Caption:

At the time, in 1966, a leading UK motoring magazine

described a journey into London from the north-west as ‘continuing at three-figure speeds even as far as Queens Park. An imaginary pipe-dream? No! I was on a train!’ For this to happen when most commentators only referred to BR in the customary ‘curly sandwiches’ mode was remarkable so the impact of AC electrification of the West Coast main-line cannot be under-estimated. Not surprising when you see this splendid example of exactly what a modern railway should look like in the ‘60s as a superb AL6 Class 86 (E3145, later 86014/314/414/614) in blue with cast emblem and numbers waits to move off from Euston.