| Almost a year after the official Farewell tour, 86235 will be finally retired after the 17th September. I will not be around to record the event, so instead I have put together a gallery of electric trains on the GEML since the wires to Ipswich were turned on in 1985. Not only are there the class 86s that have served the line for 20 years, but also some of the EMUs that are long gone, the past liveries of the Freightliner 86s and 90s, and even the only 87 to run on the line until the recent visits of 87007/8.
Some of the class 86s were still in their original livery when they moved to the line (Doncaster & English Electric delivered the last locos in Rail Blue), since then they have gone though around 6 detail variations of Inter-City livery and then Anglia. Thankfully none of them acquired 'one' livery! The Freightliner service also managed a few additional variations that can be seen in this group of photographs - even including early 1960s Electric Blue! The late lamented class 309 units are here too, who remembers 'Jaffa Cake' livery? These units were the cutting edge of technology when they were introduced on the Clacton line in 1962, and while they survived I preferred to travel in them than the Mk2 carriages on the Norwich trains, hopefully the plans to rescue the remaining set will succeed. There are also a few shots of the EWS & Freightliner 90s that Anglia used as it tried to overcome the problems of the aging class 86 fleet. The AC Locomotive Group has plans to return 86101, 213 & 401 to the main line, hopefully an 86 will be back on the GEML to Norwich before too long... |
An unidentified class 86/2 brings a rake of mixed Blue/Grey and Inter-City carriages down the bank into Colchester station. Date not recorded, late 1985 or early 1986. 1112x715 1985001.jpg |
A class 86/2 runs throough Colchester with a Liverpool Street service, date not recorded, late 1985 or early 1986. 1112x688 1985002.jpg |
309614 in BR Blue/Grey leads a classmate in London & SE Sector 'Jaffa Cake' livery into Colchester with a down train. Date not recorded, late 1985 or early 1986. 1115x695 1985003.jpg |
Evening commuter trains at Ipswich, with 312797 on the left and 308136 on the right. Date unrecorded, believed to be early 1986. 1115x694 1985005.jpg |
86 241 'Glenfiddich' arrives at Colchester with a down Norwich train, the 86 would work as far as Ipswich. 31st July 1985 1112x750 1985085.jpg |
Who remembers 3rd rail EMUs in Essex? 313035 in the east end bay at Colchester North with a stopping train to Clacton. It was a 313 that ran away and tried to go paddling at Walton around this time. 31st July 1985 1112x750 1985086.jpg |
86212 'Preston Guild' in the first variant of Inter City livery in the old Liverpool Street station. 24th September 1985. 1135x750 1985111.jpg |
An 86 in Liverpool Street before the bulldozers moved in and tore it apart. 86212 'Preston Guild', 24th September 1985. 1112x750 1985112.jpg |
86220 'Goliath' has backed on to an up train at Ipswich, taking over from 47573 which had brought the train from Norwich. 13th November 1986. 1112x750 1986086.jpg |
86232 'Harold Macmillan' crosses the Stour at Cattawade with an up train. 1st March 1987 1112x750 1987007.jpg |
An unidentified blue 86/2 in Brantham cutting with a down train. 1st March 1987 1112x750 1987008.jpg |
In Network South East livery, 309 622 trails a down semi-fast to Ipswich, looking from Brantham towards Bentley. 1st March 1987 1012x1112 1987009.jpg |
