British Rail Class 91

what is it?

The British Rail Class 91 Electra is a high-speed electric locomotive, which produces power of 4,830 kW (6,480 hp); it was ordered as a component of the East Coast Main Line modernisation and electrification programme of the late 1980s. The Class 91s were given the auxiliary name of InterCity 225 to indicate their envisaged top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph); they were also referred to as Electras by British Rail during their development and throughout the electrification of the East Coast Main Line. The locomotive body shells are of all-steel construction.

who runs it

NENational Express East CoastGreat North Eastern RailwayInterCityVTVirgin Trains East CoastECEast Coast

base stats

• weight 85.3 tin working order
• built 31made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

• 🎂First built 38 years ago, in 1988.
• 🐘Weighs about as much as 14 African elephants (~6 t each).

electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.

spec sheet

built

1988–1991

in service from

1989

number built

31

kind

Electric

traction

electric

origin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

builders

British Rail Engineering Limited, Crewe Works, General Electric Company plc

designer

GEC Transportation Projects

operators

National Express East Coast, Great North Eastern Railway, InterCity, Virgin Trains East Coast, East Coast

top speed

—

power

—

gauge

1,435 mm standard gauge

electric system

overhead

wheel arrangement

Bo′Bo′

weight

85.3 t

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.