Having already surrendered its original 'Hector' name, 86223 stands at Crewe with a cross country service bound for Birmingham, in early 1986. It would soon be Anglia-bound, and would be one of the AL6s to spend the rest of its career on the Great Eastern.

A veteran at reat: 81005 reposes at Lime St around 1986.

To the great frustration of the 'Roarer' fans in the area, no end of AL1s and AL5s worked into of Lime St on humble ECS duties from Edge Hill, only to disappear whence they came once the 86 or 87 in charge had departed with its train! Here 81008 is seen at the buffer stops with just such a working.....

Another AC veteran, this time an EMU - 304043 runs into Manchester Piccadilly with a suburban service around 1989. Frequently known as 'dinosaurs', for obvious reasons (!), and sometimes as 'bouncers' on account of the lively ride in the trailer cars, these lovely old units made countless short trips on services around the Midlands, Manchester and also Liverpool-Crewe. Alas all were put to the torch, thanks partly to being stored for long periods after withdrawal. Such was the attention from vandals that they were considered not worth salvaging......

An unknown AL5 - possibly 85008 - stands in Manchester waiting to head south around 1989.

The early morning sun reflects of 85101 (aka 85006 and originally E3061) at Crewe stabling point around 1990. Happily, this AL5 survived the torch, though whether it will ever again feel 25kV through its power circuits and 'roar' again is, sadly, very doubtful.....

Showing signs of neglect, 81007 departs Stoke-on-Trent with a Birmingham - Manchester service in 1989.

Still looking fairly fresh after overhaul is 81010, stabled in Lime St in June 1987. The roar of the transformer, rectifier, and TM blowers, combined with the soulful whine of the smoothing chokes, is a lovely sound unlikely to be heard again in this day and age - alas!

Another one gone up in flames! Class pioneer 85001 was one of - from memory - eight or nine out of the forty Class 85s to succumb to a major fire. The former E3056 bears the scars of its transformer having burst into flames on a Euston - Manchester turn, whilst passing South Kenton. She is pictured here at Crewe Works open day in July 1987, awaiting the inevitable.

The good old days when additional trains were provided on an ad hoc basis; I waited hours at Euston for this, and was ultimately rewarded! 85022 stands at the stops in Manchester Piccadilly, having arrived with 1H90, 18:20 additional from Euston, in February 1988.

Heaven for the 'Roarer' basher - 85023 in charge of a southbound working to Birmingham while another AL5, possibly 85036, runs into the station for a class 1 diagram. Happy days!

Having worked what would be its last ever passenger train (1M90, if memory serves, from New St on a Sunday evening in 1990), 85034 stands on the blocks at Lime St. All was not entirely lost, as 85011 was unexpectedly turned out to work the 00:45 Mondays Only up "Splitter" all the way to Euston!

85036 stands in the sunshine at Manchester at the head of 1G58, 13:18 to Birmingham International. With a featherweight 5-coach load, acceleration was brisk to say the least!

85038 reposes at Lime St in the company of an 08, early 1987.

85101 trundles into Platform 9 at Crewe with a van train from the north, in 1990.

Not long left..... 85105 (formerly 85016) runs into Crewe with a short van train from Manchester, in August 1990.

86212 Preston Guild 1392-1992 runs into Wigan N.W. past The Swan & Railway public house, a lovely pub with lots of character and well-kept Banks' ales!

86212 Preston Guild passes Winwick Junction with a northbound working in 1994. It will be noted that the RCH cables are flapping in the breeze around the side of the cab, doubtless to the delight of the driver!

En route north "dead in train" for a general overhaul, 86213 Lancashire Witch finds herself in charge of 1S26 Euston-Glasgow sleeper from Crewe, after the removal of 87011 The Black Prince due to pantograph carbon damage.

86224 Caledonian emerges from the gloom of Lime St. tunnel and runs into Platform 8 at journey's end in 1987.

86224 Caledonian, on its first run ex-works in 1992, sets out from Crewe with 1S76.

86224 Caledonian awaits departure from Manchester Piccadilly with 1G58 to Birmingham International, in 1992. Upon arrival in the Midlands, Caledonian would work back to Scotland in charge of 1S87.

A case of being in the right place at the right time: In the late spring of 1986, 86224 Caledonian leans to the curve at Speke, with 1A64, 16:00 Liverpool-Euston pullman.

Sporting an early experimental version of Inter City livery, 86228 Vulcan Heritage stands at the buffers at Lime St in 1987.