NRM: From Woodhead To York

Seen here is one of the remaining examples of the mainline Bo+Bo electric locos powered by 1.5kv DC overhead. The Class 76 locomotives were designed for use on the former Woodhead DC line from Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield Victoria and Wath. They pulled passenger services across the route as well as freight, and were built in Manchester at BR Gorton Works, now closed. The locomotives featured a pair of diamond shaped pantographs, which at several points along the Woodhead route, particularly at the steam locomotive water columns, where the wires were up to 20 feet above the tracks, saw the pantographs stretched to full height in these places.

The fate of the locomotives, which were built to a modified Sir Nigel Gresley design and were very reliable workhorses, were tied to the demise of the Woodhead route in the 1970s and 80s, as many of the locomotives were withdrawn as freight declined and passenger services were withdrawn. The line was eventually completely closed in 1981 and the entire fleet was withdrawn. Initially the class was offered for sale to Nederlandse Spoorwagen, as the Netherlands also operates under 1.5kv DC overhead, however owing to the age of the units despite their good reliability and high traction force, no-one was interested in purchasing them. Therefore this locomotive was the only complete example preserved, along with one cab from number 76039 in the Manchester Museum Of Science And Industry. The remainder of the class were scrapped accordingly, many ending their lives at the yards of Booths of Rotherham.

Number 26020 was specifically chosen for the stainless steel handrails it still carries, abeit painted over. It was also the locomotive that pulled the opening day train across the line in 1953.