81 002.... a death row survivor at Crewe ETD, 1991.
Delivered new to BR in February 1960 having been built by BRC&W Co. Smethwick the loco spent the first 7 months of its career stored pending introduction into service on the newly electrified southern section of the West Coast mainline. Its first official BR depot was Longsight in Manchester "9A" before a move to the generic 5H or ACL shed code which was an umbrella code covering all the new WCML electric depots. Home became Glasgow Shields Road depot in January 1975 and that's where it gained the leaping salmon bodyside logo in the 1980's.
With the arrival of class 90's from late 1987 onwards many of the remaining first generation AC electrics were side-lined to freight workings or simply withdrawn. 81 002 got a stay of execution by being transferred to Willesden Depot in March 1989 to act as a carriage shunt engine working between London Euston and Wembley Depot and this is where it got its washed out appearance as the exmover acid from the carriage washing plant soon attacked the paintwork. The advent of DVT's (Driving Van Trailers) greatly reduced the requirement for shunt release and ECS move locomotives at Euston. By January 1990 no.81 002 was stored unserviceable. Its journey north to an uncertain future in the scrap lines at Crewe ETD took place in July 1990 where the paperwork caught up and it was officially withdrawn on 17/10/90 pending scrapping. Salvation came in June 1992 when it was sold to a private buyer, Peter Holt. It then moved to Crewe Heritage Centre before eventually passing into the care of the AC Locomotive Group based at Barrow Hill.
81 002.... a death row survivor at Crewe ETD, 1991.
Delivered new to BR in February 1960 having been built by BRC&W Co. Smethwick the loco spent the first 7 months of its career stored pending introduction into service on the newly electrified southern section of the West Coast mainline. Its first official BR depot was Longsight in Manchester "9A" before a move to the generic 5H or ACL shed code which was an umbrella code covering all the new WCML electric depots. Home became Glasgow Shields Road depot in January 1975 and that's where it gained the leaping salmon bodyside logo in the 1980's.
With the arrival of class 90's from late 1987 onwards many of the remaining first generation AC electrics were side-lined to freight workings or simply withdrawn. 81 002 got a stay of execution by being transferred to Willesden Depot in March 1989 to act as a carriage shunt engine working between London Euston and Wembley Depot and this is where it got its washed out appearance as the exmover acid from the carriage washing plant soon attacked the paintwork. The advent of DVT's (Driving Van Trailers) greatly reduced the requirement for shunt release and ECS move locomotives at Euston. By January 1990 no.81 002 was stored unserviceable. Its journey north to an uncertain future in the scrap lines at Crewe ETD took place in July 1990 where the paperwork caught up and it was officially withdrawn on 17/10/90 pending scrapping. Salvation came in June 1992 when it was sold to a private buyer, Peter Holt. It then moved to Crewe Heritage Centre before eventually passing into the care of the AC Locomotive Group based at Barrow Hill.