Preston Station - 1970s Remodelling

Preston Station Remodelling BY MIKE NORRIS Mike would like to hear from anyone involved with the remodelling and resignalling of the station and surrounding area to aid historical research for future documentation, please contact via the Feedback page.	SECTION CONTENTS 1. Background 2. Project Approval & Planning 3. The Work at Preston 4. Signalling & Power Box Commissioning 5. Electrification, Catenary & Electricity Supply 6. Delays 7. Locomotives 8. Media 9. It's Official!
7. Locomotives
Eventually 36, class 87 5000hp locomotives were built with some 61 class 86’s rebuilt and re-bogied in 1972 to express passenger standard forming the class 86/2 of 6100hp to give almost 100 locomotives suitable for 110mph operation. In readiness for this day 700 men were trained on a 26 day long course to drive the new locos at Allerton, Crewe and Carlisle. [Right] As mentioned 87 002 took the first electric service from Preston, here we can see sister locomotive 87 001 now on display at the National Railway Museum, with an appropriate name 'Royal Scot', as a reminder of this project. One member of the class 87 036 became the test bed to evaluate thyristor control on tractive effort performance it became 87 101 named 'Stephenson'. These locomotives formed the backbone of West Coast express services until the introduction of the class 90's and later the Pendolinos. Photo : Mike Norris [Below] The class 87s were a successful locomotive type, which saw them in use until the introduction of "Pendolino" 125mph tilting trains in the early 2000s. 10 years into its career on the WCML - 87035 approaches Preston from the south. Photo : Jerry Glover 17-mar-1982

[Below] The class 87s were a successful locomotive type, which saw them in use until the introduction of "Pendolino" 125mph tilting trains in the early 2000s. 10 years into its career on the WCML - 87035 approaches Preston from the south. Photo : Jerry Glover 17-mar-1982

[Below] The class 87s were a successful locomotive type, which saw them in use until the introduction of "Pendolino" 125mph tilting trains in the early 2000s.
10 years into its career on the WCML - 87035 approaches Preston from the south.
Photo : Jerry Glover 17-mar-1982