The British Rail Class 85 (also known by the designation AL5) is an electric locomotive that was designed and produced at British Rail’s (BR) Doncaster Works during the early 1960s. While largely developed by BR, much of its systems can be attributed to the British manufacturing interest Associated Electrical Industries (AEI).

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 a new computer numbering system.

2023年4月21日 · As E3061, 85101 entered traffic on 23 December 1961, allocated to AC Lines, the tenth AL5 to enter service. Originally painted "electric blue" with two pantographs, it was renumbered 85006 in 1974, gaining Rail Blue livery and losing a pantograph.

The British Rail Class 85 is an electric locomotive built during the early 1960s, as part of BR's policy to develop a standard electric locomotive. Five prototype classes (81, 82, 83, 84 and 85) were built and evaluated, which eventually led to the development of the Class 86 locomotive. The class 85s where also classified as AL5s.

The first AL5 to enter traffic from British Railways' Doncaster works was E3057 in the first week of June 1961. E3056 (numerically the first) did not appear for another two and a half months. E3057 was also the 51st AC electric to be delivered, thus marking the half way point for the initial orders.

Our locomotive fleet currently comprises surviving examples of the first-generation AC electric locomotive classes built for the West Coast Main Line electrification scheme. With an example from each of Classes 81-83 and 85, plus the solitary Class 89, the fleet is the most comprehensive (and only) collection of AC locomotives in the country.

To view all pictures of the class type "Class 85" in the search box.

The main contractor for this 40 strong AL5 fleet was the BR Workshops Division at Doncaster. Power, control and technical equipment was supplied by GEC/AEI. When introduced this fleet were allocated numbers in the E3056-E3095 range, which later, under the TOPS scheme, was amended to 85001-85040.

locomotive concerned was one of the forty of the AL5 Class, one of which is shown in Figure 1, and which were equipped with rheostatic braking in addition to the standard vacuum controlled proportional air brakes. The modification was designed to ensure that the rheostatic braking was used to best advantage.