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Richard's train riding pages
From the archives
Electrification

A shopping, or more accurately bidding, spree in early 2026 got me thinking about electrification. As with many things, I think my interest results from my dad pointing things out to me when we were on the train, specifically en-route to Holland. For a spell in the mid-late 1960s this would have been:

(1) DMU (diesel) Plumley - Altrincham
(2) EMU (electric) 1500v DC Altrincham - Manchester Oxford Road
(3) EMU (electric) 25kv AC Manchester Oxford Road - Manchester Piccadilly
(4) Loco hauled (diesel) Manchester Piccadilly - Harwich PQ
(partly under the wires over the Woodhead route - 1500v DC)
(5) EMU (electric) 1500v DC Hoek van Holland - Rotterdam CS
(6) EMU (electric) 1500v DC Rotterdam CS - Middelburg

My dad's view was that Holland was streets ahead and it was a disgrace that electrification in Britain lagged behind.

Since then, electrification in Britain has progressed, albeit slowly, sometimes with remarkable success and sometimes with remarkable failure. However, compared to many (and not all) European counties, English electrification hasn't even managed to wire all the main lines and currently 'innovation' is probably hindering rather than helping, innovation in this case being bi-modes, batteries and discontinuous electrification.

Arguably (and see below), the first major main line electrification in Britain was the West Coast route, the early stages being Manchester - Crewe, then Liverpool - Crewe and finally on to London Euston (including both the Trent Valley and West Midlands) in the early to mid-1960s. This was followed in the 1970s by the extension to Glasgow. Fly Electric Scots. The first I don't remember (not least because it started before I was born), the Electric Scots I do. Very exciting.
I saw this poster for sale in an auction and bought it. It describes itself as "an artist's impression of an electrically hauled express and local electric train in the new Stafford station". On the left is AL1 E3005 and on the right an AM4 EMU.
A few months later, a sister poster appeared at auction. This one is "an artist's impression of an electrically hauled express passing a local electric train between Liverpool and Crewe". On the right, E3005 makes another appearance and this time the AM4 can be identified as 006.

Both posters await backing, then framing and they will go up on the wall in Middelburg. I do think they are absolutely brilliant and will no doubt act as a most effective even further deterrent to future girlfriends.
This booklet was published by the builders of Class AL1, Associated Electrical Industries, more commonly known as AEI. This is first in class E3001.
E3001 again, not half as impressive in black-and-white.
Technical details; 100 m.p.h. was to remain he top speed on the West Coast for some time to come.
This booklet falls into the 'wonderful to have if you can find a copy' category. Published by British Rail's London Midland Region in September 1960 it commemorates "the completion of Stage One, Manchester-Crewe, of the Manchester-Liverpool-Euston Electrification Scheme". The cover is in itself a work of art. Take a closer look. It depicts the then novel colour light signals, green, double yellow and red aspects being shown alongside 'feathers' denoting the route set at junctions.
This double page spread is the inside front cover. There is no caption but, after some staring, it is possible to recognise this as the West end of platforms 13 and 14 at Manchester Piccadilly. The pub in the top right of the picture still exists and has been the setting for some UIC plotting over the years.
The route map provided clearly shows the pilot stages from Manchester and Liverpool to Crewe. The big job will follow.
The posters show artists impressions. Here we have photographs of the real thing. On the left is an AM4. The unit number isn't visible but the car number is M75046. A quick visit to the bookshelves furnishes that this is unit 002. On the right is AL1, E3001, slightly older sister to E3005 shown on the posters.
On the left, Manchester Oxford Road. I have a soft spot for this station, having changed here many times on the way to Holland and, in later years, this was my destination on the way to school.

On the right, East Didsbury. Many of the components for the stations were prefabricated.
Another artist's impression, this time of "an electrically hauled express passenger train passing Wilmslow signal box". This also became a poster but I never liked it quite as much as the other two. Closer examination while doing this write-up reveals the reason: A different artist.
"An artist's impression of the new Piccadilly Station, Manchester, now being built". This is glorious, not least because it looks a lot like Marineville. Anything can happen in the next half-hour.
Nice artwork is one thing, learning lessons is another. I have owned this book for many years and it is a must-have should you have any interest in this topic (which any self-respecting railway/public transport professional should do). Published in 1966, it is hardly a critique as it was commissioned by British Rail London Midland Region. Instead it is a write-up of the decisions made, challenges and successes.

There is plenty of interesting detail that I will leave you to discover for yourself but a few highlights for me are:

The project wasn't just about electrification. Network SouthEast coined the term 'Total Route Modernisation'. The West Coast 'electrification' was probably the first example of this and (sorry about this) was Even Totaller Route Modernisation, including rationalisation of tracks, re-signalling, bridge reconstruction, station re-building, new locomotives, new Electric Multiple Units and a whole lot more. The book covers all of these.

The change of policy to electrify at 25000 volts AC, overriding the fairly recent decision that the standard would be 1500 volts DC. This was a brave decision and absolutely the right thing to do. This was, in part, driven by what was going on over the Channel in France, illustrating the importance of looking outside your immediate operating environment.

A final observation: Whereas the two posters show an electric locomotive and an Electric Multiple Unit, the cover illustration of the book shows an electric locomotive and, to the right, a Diesel Multiple Unit under the wires. The irony should not be lost. Electrification of individual routes is no substitute for a programme to electrify the network. I am pretty certain no-one measures the mileage clocked up by diesel trains under the wires today (and the amount of fuel burned as a result). Someone should.
This one is for those with an eye for architectural elegance. 'The New Euston Station 1968' is another London Midland region publication to "mark" (celebrating success hadn't been invented then) "the complete reconstruction of the first main line railway terminal to be built in London".

Quoting further: "The brochure is in three chapters. The first gives the history of Euston and covers also the evolution of the London and Birmingham Railway…". The second chapter describes the building of the new Euston Station and is illustrated by photographs showing stages in the progress of the work.". "The third and last chapter tells exactly what Euston can now provide in the way of services and amenities for the traveller.".

Rather than photos of the new station, we are treated to a magnificence (a new collective noun) of artist's impressions.
Main entrance, the view today being obscured by cheap and nasty buildings, and a cloud of cigarette smoke.
The Concourse.

In the corner, just above the sign for Suburban Tickets was the Area Manager's, later Ivor's, office. A fantastic view, just pipping the view from the AMO at St Pancras down the road.
The Grill Room.

I think that is Sean Connery, in role as 007, bottom right.
The Travel Centre.

I got out my magnifying glass (yes, really) to see what the artist had envisaged the ticket machines might look like. Could those grey shapes be Multiprinters?
Proof was needed and so there was only one place to go to: The ever excellent Modern Railways. This is very dangerous as there are many diversions in a single volume but a perusal of 1968 found this article in the December edition.
The artist's impressions have become reality and there, in the bottom left photograph, is an interior shot of the Travel Centre.
A Multiprinter. A job, not for today, is to see if I have any 1968 Euston-issued Multiprinter tickets in a box somewhere.
I also checked The Railway Magazine. Their December 1968 edition trumps Modern Railways with a photograph of certainly four, maybe five, Multiprinters. Look closely and you will also see that each window has a Handiprinter. This Multiprinter/Handiprinter combination was still going strong in the Booking Office at Nottingham when I started there.
It wasn't until the mid-1970s that electrification north of Weaver Junction to Glasgow was completed. The gap (in the timescale and the wires) was (don't fall off your chair) caused by Government dithering. Cleverly marketed as the Electric Scots, this was the cover of the October 1974 Railway magazine.
I was certain that I still had this badge somewhere. Having spent several hours going through boxes upstairs and finally giving up, I noticed my InterCity Senior Conductor's bag propping the door open five paces from where I am sitting. Sure enough…
This page is meant to be about electrification of what we now call the West Coast Main Line at 25kv AC but I should probably mention the Lancaster - Morecambe - Heysham electrification, this booklet being produced by the Railway Executive in September 1953. This qualifies because Lancaster will have to wait until the mid-1970s before seeing any more wires.
I will reproduce this page in full, partly because this illustrates (1) real innovation (as opposed to today's version), (2) testing and piloting, (3) cooperation and (4) getting things done quickly.

The first electrification of the British Railways (London Midland Region), Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham line (Figure 1) was made in 1908 by the former Midland Railway to test the use of single phase 6.6 kV 50 cycle system for electric traction. The experimental re-equipment at 6.6 kV 50 cycle, with improved performance, has been carried out under the direction of Mr. R. A. Riddles, Member of the Railway Executive for mechanical and Electrical Engineering, in association with Mr. J. C. L. Train, the Member for Civil and Signal & Telecommunications Engineering. Messrs. British Insulated Callender's Cables Limited, The English Electric Company Limited, also the British Electricity Authority, have co-operated in the experiment. Trial running commenced in November, 1952 (less than a year from the initiation of the scheme) and regular public services in August, 1953. The intervening period was used for trials, including tests to determine the effect on the power supply and for modifications to ne made to the telecommunication and signalling system found necessary as a result of the trials.
Using a similar line of logic, Manchester London Road/Piccadilly also received wires before the West Coast electrification, this being the 1500v DC electrification of the Manchester, Sheffield and Wath lines. This is a booklet published by the Eastern and London Midland regions to commemorate the inauguration of the scheme on 14 September 1954. Work had started years earlier but was put on hold due to the war.
The primary objective of this electrification was to improve the movement of coal traffic from the Yorkshire coal fields to the Lancashire power stations. The gradient map clearly shows the long slog up to the summit culminating with the Woodhead Tunnel, more than 3 miles in length. It is written that, prior to electrification, steam locomotive footplate crews would have to crouch down at floor level, gasping for breath in the smoke-filled tunnel.
Two classes of loco were built, EM1 primarily for freight and a smaller number of EM2, primarily for express passenger services between Manchester and Sheffield Victoria.

A prototype locomotive was under construction at the start of the war. With no main line to run on upon cessation of hostilities, it was loaned to the Netherlands Railways (also operating at 1500v DC) to help with an acute shortage of motive power. Between 1947 and 1951 it ran over 300 000 miles and earned the nickname 'Tommy'.
The top photograph shows EM2 no. 27000. With the controversial, some might say stupid, decision to run down and then close the Woodhead route, 27000 and her six sisters were sold to the Netherlands Railways in late 1969. 27005 was broken up for spares but the remainder of the class did sterling work until the mid-1980s.
I happened to see 1501, formerly 27003, in the Railway Museum at Utrecht last week.
Postscript. As I was about to send all this off for uploading to the website (thank you Darnis), I had a final thought. With the wonderful benefit of hindsight, what would be the one thing I would have done differently? For me, this is an easy question to answer. I would have made platforms 13 and 14 at Manchester Piccadilly two island platforms, 13, 14, 15 and 16, two Up, two Down - and the same at Oxford Road. Until this comes to pass the current problems of "congestion" on what has become known as the Castlefield Corridor will not be resolved. Clever schemes past and planned are not going to make any significant difference.
Apologies to Third Rail enthusiasts.