British Rail Class 90

DB Cargo UK

English, Welsh & Scottish Railway acquired the largest fleet: 20 locomotives from Railfreight Distribution and five from Rail Express Systems.

DB Cargo UK Class 90s were planned to be hired to Grand Central to haul Mark 4 carriages on its London Euston to Blackpool North services; however, these were abandoned permanently on 10 September 2020.^[7]

In July 2023, DB Cargo announced that it was withdrawing its entire Class 90 locomotive fleet from active service, due to high energy costs, and stated that this would be a permanent move. Managing director Andrea Rossi stated that the company would focus instead on alternative methods to meet their climate targets, including expansion of the use of biofuels and HVO-based resources; in the meantime, electric-hauled traction would be replaced by diesel power. DB stated that they were working towards the sale/disposal of their Class 90 fleet.^[8] In September 2023, DB Cargo published a list of locomotives that would be sold to the highest bidder. ^{[nb 1][9]} Eight of these were sold subsequently to Sandbach Commercial Dismantlers; the first three (90030, 90033 and 90038) left Crewe Electric depot by road for storage pending final scrapping in late April 2024.^[10]

Freightliner

Freightliner inherited ten Class 90/1 locomotives, which were numbered 90141-150 and had been leased from Porterbrook; these have since been returned to their original Class 90/0 configuration. Freightliner also acquired 90016 from EWS, as a replacement for 90050 which was withdrawn in 2004 following fire damage while on lease to EWS. 90050 was stored subsequently at Crewe Basford Hall for use as a donor of spare parts to its other Class 90 locomotives; in October 2023, it was loaned long-term to Crewe Heritage Centre where it has received cosmetic improvements.^[11]

During 2019, Freightliner purchased thirteen Class 90 locomotives from Porterbrook Leasing, which were formerly operated by Abellio Greater Anglia. Upon transfer of the fleet in May 2020, the locos underwent a modification programme to match the freight Class 90 specification;^[12] they have since replaced Freightliner's Class 86 locomotives, which date back to the mid-1960s. In July 2020, 90014 was painted by Toton TMD and given the name Over the Rainbow.^[13]

Locomotive Services Limited

Following their withdrawal by Abellio Greater Anglia in 2020, 90001 and 90002 were acquired by Locomotive Services Limited (LSL) to operate their excursion trains alongside their Class 86 and Class 87. Their use varies between working excursions along the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Glasgow Central, sometimes working as part of a tour worked partly by a steam locomotive. After purchase by LSL, the two locomotives were repainted into their original InterCity Swallow livery; 90001 was named Royal Scot and 90002 Wolf of Badenoch.^[14] In June 2025, 90026 was acquired from DB Cargo UK.^[15]

Caledonian Sleeper

Virgin Trains contracted Class 87s were replaced by English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS) Class 90s in March 1998.^[16][17] An agreement was reached in 2006 to paint a number of Class 90s into First ScotRail colours, for exclusive use hauling the Caledonian Sleeper. In 2015, with Serco taking over the Caledonian Sleeper franchise, the haulage contract moved to GB Railfreight, which chose to use Class 92s on the WCML; however, due to mechanical problems, a Class 90 locomotive was used. This was initially hired from DB Cargo UK, but later changed to Freightliner.^[18][19][20] Their operation on the route ended in October 2019.

East Coast Main Line

In the late 1990s, GNER hired Class 90s to stand in for Class 91s on London Kings Cross to Leeds services; 90024 was repainted into their dark blue livery.^[21] In 2016, DB Cargo Class 90s were returned to the East Coast Main Line on Virgin Trains East Coast's London to Newark Northgate, Leeds and Newcastle services, whilst the Class 91 locomotives were overhauled.^[22] These continued to be operated by London North Eastern Railway until 9 June 2019.^[23]

Greater Anglia

As part of their East Anglia franchise bid, National Express East Anglia provided a fleet plan to replace the ageing Class 86 locomotives on the Great Eastern Main Line with the more powerful and newer Class 90 locomotives, hoping this would improve performance and reduce operating costs. The Class 90s were to become available due to Virgin Trains' plan to replace all locomotive-hauled passenger trains with Class 390 Pendolino units, freeing up their 15 Class 90 locomotives. 90001-015 were delivered progressively to Crown Point TMD in Norwich. These locomotives had their original louvered horn covers replaced with a single plate design with V-patterned holes, matching the Mark 3 DVTs.

Abellio Greater Anglia took on the franchise in February 2012 and continued to operate the locomotives.

In January 2020, the Class 745 FLIRT sets began entering service to replace the Class 90 sets.^[24] Following the introduction of these units, the locomotive-hauled sets were withdrawn from service, with the last set running its last services on 24 March 2020.^[25] Thirteen moved to Freightliner to replace the Class 86s, while the other two were purchased by Locomotive Services Limited.^[12]

Virgin Trains

Virgin Trains inherited 15 locomotives at privatisation, 90001-015, to work its passenger trains on the WCML. They were based at Willesden TMD for services from London Euston to Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Preston and Glasgow Central.^{[citation needed]}

In 1998, 90002 became the first locomotive to be repainted in Virgin Trains' red and black livery; it was named Mission: Impossible to launch the challenge of upgrading passenger services on the WCML. The rest of the fleet was quickly repainted into the new livery.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, Class 390 Pendolino electric multiple units started to enter service to replace locomotive-hauled trains on the WCML.^[26][27] The first locomotives to be replaced were the elderly Class 86/2s and some of the less reliable Class 87 locomotives. However, since the Class 90 fleet was relatively small and subsequently non-standard, it was decided to retain the larger Class 87 fleet in preference to the Class 90s. Therefore, from March 2004, Virgin started to return its Class 90 fleet to the ROSCO, allowing the locos to transfer to the new One (later National Express East Anglia) operator.

Following the Grayrigg derailment and subsequent scrapping of 390033 in 2007, Virgin Trains had the need for an additional set as a stop gap before another Pendolino set was built. As a result, Virgin used Class 90 locomotives hired from DB Schenker, and later Freightliner, along with a rake of Mark 3 coaching stock and a DVT. Nicknamed the Pretendolino, this received reupholstered seating, power points, wi-fi and a full external re-paint at Wabtec, Doncaster, in 2009.^[28][29] Virgin used this set, with a Class 90 locomotive hired from Freightliner, on a Friday relief service between Euston and Crewe, via Birmingham, until December 2012. It was hired out as a charter train and was used sometimes on London-Birmingham services in the event of a Pendolino shortage.

From the December 2013 timetable change, Virgin Trains used the Mark 3 set once again on London-Birmingham services on a Thursday and Friday only basis; Class 90s were leased from Direct Rail Services, which were sub-leased from DB Schenker.

Summary

Fleet list