class-87-ac-electric

The BR Class 87 was a series of 36 Bo-Bo 25 kV AC electric locomotives built by BREL Crewe Works with GEC electrical equipment between 1973 and 1975, designed as the more powerful express passenger electric for the extended WCML electrification from Crewe to Glasgow that opened in 1974. The Class 87 used a GEC traction package producing 5,000 bhp — significantly more than the Class 86's output — giving it the performance needed for the demanding Anglo-Scottish schedules over the steep gradients of the Shap and Beattock climbs between Preston and Glasgow, where the combination of heavy trains and sustained gradients required maximum sustained power from the traction equipment.

The Class 87 became the prestige WCML electric for over two decades, working the principal Anglo-Scottish Inter-City services on the fully electrified Euston–Glasgow route from 1974 until progressive replacement by Class 90 and eventually Class 390 Pendolino units. They were given names drawn from British history, culture, and geography, and several worked in InterCity Swallow livery on the flagship Euston–Glasgow and Euston–Edinburgh services. Two examples are preserved: 87002 Royal Sovereign and 87035 Robert Burns.