Bachmann 31-678A

Class 85 85040 BR Blue (Weathered)

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI/AI images rather than photographs

Prototype Eras
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)
Era 8 (1983 to 1994) British Rail Sectorisation

Manufacturer description

Class 85 85040 BR Blue (Weathered)

Highlights:

• Accessory-pack
• Directional and cab interior lights
• Headcode box treatment appropriate to era
• Poseable pantograph

History

The British Rail Class 85 is a 25kV overhead AC electric locomotive built during the early 1960s, as part of BR's policy to develop a standard electric locomotive during the electrification of the West Coast Main Line and its associated urban networks. Five prototype classes (81-85) were built and evaluated, the most successful being the 40-strong Class 85 which led naturally on to the development of the 100 Class 86 'standard' locomotives.

Forty of these locomotives were built from 1961-64 by BR at Doncaster Works. The class hauled trains on the newly electrified West Coast Main Line, from Birmingham, to Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool, and later Preston. By 1965, electrification had spread south to London Euston.

Under the earlier BR classification, the type was given the designation AL5 (meaning the 5th design of 25 kV AC locomotive), and locomotives were numbered E3056-E3095. In 1968, this was changed to Class 85, when BR introduced the TOPS numbering system. From 1971 onwards, locomotives were progressively renumbered into the 85001-040 series.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

^* Class names often change over the lifespan of a locomotive, so this is not necessarily the class name used by the operator in the period modelled.

This model replicates the Class 85 Bo-Bo electric locomotive, which was originally constructed at Doncaster Works between 1961 and 1964 as part of the electrification programme for the West Coast Main Line. The prototype served as a development class following the evaluation of various early 25kV AC designs, eventually leading to the introduction of the Class 86 locomotives.

The scale reproduction includes several operational features, such as directional lighting and cabin illumination. It is supplied with an accessory pack and incorporates a poseable pantograph, with specific detailing applied to the headcode box to reflect the requirements of the era.