| This is a BR Class 86 electric locomotive, in service with Anglia Railways in 1999, having just run an Intercity service from Norwich Thorpe Street to London Liverpool Street. The Norwich-London run is over the Great Eastern Mainline, but originally British Rail intended for these to be used on the newly-electrified West Coast Mainline in the 1960s, where they stayed until the Great Eastern electrification project was completed in 1988, replacing Class 47 diesels. These locomotives are now being operated by One, a train operating company formed through the merger of Anglia and First Great Eastern in 2004. During 1998-1999, though, I rode these Intercity services very regularly, and it is memorable to me today since it was only my third experience riding 100 m.p.h. trains! Getting back to the photo, this shot also helps to illustrate the magnificent neo-gothic ceiling in London Liverpool Street Station. |