The wire-less location here is not one familiar to most AC enthusiasts - Birmingham Moor St.! The locomotive is 86226, which had just been re-named 'Royal Mail Midlands' having previously carried the simpler title 'Mail'. This kind of re-naming is to my mind tolerable, just! The date is 22nd January 1985.

A view of the moment of unveiling of 86226's plates; the gentlemen pictured are the then BR LMR General Manager, and the Royal Mail's Midland Region Director (I think). I have their names written down somewhere.....!

Back under the OLE, 86226 is seen at Euston in charge of what appears to be a special in connection with the Spring Fair at the N.E.C.

In the days when Health and Safety was much less of a concern than now, some of the cast of the musical 'Starlight Express' are seen at Euston on the occasion of 86231's naming. Stephanie Lawrence is nearest the cab, while Andrew Lloyd Webber waves the green flag. The date was 1st November 1984.

Another view of 86231 'Starlight Express' shortly after naming. This loco and 86242 were the first recipients of InterCity livery - and superb they looked too. It will be noted that 231 still carries a cross-arm pantograph. Not too long after this it would gain a Brecknell-Willis 'high-speed' version, along with a selection of other 86/2s chosen for 110mph work.

Standing outside Willesden just prior (I imagine) to naming at Euston on 30th April 1984, is 86258, 'Talyllyn'

Another view of 86258 'Talyllyn outside Willesden on 30th April 1984. It is no exaggeration to say that this fine machine is spotless, and the standard of finish applied by the painters speaks for itself. Quite superb.

A close up of the nameplate of 86258, with crest, both carefully finished.

On 3rd October 1985, 86421 was christened 'London School of Economics' - one of the two longest plates applied to an 86 - at Euston. The BR LMR General Manager looks on, though I'm at a loss to name the gent in the rather natty orange suit who is actually doing the honours!

A black and white publicity shot of 86431 racing south to the capital in charge of what appears to be a morning Pullman service, judging by the stock formation. The location is just north of Linslade Tunnel, the date not recorded, though it would appear to be mid 1980s. This locomotive was, when heading 4M53 along with 86611, involved in the smash at Shallowford (between Great Bridgeford and Norton Bridge) on 16th October 2003, when the pair overran a red signal and ran into the rear of the stationary 4M57. 86631's front end was battered well beyond repair in the collision, and it was scrapped at Crewe Works several months later. My thanks are due to the anonymous messager who kindly corrected my mistaken supposition that the photo was taken at Cheddington!

A publicity shot from the days when Freightliner services were relatively new and still (rightly so) very much promoted as the way to move goods. In this shot, un-named 87031 leads 87008 'City of Liverpool' as the pair await departure from the former Gushetfaulds terminal in Glasgow. Based solely on the dates of naming of these two locos, the photo appears to date from early 1978.

A vintage shot of English Electric 'AL3' E3026, heading for the capital at a location which is hard to determine, though I'd guess it's between Crewe and Stafford. E3026 entered traffic in August 1960, later becoming 83003. She was victim of another WCML crash, being derailed south of Watford Junction on 23rd January 1975, and almost immediately colliding with 86209 which was heading north on a sleeper. The 83 had in fact come to the rescue of 86204 which had failed near Stoke, and alas the 86's driver, sitting up front in the 83, lost his life in the collision.

What 3Z23 was I shall probably never know, and alas the AL3 under test is not identifiable either! The machine makes a fine sight nonetheless, though again it's hard to say exactly where this was taken.

A rare treat now in the shape of a North British AL4, E3043 (later 84008), in charge of a featherweight test train. The acceleration must have been eye-popping for those lucky enough to be on board!

A view of E3059 - later to become 85004, and ultimately 85111 - on display at (I think) Battersea, when brand new in the summer of 1961. Also visible in this fine shot are a Class 71, and on the left what appears to be the unique gas-turbine loco GT3.

1H13 is clearly a Manchester-bound service, and in this shot, BR-built E3066 (later 85011, and later still 85114) is negotiating the then permanent 40mph restriction between Crewe and Sandbach, the consequence of subsidence caused by brine pumping. It will be noted that the masts supporting the overhead gantries are fixed to very substantial concrete bases, in an attempt to keep the OLE securely in position. The loco would, decades later, have the honour of being the last ever Class 85 to start a passenger train, no less a service than the down Clansman, in September 1990. She was removed at Carlisle with an ETH fault, and, to the utter disgust of the handful of bashers present - myself included - a railfreight skoda was substituted. The 'Roarer' era had ended.

The information on the rear of this print advises that the eleven Mk1 coaches forming 1A05 are the consist of a Heysham-Euston service; how times change! The loco appears to be E3070, which would later become 85015. At a guess the location is somewhere between Linslade and Cheddington.....?

A lovely shot of AL6 no. E3129 waiting to depart Euston for Merseyside. The date is not recorded, but E3129 (later 86205) appears to be near new (delivered December 1965), so at a guess it would be early 1966.

Proof, if it were needed, that the new WCML electrics were put to varied use! In this view no. E3170 passes Tamworth in charge of 'heavy oil' tanks, identifiable (I stand to be corrected) by their black livery. The loco survives to this day, renumbered as 86008, 86408, 86608, and lastly regeared and renumbered as 86501. Whether she will run again remains to be seen, however, following a serious failure in December 2006.

Judging by this driver's mature years, he would have been a time-served professional much more accustomed to Sir William Stanier's fine stud of locomotives than his new charge! The caption quotes the loco as being an AL6, though I wonder if it is in fact an AL3, judging by the 'EE' badge on the driver's desk.....?