The British Rail Class 50 is a class of diesel locomotives designed to haul express passenger trains at . Built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows between 1967 and 1968, the Class 50s were initially on a 10-year lease from English Electric Leasing, and were employed hauling express passenger trains on the then non-electrified section of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Scotland. Initially numbered D400–D449 and known as English Electric Type 4s, the locomotives were purchased outright by British Rail (BR) at the end of the lease and became Class 50 in the TOPS renumbering of 1973.
The class gained the nickname "Hoovers" because of the noise made by the clean air plant at the No. 2 end, prior to refurbishment, which was likened to that of a vacuum cleaner, a name believed given to them by the staff at Paddington Station. Once the electrification from Crewe to Glasgow was completed the locomotives were moved to the Great Western Main Line (GWML) out of Paddington to allow the retirement of most of the remaining diesel-hydraulic locomotives then in use. As trains on the GWML steadily moved to High Speed Train operation from 1976, the Class 50s moved to hauling trains between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, and also trains from London Paddington to Hereford and Worcester via Oxford until the majority of those trains too were taken over by IC125 operation. The class was steadily retired from service in the late 1980s and early 1990s as their services moved to operation by second-generation Class 159 DMUs.
Description
Development
The origins of the Class 50 lie in an invitation from the British Transport Commission (BTC) to manufacturers to produce a design for a lightweight Type 4 diesel locomotive with a gross power output of at least 2,500 hp. In order to produce a prototype quickly, English Electric based their design on that for their Deltic locomotives which were then in production. Unlike the Deltics, this design was powered by a single engine, the 16CSVT, a development of the 16SVT used in the Class 40 locomotives. Parts related to the contemporary Class 37s were also used. The result was DP2, a 2,700 hp Diesel-electric locomotive weighing 105 tons and with a top speed of 100 mph.
However, before the prototype could be completed, English Electric's design was rejected by the BTC, primarily on the grounds that the 16CSVT was unproven, and doubted its ability to produce the required power levels. Even after the delivery of DP2 in May 1962, any hope of future orders seemed over with the BTC's decision to standardise its Type 4 fleet on the Brush-Sulzer Class 47 design.
The DP2 design earned a reprieve in 1965, when the National Traction Plan of that year identified a need for an additional 50 Type 4 locomotives. By this time the Class 47 fleet were starting to suffer serious problems with engine stress cracking, a problem which necessitated the derating of the fleet to 2,580 hp. At the same time, DP2 and its 16CSVT engine had proved far more reliable than expected. Negotiations took place with English Electric for a production batch of 50 locomotives for use on the Eastern Region. English Electric intended to build the new batch as similar to DP2 as possible but the British Railways Board (successor to the BTC) had produced a standard locomotive cab with a flat front and headcode box and also had specific requirements relating to the engine room and other equipment. English Electric produced several alternative front-end designs including one with a wrap-around windscreen Unusually, the ownership of the locomotives remained with the manufacturer and they were operated by British Rail on a 10-year lease which included certain stipulations relating to availability.
|-
|colspan=3 |
|-
!Code ||Name ||Quantity
|-
|style="text-align:center" |BR ||Bristol Bath Road ||style="text-align:right" |8
|-
|style="text-align:center" |CD ||Crewe Diesel ||style="text-align:right" |42
|-
!colspan=2 scope=row |Total:
|style="text-align:right" |50
|}
The class was built for working passenger services on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) north of , to , , Carlisle, and Perth, occasionally reaching as far north as Aberdeen. Services south of Crewe would generally be worked by an electric locomotive, with the Class 50s taking over for the journeys that continued north. Initially trains were hauled by a single locomotive, but from May 1970 they were paired on 8 out of 34 locomotive diagrams covering Anglo-Scottish services north of Crewe, allowing greatly accelerated timings to be applied (including a six-hour schedule for the "Royal Scot" London Euston-Glasgow Central and v.v. service). Once the electric service was introduced as far as Preston in 1973, this double-heading by Class 50s transferred there, although poor availability often resulted in single-heading with consequent delays. The ability to operate using multiple working had been part of the locomotive's initial design brief, but only two of the class had the facility from new, but with the introduction of the regular double headed duties, this facility was fitted to the whole class. This modification eliminated the characteristic droning "sucking" noise which had earned the "Hoover" nickname. The final loco to be refurbished was 50014 Warspite, which was released back into traffic in December 1983. The last member of the class to be painted from original plain blue into the Large Logo blue livery was 50013 Agincourt, following release from an intermediate overhaul at Doncaster in September 1984. The final railtour operated with 50007 and 50050 from London Waterloo to Penzance and returning to London Paddington. Both locomotives were later preserved.
Accidents and incidents
- On 23 November 1983, a sleeper train hauled by 50 041 Bulwark was derailed on the approach to due to excessive speed through a crossover. Three of the seventy passengers were injured.
- On 6 August 1989, 50025 Invincible was derailed at West Ealing whilst hauling the 21:15 Oxford to Paddington service. The cause was a length of rail that vandals had placed across the track. There were no fatalities and the locomotive was subsequently scrapped in October that year.
Fleet list
{| class="wikitable"
!Key:
|Scrapped
|bgcolor=#deebfc|Preserved
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible"
|-
!colspan=2|Number
!rowspan=2|Name
!rowspan=2|Built
!rowspan=2|Named
!rowspan=2|Withdrawn
!rowspan=2|Status
!rowspan=2|Notes
|- style="text-align:center;"
!Pre-TOPS
!TOPS
|-bgcolor=#deebfc
| D400 || 50050 || Fearless || 17.10.67 || 23.08.78 || 26.03.94 || Preserved
| Carried nameplate 04.08.78 – 07.08.78. Now owned by Boden Rail Engineering Ltd.
|-
| D401 || 50001 || Dreadnought || 09.12.67 || 10.04.78 || 19.04.91 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Booth-Roe scrapyard, Rotherham in December 2002.
|-bgcolor=#deebfc
| D402 || 50002 || Superb || 12.67 || 21.03.78 || 09.09.91 || Preserved
| Preserved by the Devon Diesel Society. It is currently being restored at the South Devon Railway in Buckfastleigh.
|-
| D403 || 50003 || Temeraire || 01.68 || 09.05.78 || 15.07.91 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at MC Metals scrapyard, Glasgow in April 1992.
|-
| D404 || 50004 || St Vincent || 12.67 || 09.05.78 || 22.06.90 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Booth-Roe scrapyard, Rotherham in May 1992.
|-
| D405 || 50005 || Collingwood || 01.68 || 05.04.78 || 11.12.90 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Old Oak Common TMD, London in February 1991.
|-
| D406 || 50006 || Neptune || 04.68 || 25.09.79 || 20.07.87 || Scrapped
| First Class 50 to be refurbished. Scrapped at Vic Berry's scrapyard, Leicester in February–March 1988.
|-bgcolor=#deebfc
| D407 || 50007 || Hercules || 03.68 || 06.04.78 || 16.07.91 / 26.03.94 || Preserved
| Renamed Sir Edward Elgar on 25.02.84. Originally withdrawn in 1991. Reinstated for railtour use in 1992. Renamed back to Hercules in early 2014. Now owned by Class 50 Alliance.
|-bgcolor=#deebfc
| D430 || 50030 || Repulse || 07.68 || 10.04.78 || 08.04.92 || Preserved
| Owned by the Renown Repulse Restoration Group.
|-
| D432 || 50032 || Courageous || 07.68 || 07.07.78 || 15.10.90 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Old Oak Common TMD, London in February 1991.
|-bgcolor=#deebfc
| D433 || 50033 || Glorious || 08.68 || 26.06.78 || 25.03.94 || Preserved
| Currently based at the Severn Valley Railway.
|-
| D434 || 50034 || Furious || 08.68 || 06.04.78 || 29.06.90 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Old Oak Common TMD, London in February 1991.
|-bgcolor=#deebfc
| D435 || 50035 || Ark Royal || 08.68 || 17.01.78 || 03.08.90 || Preserved
| First to be named and preserved. Owned by the Class 50 Alliance. Second cab stored at Peak Rail with Renown Repulse Restoration Group locos 50029 & 50030
|-
| D438 || 50038 || Formidable || 10.68 || 05.05.78 || 27.09.88 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Old Oak Common TMD, London in July 1989.
|-
| D439 || 50039 || Implacable || 10.68 || 20.06.78 || 04.06.89 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Old Oak Common TMD, London in July 1991.
|-
| D440 || 50040 || Leviathan || 10.68 || 15.09.78 || 03.08.90 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Sims Metal Management, Halesowen in June–July 2008.
|-
| D441 || 50041 || Bulwark || 10.68 || 08.05.78 || 17.04.90 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Old Oak Common TMD, London in July 1991.
|-bgcolor=#deebfc
| D442 || 50042 || Triumph || 10.68 || 04.10.78 || 15.10.90 || Preserved
| Preserved at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway.
|-
| D443 || 50043 || Eagle || 10.68 || 28.06.78 || 01.02.91 || Scrapped
| Scrapped for spares at Blaenavon by Rexstar in January 2002.
|-bgcolor=#deebfc
| D444 || 50044 || Exeter || 11.68 || 26.04.78 || 11.01.91 || Preserved
| Owned by the Class 50 Alliance.
|-
| D447 || 50047 || Swiftsure || 12.68 || 26.05.78 || 13.04.88 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at Vic Berry's scrapyard, Leicester in April–June 1989.
|-
| D448 || 50048 || Dauntless || 12.68 || 16.03.78 || 15.07.91 || Scrapped
| Scrapped at MC Metals scrapyard, Glasgow in April 1992.
|-bgcolor=#deebfc
| D449 || 50049<br>50149 || Defiance || 12.68 || 02.05.78 || 16.08.91 || Preserved
| Owned by the Class 50 Alliance.
Once preserved, 50002 became the first class 50 to operate a train for a private excursion on the South Devon Railway (April 1992), while 50031 was the first to operate a train for fare paying passengers (Severn Valley Railway May 1992). 50031 was also the first to operate on the mainline, hauling the Past Time Railtours Pilgrim Hoover train from Birmingham International to Plymouth on 1 November 1997. Since then several other members of the class have also been passed for use on Network Rail (was Railtrack) lines. However, with changes in the UK's Rail Access regulations (requiring fitment of additional equipment: TPWS/OTMR/GSMR) some of these locos are no longer of a standard to continue mainline operation. At present, 50007, 50008, 50044, 50049 & 50050 are passed for main line running. The owner of 50021 & 50026 aims to restore them to mainline use in the near future.
One locomotive, 50017, was hired to Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) to work the Northern Belle service from Bath to Manchester Victoria. As part of the contract it was painted in LMS-style maroon livery. Following this, the loco spent several years dumped at Tyseley locomotive works before being sold to a private individual. The loco was then restored to working order at the Plym Valley Railway, before being sold to Boden Railway Engineering a few years later. In Feb 2019 the engine was sold from Boden Rail to the Great Central Railway minus its mainline equipment.
In 2003, the National Railway Museum decided to dispose of 50033 due to an inability to commit to maintenance and storage costs. This was subject to a suitable owner being found for what was now a museum asset. After spending a period on loan to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 2004 the locomotive was moved to the Swindon Steam Railway Museum. However, soon after it was sent on to the Tyseley Locomotive Works as part of a proposed move to the RailSchool project and Royal Docks Heritage Railway in North Woolwich, London. When the Crossrail project was authorised, this scheme fell by the wayside, stranding 50033 at the Birmingham Railway Museum (Tyseley). After a period the ownership of the loco was transferred between the museums in lieu of storage payments. Unfortunately due to lack of covered accommodation the loco was stored in the open. This situation ended in February 2018, when an agreement between the Birmingham Railway Museum and the Fifty Fund was reached to return the locomotive to operational use. As part of this arrangement the locomotive was moved to the Severn Valley Railway in May of the same year. After an intense restoration effort the loco hauled trains at the Class 50 Golden Anniversary Gala in October 2018. As the loco was still in undercoat, it was possible for gala attendees to graffiti the loco body for a payment towards its full repaint – an exercise that raised over £3,800.
In 2005, 50031 and 50049 were on long term hire to Arriva Trains Wales (ATW), for use on special services in connection with events at the Millennium Stadium, and over the summer period saw regular use on the Monday to Saturday "Fishguard Flyer" from Cardiff to Fishguard and return, in connection with the ferry sailing to Ireland. One of the two locomotives was used for the service each day, along with 4 Mark 2 coaches, the short formation and high power leading to very good performance. This arrangement lasted for one year. At the end of this period 50031 failed whilst working an ECS (Empty Coaching Stock) train, again for ATW.
During the summer of 2008 50044 "Exeter" was fitted with OTMR, and the TPWS fitted previously was commissioned. In October 2008 '44 was re-registered for mainline use, and operated its first revenue mainline train on 18 October 2008, when it worked, in multiple with 50049 "Defiance" on a railtour from Manchester Piccadilly to Minehead.
Several owning groups have ceremonially re-dedicated their locomotives to the warships whose names they carry. The HMS Hood Association rededicated 50031 Hood at the Mid Hants Railway, unveiling new crests. The crew of HMS Exeter re-dedicated D444 Exeter at the Severn Valley Railway a year before the vessel was decommissioned, unveiling a crest and early-BR-style nameplates. The captain of HMS Ark Royal performed the re-dedication ceremony for 50135 Ark Royal at the Eastleigh 100 Open Days.
October 2018 saw the Severn Valley Railway host the 'Class 50 Golden Jubilee' gala, celebrating fifty years since the class was introduced into traffic. Eleven of the eighteen preserved 50s attended the event, these being: 50007, 50008, 50015, 50017, 50026 (non-operational), 50031, 50033, 50035, 50044, 50049 and 50050. This made it the largest gathering of a single type of locomotive in preservation history. Of significance was 50033, which had undergone a speedy overhaul since transferring to the railway in May of that year, hauling its first passenger trains since 2004.
Seven of the preserved Class 50s have operated on the mainline in preservation, these being: 50050 Fearless, 50007 Hercules, 50008 Thunderer, 50017 Royal Oak, 50031 Hood, 50044 Exeter and 50049 Defiance.
List of preserved locomotives
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan=3|Numbers <small>(Current in Bold)</small>
!align=left|Name
!Image
!align=left|Livery
!align=left|Location
!align=left|Notes
|-
|align=center|D400
|align=center|50050
|align=center|-
|Fearless
|frameless
|BR Blue
|Nottingham Eastcroft TMD
|Owned by Boden Rail Engineering Ltd. First-built locomotive.
Operational, Mainline certified
|-
|align=center|D402
|align=center|50002
|align=center|-
|Superb
|frameless
|BR Blue
|South Devon Railway
|Under restoration.
|-
|align=center|D407
|align=center|50007
|align=center|-
|Hercules
|frameless
|BR Blue Large Logo
|Severn Valley Railway
|Operational, Mainline Certified. On spot-hire to GBRf.
|-
|align=center|D408
|align=center|50008
|align=center|-
|Thunderer
|frameless
|Hanson & Hall
|Kings Norton
|Re-entered preservation in 2006. Repainted by ELR 2009–2010. Operational, Mainline Certified 2017
|-
|align=center|D415
|align=center|50015
|align=center|-
|Valiant
|frameless
|BR Blue Large Logo
|East Lancashire Railway
|Only Class 50 to carry "Dutch" civil-engineers livery in BR ownership. Preserved by Bury Valiant Group
Operational
|-
|align=center|D417
|align=center|50017
|align=center|50117
|Royal Oak
|frameless
|Network SouthEast (Original)
|Great Central Railway.
|Preserved & Operational. Previously Mainline Certified.
|-
|align=center|D419
|align=center|50019
|align=center|-
|Ramillies
|frameless
|BR Blue Large Logo
|Mid-Norfolk Railway
|Taken out of service for works in 2013.
|-
|align=center|D421
|align=center|50021
|align=center|-
|Rodney
|frameless
|BR Blue Large Logo
|Eastleigh
|Operational. Restoration completed 2023.
|-
|align=center|D426
|align=center|50026
|align=center|-
|Indomitable
|frameless
|Network SouthEast (Revised)
|Eastleigh
|Undergoing maintenance. Fitted with OTMR, TPWS and GSMR equipment for future mainline operation. Currently in the final stages of an engine overhaul.
|-
|align=center|D427
|align=center|50027
|align=center|-
|Lion
|frameless
|Network SouthEast (Revised)
|Mid Hants Railway
| Operational
|-
|align=center|D429
|align=center|50029
|align=center|-
|Renown
|frameless
|BR Blue Large Logo (Black Roof)
|Peak Rail
|Awaiting Restoration
|-
|align=center|D430
|align=center|50030
|align=center|-
|Repulse
|frameless
|BR Blue Large Logo
|Peak Rail
|Under Restoration
|-
|align=center|D431
|align=center|50031
|align=center|-
|Hood
|frameless
|Intercity Swallow
|Severn Valley Railway
|Stored out of service, awaiting repairs. Currently carries non-prototypical Intercity livery.
|-
|align=center|D433
|align=center|50033
|align=center|-
|Glorious
|50033 Kidderminster Depot 20 May 23|frameless
|BR Blue Large Logo
|Severn Valley Railway
|Previously at Swindon Steam Railway Museum and Tyseley Locomotive Works.
Operational.
|-
|align=center|D435
|align=center|50035
|align=center|50135
|Ark Royal
|frameless
|BR Blue
|Severn Valley Railway
|Operational.
|-
|align=center|D442
|align=center|50042
|align=center|-
|Triumph
|frameless
|BR Blue Large Logo (Black Roof)
|Bodmin & Wenford Railway
| Operational.
|-
|align=center|D444
|align=center|50044
|align=center|-
|Exeter
|frameless
|BR Blue
|Severn Valley Railway
|Operational. Mainline Certified.
|-
|align=center|D449
|align=center|50049
|align=center|50149
|Defiance
|frameless
||BR Blue Large Logo Hornby have since updated the Class 50 and have produced models of 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance in GBRF colours as part of their 2020 range.
Recently, Heljan have also made models of Class 50 in O gauge which includes 50007 Hercules as Sir Edward Elgar in GWR green, 50149 Defiance in BR Railfreight general sector triple grey, 50017 Valiant in BR Civil Engineers 'Dutch' grey and yellow and 50008 Thunderer in BR Laira Blue as well as unnamed and unnumbered 50s in BR Blue, and in the original and revised Network South East livery.
Dapol have also released a model of the Class 50 in British N gauge which include samples in BR Blue, BR large logo Blue and the original NSE livery.
Accurascale announced in November 2022 that they would be producing a newly tooled OO gauge Class 50 model, based on a 3D laser scan taken of locomotive 50017 at the Great Central Railway in 2019.
References
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Citations
Further reading
External links
- 50015 Bury Valiant Group – Information on D415/50015 based at the East Lancashire Railway
- The Fifty Fund – Supporters group for the locomotives owned and operated by The Class 50 Alliance Ltd. – Information on all class 50s and specific coverage of 50007 Hercules, 50031 Hood, 50035 Ark Royal, 50044 Exeter and 50049 Defiance all nominally based at the Severn Valley Railway
- Class 50 loco-by-loco photo gallery
- English Electric Archive – gallery dedicated to English Electric Type 4 Co-Co (British Rail Class 50) locomotives in preservation and their restoration
- 50042 – Information on 50042 Triumph based at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway