BR Loco Class 86221 Named 'BBC Look East' Northampton 1990s

Class 86221 'BBC Look East' Diesel Electric Loco

Photo: Charles Moorhen 

Named After a BBC TV News Programme

Seen here on a sunny day at Northampton train station in the 1980's/90's, photographed on 35mm film, Class 86/2 86221 was one of 100 of a locomotive class that were built at two locations - Doncaster Works and the English Electric Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows.

Primarily, the Class 86 locomotives were built to replace steam on the then newly-electrified West Coast Main Line from London Euston, to Birmingham, Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool and later on to Preston and Glasgow.

In the early 1980's the locomotives were employed on passenger trains from and to, London Liverpool Street to Cambridge, Harwich, Ipswich and Norwich.

At times during its lifetime, Class 86/2 86221 carried two names.  From 1979-87 it was named Vesta, after the Roman goddess of hearth and home.  From 1987-2003 it carried the name, Look East, after the BBC regional news programme which began broadcasting in October 1959 and continues to this day.

Photo:  Charles Moorhen

After a lifetime of both passenger and freight work in a wide variety of liveries, 86221 was scrapped in 2003.

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