Heljan delivers CLASS 86/0
The Class 86 has been a stalwart of the West Coast Main Line from its introduction in 1965, with numerous sub classes and modifications through the years. MIKE WILD inspects this brandnew version of the AC electric which models the class in original condition.
Overhead electric traction was rare on the on the British Railway network until the early 1960s when electrification of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) began. Soon this important London-Scotland route had wires from London Euston to Crewe, Manchester and Liverpool – bringing with it the need for new and more powerful traction.
A series of Bo-Bo electric locomotives, originally classified AL1-AL5 – later classes 81-85, had been built, but the largest of these was the AL5 totalling 40 locomotives. However, continuing and planned expansion of the AC electric network, which eventually linked London with Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow, meant more locomotives were needed.
