84008 ambles through Crewe with a northbound parcels duty, 16th July 1977. Ten locomotives of class 84 were built between 1960 and 1961 by the North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow with electrical equipment by GEC, as part of British Railway's policy to develop a standard electric locomotive. In the early years the locomotives were troubled by bad ride quality and also by major problems with the water cooled mercury arc rectifiers and by 1963 the whole class was recalled for modifications. The problems with the water cooled mercury-arc rectifiers continued, resulting in the entire class being stored in 1968. Reprieved by the northward extension of the West Coast Main Line electrification, the class were refurbished at Doncaster works and returned to service by the end of 1972. Unfortunately, the troubles were not over and tap changer failures together with traction motor failures resulting from years in storage caused the reliability of the class to plummet. Work to correct these faults was initially successful, but the traction motors continued to fail and by 1976, BR curtailed any further large expenditure on the class. Excessive wear on the axle drives caused the first withdrawals (a result of the curtailment of expenditure) in 1977 and 84008 was withdrawn in October 1979. Apart from 84001 preserved as part of the National Collection 84008 proved to be the longest survivor as it was not broken up until November 1988 by scrap merchant A Hampton on site at Crewe works.

40121 leads 40171, 25222 and 25145 into Crewe station from the Chester direction, 16th July 1977. 40121 was originally D321 and was built by English Electric at the Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn works, Darlington. It entered traffic in April 1961, allocated to Crewe North MPD. It would remain a north west based London Midland Region engine for most of its career apart from a spell allocated to Healey Mills in the early 1980’s. Crewe works continued to give class 40’s classified repairs through out 1980 (with the last being 40177 released to traffic in January 1981) and even though withdrawals had commenced in earnest this included a few vacuum braked only examples. 40121 was one of these being released to traffic in May 1980 and this repair would keep it in traffic until the 13th March 1983 when it was withdrawn in order to provide spares for other members of the dwindling class 40 fleet. It was one of the fifty nine class 40’s broken up at Crewe works, being dealt with in December 1983. 40171 was originally D371 and entered traffic in 1962. It would retain green livery until called into Crewe works in October 1976 for what proved to be its last classified repair. 40171 was withdrawn on the 13th December 1981 with a cracked frame and generally worn out and was broken up at Swindon works during November 1982. 25222 was originally D7572 and was built at Darlington works, entering traffic in October 1963. It was an early class 25 casualty being also one of the first dual braked class 25’s to be withdrawn when it was condemned in December 1980. It was broken up a year later at Swindon works in December 1981. 25145 was originally D5295 and was built at Derby works, entering traffic in September 1964. It was to survive in traffic the longest of this group of locomotives surviving until January 1986 when it was condemned with multiple defects and was broken up by Vic Berry, Leicester in April 1987.

40035 departs from Crewe with the 1430 Crewe – Llandudno service, 16th July 1977. Originally D235 it was built at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire in 1959 and allocated to Crewe North MPD. It would remain a north west based London Midland Region engine for the rest of its career. Twenty five class 40’s carried the names of famous ocean going liners on cast brass plates and D235 was named Apapa. These nameplates began to be removed by BR during the 1970’s, as the class 40’s were no longer considered as front line passenger engines and they were also attracting unwanted interest from "collectors". After a career of twenty five years (and over four years since its last classified repair at Crewe works in May 1980) it was withdrawn in September 1984 with severe bogie fractures and power unit defects and was one of the fifty nine class 40’s broken up at Crewe works, being dealt with in June 1985.