What is br class 87?

BR Class 87 is an electric locomotive that was introduced by British Rail in 1973. It was designed and built by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) as part of its efforts to modernize the UK's rail system. The locomotive was primarily used to haul passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow Central.

The Class 87 locomotives were capable of reaching speeds of up to 110 mph and were fitted with both air and vacuum braking systems to allow them to operate with a range of rolling stock. They were equipped with regenerative braking technology, which allowed them to recover some of the energy lost during braking and feed it back into the overhead power supply, improving energy efficiency.

In total, 36 units of Class 87 were built between 1973 and 1975, and they remained in service until the early 2000s. Some of the locomotives were later renumbered into the 87/0 and 87/1 sub-classes, with minor modifications made to improve performance and reliability.

Today, several Class 87 locomotives can be found in preservation, with some units still operating on heritage railways in the UK. However, they have been largely replaced by newer rolling stock and locomotives, such as the Class 90 and Class 91 electric locomotives.