Electric Locomotives - British Railways Class 90 and 91: Books
Illustrated books on the history, types and technology of British Rail Class 90 and 91 electric locomotives.
Class 90 Locomotives
In 1987 British Rail decided it needed a new class of AC electric locomotive for use on the West Coast Main Line. The idea was that this class would help eliminate the Class 85 locomotives and would be used on both freight and passenger workings. Fifty members of the class were built at Crewe Works, alongside the Class 91 locomotives that were built for the East Coast Main Line.
The Class 90s were designed to be able to work with a Mk 3 DVT, which also eliminated the need to run round at terminal stations. The first twenty-five members were delivered in InterCity Swallow livery, the following eleven in InterCity Mainline livery, allowing them to be used on passenger and freight workings, with the final fourteen members delivered in Railfreight Speedlink livery being predominantly freight locomotives.
Most of the class are still in use today, with fifteen still used on passenger workings out of Norwich and the remainder in use with DB Cargo or Freightliner. This book tells the story of the Class 90s.
Information
Author:
Andrew Cole
Details:
96 pages, 23.5 x 16.5 x 1.2 cm / 9.25 x 6.5 x 0.47 in, paperback
British Rail introduced thirty-one Class 91 locomotives from 1989 onwards. They were built at Crewe Works for use on passenger services on the East Coast Main Line out of London King's Cross. They were designed with a sleek cab at one end, while the other was fitted with a blunt cab, as it was envisaged that they would work parcels and freight traffic overnight, thus not requiring the high-speed running.
With their maximum speed of 140 mph/225 km/h, they became known as the InterCity 225s and No. 91110 currently holds the speed record for a British locomotive. The end is now in sight for this class of locomotive on the East Coast, with the introduction of the Virgin Trains Class 800 Azuma units, but hopefully a use can be found for these distinctive looking and sounding electric locomotives.
The Class 91s have served the East Coast for nearly thirty years, and this book looks at their careers from the start. There have been a couple of high-profile accidents and incidents involving the class, but all are still in use today. They have had many different operators, and this book sets out to chart the different liveries, and also one-off special liveries carried by the class.
Information
Author:
Andrew Cole
Details:
96 pages, 23.5 x 16.5 x 0.7 cm / 9.25 x 6.5 x 0.28 in, paperback
InterCity 225 - Class 91 Locomotives and Mark 4 Coaches
Ordered in 1985, the Class 91 was a joint venture between GEC, Brush and ASEA to deliver a fleet of 140 mph tilting electric locomotives for the East Coast Main Line. Delivered between 1988 and 1991, the thirty-one locomotives ply their trade daily from London to the North East and Scotland. Accompanied by Metro-Cammell's Mark 4 coaches, they formed British Rail's flagship 'Intercity 225' programme.
While the 225s never tilted nor reached their full speed, for nearly thirty years they have conveyed thousands of passengers each day along the ECML. Today, the Class 91s and Mark 4s are approaching the end of their working lives. Once Hitachi's Class 800 Intercity Express trains are delivered, a small handful of Class 91s will work with shortened Mark 4 sets on non-stop services. The majority of the fleet faces an uncertain future, with no clear plans for redeployment elsewhere.
This book looks at these East Coast workhorses, which have followed in the footsteps of Gresley's famous Pacific locomotives, the Deltics and HSTs.
Information
Author:
Rich Mackin
Details:
96 pages, 23.5 x 16.5 x 1.8 cm / 9.25 x 6.5 x 0.71 in, paperback
Illustrations:
180 b&w and colour photos
Publisher:
Amberley Publishing (GB, 2018)
ISBN:
9781445676388
InterCity 225 - Class 91 Locomotives and Mark 4 Coaches
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