2025

As part of the 2025 Railway 200 celebrations, Alstom’s historic Derby Litchurch Lane Works hosted the world's largest-ever gathering of historic and modern trains and rail-related exhibits – The Greatest Gathering – between Friday 1 and Sunday 3 August 2025. The of our fleet attended: 83012 and 85006 travelled from Barrow Hill by road, and 89001 went by rail.

During 2024 and 2025 an enourmous amount of work was carried out by both AC Locomotive Group (ACLG) volunteers and the team at Locomotive Services Limited (LSL) at Crewe. A major examination and a considerable amount of other 'behind the scenes' activities were completed.

On the nights of 29-30 September and 30 September - 1 October 2005, 89001 worked a series of journeys between Crewe and Stafford.  These journeys were the first in 25 years that the 89 had run under its own power on the national network and represent a huge step forward towards the goal of returning the locomotive to mainline service.

A further pair of test runs was carried out with 89001 in the evening of 24 November 2025, Crewe to Stafford and return. Tests carried out included the 89's Time Division Multiplex (TDM) system, with Driving Van Trailer (DVT) 82139 controlling the 89 between Crewe and Stafford.

More 2025 photos are available here.