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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DMU Sprinter Class 150109 and Single-Car DMU Unit Northampton Station 2017

Class 150109 'Sprinter' DMU Enters, Northampton

Photo: Charles Moorhen 

Out of service London Midland Trains DMU Class 150/1 150109 approaches Northampton from Rugby in April 2017 to pass through, non-stop, towing a one-car Super Sprinter DMU Class 153 - number unknown.

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The 137-strong Class 150 diesel multiple units, produced in three main subclasses - 150, 150/1, 150/2 and a small subclass, 150/9, consisting of two 3-car units (150/1 and 150/2 combined) for the Great Western Railway, were manufactured by BREL York between 1984 and 1987.

Class 150109 unit coach numbers are as follows: 52109  57109.

In 1984, BREL built two prototype 3-car Class 150/0 train units numbered Class 150001 and Class 150002.  The latter was fitted with a Perkins (Rolls-Royce) power unit and a self-changing-gears transmission.  At a later date the engine was changed to a Cummins engine and Voith hydraulic transmission.

Both Class 150001 and Class 150002 are still in use today in their original 3-car configuration, operating on the Reading to Basingstoke line in the new Great Western Railway green livery.

 

Although in the past a number of Class 150 dmu units were named, only three were carrying names in 2018:
150 129  Devon & Cornwall RAIL PARTNERSHIP
150 130  Severnside Community Rail Partnership
150 925  THE HEART OF WESSEX LINE

At time of writing (2018) Class 150 diesel multiple units are operated by four Train Operating Companies - Arriva Trains Wales, Great Western Railway, Northern, West Midlands Trains (formerly London Midland Trains). 

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