EM1 Locomotive Power Control Panel

Power control panel for EM1 locomotive. Has levers on one side, and wiring in central section. Manufactured by Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company Limited. 1951-1953.

EM1 locomotives were designed for Britain's first electrified line which ran between Sheffield and Manchester. They were ideal for the long Woodhead Tunnel where smoke and fumes from steam locomotives were dangerous and unpleasant. The electrical equipment was made by Metropolitan Vickers. Between 1950 and 1953 57 locomotives were built at Gorton Works. The locomotives all had two diamond-shaped pantographs, which collected power through contact with an overhead wire.