They represented the first Co-Co type of overhead electric locomotive built for use in the United Kingdom.

Construction took place at Gorton Works, Manchester with electrical equipment supplied by Metropolitan-Vickers.

This was supplied from a water tank holding 350 imp gal (1,600 L), sufficient for two hours operation.

The Woodhead Line was closed as a through route in 1981, leaving just stubs between Manchester Piccadilly and Hadfield in the West and Sheffield Victoria and Deepcar in the East.

[2] Forty more powerful 46 class electric locomotives were built by Metropolitan-Vickers in the mid-1950s for the New South Wales Government Railways.

They were renumbered in the 1500 series in the order they left their workshops, where they received various modifications, including new headlight clusters.