Before anyone asks about the title of this thread, no I am not drunk.
This thread is written in a vain attempt to save part of our railway engineering heritage.
Class 89 Electric Locomotive, 89001(nicknamed the badger), was built as a one-off prototype in 1986, in an attempt to find suitable traction for the newly electrified East Coast Main Line (ECML), which is currently franchised out to GNER.
The then British Rail were looking for new electric locomotives capable of hauling both passenger and freight trains at speeds of up to 125 MPH.
After extensive testing of 89001, British Rail opted to produce a different locomotive for use on the ECML, the Class 91, many examples of which were produced and are still in service with GNER. This meant that no other class 89s were built, and as a result parts availability was poor and 89001 was out of service within a few years.
Due to the dedication and enterprise of some railway employees, 89001 was resurected from the dead and brought back to operational standards. At this point, the newly formed GNER franchise purchased the locomotive for use on their services. The loco continued operating successfully for several years until suffering internal damage from a water leak. Due to the cost of funding repairs and increased reliability of their other locomotives, GNER decided to store the locomotive instead of repairing it. Since then it has been kept in a variety of locations, and is now looked after by the AC Loco Group.
GNER have recently expressed their intrest in selling the locomitive, and intend selling it to the highest bidder on the 16th of November. Unfortunately due to the costs of getting it on the mainline, and limited lines it can run on (due to being electric), it is more than likely that the highest bidder will be a scrap metals company.
The AC Loco Group are currently running an appeal to purchase the locomotive and secure it for preservation. If anyone considers saving this magnificent piece of British Engineering, then please feel free to follow the links on the AC Loco Group webiste.
See below for a pic of the magnificent beast;
This thread is written in a vain attempt to save part of our railway engineering heritage.
Class 89 Electric Locomotive, 89001(nicknamed the badger), was built as a one-off prototype in 1986, in an attempt to find suitable traction for the newly electrified East Coast Main Line (ECML), which is currently franchised out to GNER.
The then British Rail were looking for new electric locomotives capable of hauling both passenger and freight trains at speeds of up to 125 MPH.
After extensive testing of 89001, British Rail opted to produce a different locomotive for use on the ECML, the Class 91, many examples of which were produced and are still in service with GNER. This meant that no other class 89s were built, and as a result parts availability was poor and 89001 was out of service within a few years.
Due to the dedication and enterprise of some railway employees, 89001 was resurected from the dead and brought back to operational standards. At this point, the newly formed GNER franchise purchased the locomotive for use on their services. The loco continued operating successfully for several years until suffering internal damage from a water leak. Due to the cost of funding repairs and increased reliability of their other locomotives, GNER decided to store the locomotive instead of repairing it. Since then it has been kept in a variety of locations, and is now looked after by the AC Loco Group.
GNER have recently expressed their intrest in selling the locomitive, and intend selling it to the highest bidder on the 16th of November. Unfortunately due to the costs of getting it on the mainline, and limited lines it can run on (due to being electric), it is more than likely that the highest bidder will be a scrap metals company.
The AC Loco Group are currently running an appeal to purchase the locomotive and secure it for preservation. If anyone considers saving this magnificent piece of British Engineering, then please feel free to follow the links on the AC Loco Group webiste.
See below for a pic of the magnificent beast;
