6701, was completed at Doncaster Works in 1941 to a design by Sir Nigel Gresley, but electrification of the Woodhead Route, together with construction of 69 similar units, was delayed by the Second World War.

It was tested on the few sections of 1500 V DC lines owned by the LNER, but had not worked any great distance by 1947 when it was loaned to Dutch Railways to help with their post-war shortage of locomotives.

The buffers and couplings were mounted on the bogies which were then linked together by a drawbar, a feature intended to remove stress from the superstructure.

The pantographs had to stretch to almost their full height to reach the wires at some points, as BR practice utilised both raised in normal Woodhead operation in order to maximise current collection under any weather condition.

Thirteen of these gained classical Greek names; these were removed in 1970, after the discontinuance of passenger services in January of that year.

The trials involved a variety of trains, passenger and freight, including tests of the regenerative braking system on Brentwood bank, which has a gradient of 1:103 (0.97%).

[9] This became particularly important from January 1970 with the introduction of Merry-Go-Round coal trains from South Yorkshire to Fiddlers Ferry power station near Widnes, operated by two Class 76s (and banked by two extra locomotives up the Worsborough incline between Wombwell and Silkstone).

The reduction of the freight traffic on the line, along with the ending of passenger services, resulted in the early withdrawal of several locomotives.

By the late 1970s, the locomotives were amongst the oldest in service and yet one of the most reliable classes, on account of robust design on British Rail; their replacement would ultimately become necessary.

However, in July 1981, the closure of the Woodhead Line, between Hadfield in the west and Penistone in the east, resulted in the withdrawal of the entire fleet.

[citation needed] However, the Netherlands Railways were interested in their purchase for their heavy freight trains mainly from the North Sea Europoort inland, following a good service record of the prototype 6000 Tommy.

[citation needed] Accordingly, the remaining locomotives were scrapped, many at the yards of Booths of Rotherham, apart from a single preserved example now in the National Railway Museum in York.

[14] A complete cabside and a driver's door from 76051 Mentor are preserved, in their original condition, at Barrow Hill Roundhouse, near Chesterfield.