The Class 87 was developed as a development of the Class 86. The main differences included an increase in output to 5,000 hp, a top speed of 110 mph and a sprung drive. It was mainly used on the West Coast Main Line in front of express trains, but also in front of freight trains. In the 1980s, a more modern multiple control system was retrofitted, which also allowed the use of driving van trailers (control cars).

The class 90 was in turn a direct derivative and was originally intended to be designated class 87/2. After privatization in the 1990s, most of the locomotives went to Virgin Trains, where they were only used to haul express trains. After the decommissioning, which took place in the first decade after the turn of the millennium, many locomotives were sold to Bulgaria.