British Rail introduced thirty-one Class 91 locomotives from 1989
onwards. They were built at Crewe Works for use on passenger services on
the East Coast Main Line out of London King's Cross. They were designed
with a sleek cab at one end, while the other was fitted with a blunt
cab, as it was envisaged that they would work parcels and freight
traffic overnight, thus not requiring the high-speed running. With their
maximum speed of 140 mph/225 km/h, they became known as the InterCity
225s and No. 91110 currently holds the speed record for a British
locomotive. The end is now in sight for this class of locomotive on the
East Coast, with the introduction of the Virgin Trains Class 800 Azuma
units, but hopefully a use can be found for these distinctive looking
and sounding electric locomotives. The Class 91s have served the East
Coast for nearly thirty years, and this book looks at their careers from
the start. There have been a couple of high-profile accidents and
incidents involving the class, but all are still in use today. They have
had many different operators, and this book sets out to chart the
different liveries, and also one-off special liveries carried by the
class.
