The Class 86s, originally known as AL6s, were part of the the first generation electric locomotives that replaced steam on British railways.
The Class 86 is an electric locomotive built between 1965 and 1966 to operate trains on the then newly electrified West Coast Main Line from London Euston to Birmingham, Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester and later Glasgow and Preston.
Under the BR classification system that existed at that time, the type was given the designation AL6 and was the final development of the earlier first generation prototype models designated AL1 to AL5.
One hundred locomotive were built and they were numbered in the series E3101 to E3200.
In 1968 the AL1 to AL6 locomotives were reclassified as Class 81 to Class 86 respectively when British Rail introduced the new electronic TOPS classification system.
By the early 1990s all of the Class 81s, 82, 83s and 84s had been withdrawn with just a handful of Class 85s still in service on freight duties.
The Class 86s however were still going strong working Class One passenger trains on the West Coast Mainline and the Great Eastern Mainline between Norwich and London as well as mail trains and freight services.
On the West Coast Mainline the Class working alongside the Class 87s and Class 90s remained in front line service with Virgin Trains until the introduction of the Class 390 Pendolinos brought an end to loco hauled trains in 2002.
On the Great Eastern they operated services between Norwich and London Liverpool Street for the Anglia franchise until the were replaced by Class 90s displaced from the West Coast Mainline in 2005.
The parcels sector of British Rail, which was re-brand as Rail Express Systems during late 1991 operated a small fleet of 86s. As well as operating mail trains the locomotives would often be employed operating passenger trains, charters and rail tours. In 1996 the business was integrated into the private freight operator EWS who also inherited the 15 RES owned Class 86s.
In the late 1980s a new subclass was introduced classified as Class 86/6 for those locomotives dedicated to freight and parcels traffic which had been re-geared to a lower maximum speed of 75 mph. They would generally be operated in pairs on long-distance freight services.
In 1987 these locomotives were allocated to the Railfreight Distribution sector of British Rail which handled wagonload and container traffic.
With the privatisation of British Rail, the intermodal business was split off in 1995 to form a separate company rebranded as Freightliner.
Freightliner would continue to operate the class 86/6s until 2021 when they were replaced by ex-Greater Anglia Class 90s.
In the year 2000 86608 was experimentally re geared to allow it to work trains single-handedly. It was reclassified as Class 86/5 and renumbered to 86501.
The locomotive became a regular performer on Freightliner trains until 2016 when it was converted back to a standard Class 86/6 and regained its’ former identity as 86608.
On the 31st March 2015, a new Caledonian Sleeper contract started with locomotives being supplied by the freight operator GBRf.
Two Class 86s numbers 86101 and 86401 were acquired to shunt the empty stock between London Euston, Glasgow Central and the respective depots at Wembley and Polmadie.
86101 also worked a railtour in August 2017.
In October 2019 they were both withdrawn as they were incompatible with the newly introduced Mark 5 Caledonian Sleeper rolling stock.
In 2009 Europhoenix acquired two locomotives numbers 86205 and 86260 which were renumbered as 86701 and 86702 respectively and are seen here working a railtour bound for London Kings Cross. Both were exported to Bulgaria in 2015.
As of December 2023 just three Class 86s remain in service on the UK mainline. These are 86259, 86401 and 86101. The following compilation features these locomotives in action over the past few years.
86259 ‘Les Ross’ (Peter Pan Locomotive Ltd)
86401 (West Coast Railways)
86101 ‘Sir William A Stanier FRS’ (Locomotive Services Limited)