History of the Class 90 Locomotive

Introduction This website is dedicated to the British Rail (BR) Class 90s electric locomotive, which were assembled at Crewe Works from 1985 until completion in 1990. The fleet size as built was 50 locomotives strong. Today the serviceable fleet has been reduced to 40 engines (please refer to fleet operations page for more details).For more details on the history of the Class 90, click on the links below which will re-direct you to other webpages and/or PDF fact sheets such as names carried by Class 90s.

Technical Data The class 90s were built as 4 axle Bo-Bo type of locomotives with GEC designed engines and Thyristor control (see table) and were built in Crewe by BREL under contract to GEC from 1985 to 1990. See link below for more information on the technical capabilities of the BR Class 90 Electric locomotive.

Nameplates This section of the site details all the names ever applied to the class 90s. The latest nameplate fact sheet is available to download below, which was last updated on the 20/7/25.

Naming Facts Over the years, nameplates on Class 90s have come and gone, often not replaced. This fact sheet outlines all known 90s that have been named, de-named or even re-named and includes dates; locations & fleet number. The latest naming fact sheet is available to download below, which was last updated on the 20/7/25.

Liveries The class 90s have featured 33 different liveries during their 37 year history. The newest livery to be applied to a Class 90 was the 60th Anniversary of Freightliner which has been applied to 90018. The loco was out shopped from Eastleigh Works on the 30/7/25.

Other fun facts This section brings together other facts about the Class 90 fleet which is not covered elsewhere and includes depot open day visits, off- the beaten-track, historic milestones and rare workings on the UK network. This part of the website is currently working progress.

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