The fleet served in their original capacity for roughly twenty years, being mostly withdrawn during the early 1980s following the arrival of newer types such as the British Rail Class 87.

During the late 1950s, British Rail (BR) embarked upon the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, a strategy which necessitated the procurement of a large number of electric locomotives to utilise the newly installed infrastructure.

Following a review of competitive bids, it was decided to award a contract for ten locomotives to the Metropolitan-Vickers division of the British manufacturing interest Associated Electrical Industries (AEI).

[3] Its design shared numerous aspects with, and had similarly performance attributes to, the preceding British Rail Class 81, such as its power rating of 3,300 hp, and use of fully-suspended traction motors, and multi-anode mercury arc rectifiers.

A narrow corridor ran alongside the power compartment, enabling train crews to move through to reach either cab of the locomotive.

Between the power compartment and the cabs at either end were insulated bulkheads, upon which equipment such as the four traction motor blowers and brake apparatus were fixed.

[3] Climate control within the power compartment was heavily regulated, with space heaters present to pre-heat the rectifiers to operating temperature, and numerous air-driven fans that maintained steady airflow towards vents set into the locomotive's roof.

[3] Various measures for operator comfort were also included, such as an upholstered adjustable seat for the drive, numerous heating units, and a compact cooker for traincrews to prepare meals upon.

[3] The underframe is the locomotive's major structural element, comprising a combination of rolled and welded steel plate, topped by an aluminium-steel deck.

[3] The bogies incorporated a Metrolink swing link suspension system that provided favourable ride characteristics even when travelling at high speeds.

[7] 82008 was preserved in the early 1990s, following a long period of storage, and was later owned by the AC Locomotive Group, located at Barrow Hill Engine Shed.