The basis for the development of the Class 92 came during the initial development of the Class 373 Eurostar, British Rail expressing interest in a brand new design of electric locomotive, for use on continental freight workings. After the submission of designs, the order went to Brush Traction Ltd on July 22, 1990, being for an initial batch of twenty locomotives. Having previously worked on the Class 60 diesels, the new electric Co-Co locomotive was to utilise the same fundamental body shell shape and feature similar bogies, but was far more technologically advanced and massively expensive, being close to £3 million per locomotive.
Manufactured and delivered pre-painted by Procor of Wakefield, who had also worked on the Class 60 design, some of the electronics had already been tried and tested on that class. The provision of two pantographs was a Eurotunnel requirement, as was the duplication of most electrical systems onboard to ensure that any electronics failures did not leave a train stranded within the tunnel. Electric Train Supply was also incorporated within the design to satisfy the heating requirements of the proposed Nightstar stock.
In total there were forty six locomotives scheduled for completion, an order total close to £138 million, the first of which was completed in August 1993. The ownership of the Class 92 locomotives would also be split between three operating bodies: Railfreight Distribution, who took 30, European Passenger Services with 7 and SNCF with 9. It was envisaged at the time that the class would be deployed on Wembley to Dollands Moor freight services, for onwards transit through the Channel Tunnel, along with Glasgow/Edinburgh to Calais, via London, night passenger workings.
The trainload freight sector was sold on February 24, 1996 to North & South Railways, soon renamed as EWS and in 1997, with the sale of Railfreight Distribution to EWS, the Class 92s came into their ownership. Operations of the locomotives were severely restricted by Network Rail’s draconian new rules and regulations concerning the level of interference (however minimal) between motive power and signalling equipment and this severely affected the running of the Class 92 locomotives.
Another setback came as the Nightstar project, repeatedly delayed as a result of overrunning costs and the difficulty in finding a contractor to build the coaching stock, was cancelled July 9, 1999. The seven European Passenger Services Class 92s were now left without work and were put into storage in April 2001.There they stayed, until February 2007, when Eurotunnel, under their Europorte 2 subsidiary, purchased locomotives 92020, 92021, 92032, 92040 and 92044.
With EWS being sold on to DB Schenker, some of their locomotives have been transferred to operations in Bulgaria and Romania, whilst other units are based at the DB Schenker depot at Dollands Moor, Folkestone.
Currently, ownership of the Class 92 locomotives are split between DB Schenker and GBRf/Europorte 2 and our model shows 92016 in its former EWS livery, carrying the name Brahms. Built in September 1994, the locomotive is currently based at Crewe International Electric T&RSMD.