The pioneer of the class, 47401 North Eastern approaches Wickwar Tunnel on 10 August 1985 with the 1M44 11:32 Penzance to Manchester Piccadilly service. Obviously still very much a passenger locomotive at this time, 47401 was allocated to Gateshead and would have a few more years of top link work before being transferred to Immingham. It would then spend its remaining years in BR service as a purely freight machine, principally working heavy oil trains.