87101 Stephenson

I have added a small collection of my own photos of 87101 Stephenson
Whilst the first 35 locomotives (numbered from 87001 to 87035, known as Class 87/0) were identical, the 36th and last member of the class, which was going to carry the number 87036 before entering traffic but was allocated 87101 instead, had major equipment differences from the rest of the class: While the 87/0s were fitted with a traditional tap changer transformer and rectifiers, 87101 had a new thyristor power control system, and better anti-slip protection, and spent over a year on test before entering service in 1976.
It was reported that the locomotive's hauling ability was around 20% better than the 87/0's, a feature which made it particularly suitable for freight work. The locomotive, named Stephenson after transfer of the name from 87001, worked the same services as the standard locomotives for many years, until British Rail was sectorised in the 1980s. The locomotive was then transferred to Railfreight in 1989, to be used exclusively for freight work, and was limited to 75 mph (121 km/h)
Info from Wikipedia
All photos taken at either Crewe or Warrington BQ
87101 Stephenson with its aluminium nameplate in the first 4 photos
including
87101 Stephenson & 85038 on a test train approaching Crewe station c1988
https://tinyurl.com/7cksffe2
87101 with red nameplate
87101 Stephenson now with a red nameplate and small Railfreight Distribution logo under cab number at Crewe mid 1990's
https://tinyurl.com/bdvf54ap

Neil