric train heating capability, the 86/4 and 86/6 for freight and parcels, and the 86/9 prototype testing for Class 87 development. The naming programme applied to many Class 86s — carrying names from a wide range of categories including cities, universities, railway companies, and distinguished figures — gave the class a character and identity unusual for an electric locomotive type.

The Class 86 worked the WCML's principal expresses through the 1970s and 1980s, including the flagship Inter-City services to Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham. The arrival of the Class 90 from 1987 progressively displaced the 86s from the top-link passenger duties, though a substantial fleet continued on secondary passenger and freight work into the 1990s and 2000s. Under privatisation Class 86s passed to Virgin Trains, EWS, Anglia Railways/National Express East Anglia, and subsequently Greater Anglia, working both WCML services and the Norwich–London Liverpool Street Great Eastern main line. As of 2026, a small number remain active with charter operators and in departmental roles, over sixty years after the first examples were delivered — an exceptional longevity for electric traction of this generation.