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British Rail Class 82
The British Rail Class 82 (AL2 under the pre-TOPS classification scheme) electric locomotives were designed by the British manufacturing interest Metropolitan-Vickers and produced by Beyer, Peacock and Company on behalf of British Rail (BR).
The locomotive was developed as a part of the programme of works to electrify the West Coast Main Line during the late 1950s and early 1960s. BR deliberately opted to procure multiple small batches of locomotives from a range of manufacturers. Having selected a proposal by the Metropolitan-Vickers division of the British manufacturing interest Associated Electrical Industries (AEI), the Class 82 would be produced. A total of ten locomotives were built by Beyer, Peacock and Company between 1960 and 1962.
The Class 82 proved to be a relatively reliable workhorse of the region, particularly following a refurbishment during the 1970s that saw the replacement of their rectifiers. The fleet served in their original capacity for roughly twenty years, being mostly withdrawn during the early 1980s following the arrival of newer types such as the British Rail Class 87. Following the final retirement of the Class 82 in 1987, a single example was preserved.
During the late 1950s, British Rail (BR) embarked upon the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, a strategy which necessitated the procurement of a large number of electric locomotives to utilise the newly installed infrastructure. It was decided that, instead of a bulk order from a single manufacturer, several batches of similar locomotives would be ordered from several companies, the first of these being the AL1 series. Accordingly, it was decided to order the second batch, which was initially classified as the AL2, to a broadly similar role to the preceding model. Following a review of competitive bids, it was decided to award a contract for ten locomotives to the Metropolitan-Vickers division of the British manufacturing interest Associated Electrical Industries (AEI).
Responsibility for the locomotive's design was with AEI, which produced much of the mechanical design in-house. While the design phase was worked on in-house, the company opted to subcontract the construction phase to Beyer, Peacock and Company, who produced all examples at their works in Gorton, Manchester. A total of ten examples were produced; the type being classified as AL2 under the pre-TOPS classification scheme, each locomotive was originally numbered E3046 - E3055.
Midway through the manufacturing phase, it was realised that the locomotive would be considerably heavier than had been anticipated. In response, some elements were rapidly redesigned so that it could still confirm with the requirements laid out by the corresponding British Transport Commission specification. These late-stage design modifications included the replacement of heavy sections with lighter alternatives, such as an aluminium body and fibreglass roofing, while weighty electrical equipment was substituted with lighter counterparts wherever it was practical to do so.
The Class 82 is an AC electric locomotive intended for express services on the West Coast Main Line. Its design shared numerous aspects with, and had similarly performance attributes to, the preceding British Rail Class 81, such as its power rating of 3,300 hp, and use of fully suspended traction motors, and multi-anode mercury arc rectifiers.
Power was delivered to the locomotive via overhead catenary, which was always energised at 25,000 V AC. However, the main transformer, which was normally operated with the four windings in series, could be operated at 6.25 kV AC with the transformer windings in parallel. This voltage was intended to be used where limited clearances gave concern over use of the higher voltage arcing onto lineside structures, especially those made of cast iron. Since the clearances were found to be adequate, the lower voltage-connections were locked out of use. The pantograph was raised using pressurised air, power for which was provided via the battery-powered auxiliary air compressor.
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British Rail Class 82
The British Rail Class 82 (AL2 under the pre-TOPS classification scheme) electric locomotives were designed by the British manufacturing interest Metropolitan-Vickers and produced by Beyer, Peacock and Company on behalf of British Rail (BR).
The locomotive was developed as a part of the programme of works to electrify the West Coast Main Line during the late 1950s and early 1960s. BR deliberately opted to procure multiple small batches of locomotives from a range of manufacturers. Having selected a proposal by the Metropolitan-Vickers division of the British manufacturing interest Associated Electrical Industries (AEI), the Class 82 would be produced. A total of ten locomotives were built by Beyer, Peacock and Company between 1960 and 1962.
The Class 82 proved to be a relatively reliable workhorse of the region, particularly following a refurbishment during the 1970s that saw the replacement of their rectifiers. The fleet served in their original capacity for roughly twenty years, being mostly withdrawn during the early 1980s following the arrival of newer types such as the British Rail Class 87. Following the final retirement of the Class 82 in 1987, a single example was preserved.
During the late 1950s, British Rail (BR) embarked upon the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, a strategy which necessitated the procurement of a large number of electric locomotives to utilise the newly installed infrastructure. It was decided that, instead of a bulk order from a single manufacturer, several batches of similar locomotives would be ordered from several companies, the first of these being the AL1 series. Accordingly, it was decided to order the second batch, which was initially classified as the AL2, to a broadly similar role to the preceding model. Following a review of competitive bids, it was decided to award a contract for ten locomotives to the Metropolitan-Vickers division of the British manufacturing interest Associated Electrical Industries (AEI).
Responsibility for the locomotive's design was with AEI, which produced much of the mechanical design in-house. While the design phase was worked on in-house, the company opted to subcontract the construction phase to Beyer, Peacock and Company, who produced all examples at their works in Gorton, Manchester. A total of ten examples were produced; the type being classified as AL2 under the pre-TOPS classification scheme, each locomotive was originally numbered E3046 - E3055.
Midway through the manufacturing phase, it was realised that the locomotive would be considerably heavier than had been anticipated. In response, some elements were rapidly redesigned so that it could still confirm with the requirements laid out by the corresponding British Transport Commission specification. These late-stage design modifications included the replacement of heavy sections with lighter alternatives, such as an aluminium body and fibreglass roofing, while weighty electrical equipment was substituted with lighter counterparts wherever it was practical to do so.
The Class 82 is an AC electric locomotive intended for express services on the West Coast Main Line. Its design shared numerous aspects with, and had similarly performance attributes to, the preceding British Rail Class 81, such as its power rating of 3,300 hp, and use of fully suspended traction motors, and multi-anode mercury arc rectifiers.
Power was delivered to the locomotive via overhead catenary, which was always energised at 25,000 V AC. However, the main transformer, which was normally operated with the four windings in series, could be operated at 6.25 kV AC with the transformer windings in parallel. This voltage was intended to be used where limited clearances gave concern over use of the higher voltage arcing onto lineside structures, especially those made of cast iron. Since the clearances were found to be adequate, the lower voltage-connections were locked out of use. The pantograph was raised using pressurised air, power for which was provided via the battery-powered auxiliary air compressor.