RAILWAY REALISM
With so many new trains coming into service, some old favourites will inevitably be leaving us. In the second part of this three part series on the current railway, EVAN GREEN-HUGHES examines which locomotives and units will soon be making their final departures on the national network.
MONDAY July 22 was another momentous day in the story of the East Coast Main Line (ECML), as on that day the first Class 91 electric locomotive followed the Ivatt ‘Atlantics’, the Gresley ‘Pacifics’, and the ‘Deltics’ into history. 91108 had covered 7.6 million miles during its 31-year career but was now destined to be withdrawn and broken up for spare parts. Withdrawal of this locomotive is a tangible sign that times are changing and that the next phase of history for our railways is coming.
The Class 91s, along with their Mk 4 coaches, are probably the highest-profile rolling stock involved in the current withdrawal programme due to their prominence on the East Coast route. All the locomotives are being sidelined, with some destined for further use, but others are to be broken up. Some may be used by open access operators, such as a proposed London Euston to Blackpool service and a London to Liverpool…
