Profile of the Class 50s By J A M Vaughan Hard Cover 1983 140 black white photos
Profile of the Class 50s By J A M Vaughan Hard Cover 1983 140 black & white photos, Approx 96 pages.
When the introduction to the OPC companion volume, Power of the 50s was prepared during 1978 the entire Class 50 fleet of 50 locomotives had just been named and it was difficult to anticipate any major changes to the class by way of appearance, mechanical or electrical specification or in geographical location. Now, some four years later, there have been changes in every respect and some have been very significant indeed. As predicted in Power of the 50s, the class has become even more popular and a special supporters' club has been established. With the demise of the Class 55 'Deltics', the Class 50s or 'Hoovers' have become the fastest diesel locomotives on British Rail. Many of these locomotives' names have become household words as a result of the naval task force which was sent to the Falkland Islands. Names such as Invincible, Fearless, Conqueror and Superb have made the twinning of Royal Navy Warships with Class 50 'Warships' even more relevant.
Once the entire fleet of Class 50 locomotives had been allocated to the Western Region during 1976, the availability of the class fell to unacceptable levels. The Chief Mechanical & Electrical Engineer held discussions with his Development Engineer and professional staff at Derby and BREL in an effort to eradicate problems. This eventually resulted in No. 50006 being taken into Doncaster Works in September 1977. The locomotive stayed in the Works for over two years while the final refurbishment strategy was resolved. Refurbishment was a major task and radical changes were made to the air filtration system, brakes, slow speed control gear and the wiring. These changes were funded by the Regional budget which, above all else, has precluded the transfer of Class 50 locomotives to any other region. The Western Region intend to get a good return on their investment. To those who are not mechanically minded, the major changes were cosmetic and the new headlight fitment was probably the most significant change. One of the engine compartment side windows was replaced by a grille and an extractor unit with a small fan and chimney appeared on the roofline. The first 6 locomotives to be refurbished appeared in the normal blue and yellow livery but on 15th August 1980, there was a significant change when refurbished Class 50s appeared in the 'new' B R livery, as originally applied to one member of the Class 56 fleet. The new livery was very distinctive and was greeted with some excitement by the modern traction enthusiasts. By the end of 1982 all but ten of the Class 50s were in new livery.
While all members of the class remain on the Western Region, the pattern of services has changed during the past four years. The major change occurred during May 1980 when the class took over services on the Waterloo-Exeter line. The extra performance offered by the Class 50s revolutionized the timetable on the line and resulted in daily appearances on Southern Region lines. The diagrams required that six Class 50s be made available every day to handle the basically two hourly service. As IC125 High Speed Train sets gradually took over all West of England to London services, more Class 50s became surplus and these were employed in increasing numbers on the Paddington-Birmingham route. London Midland Region drivers at Saltley were trained on the class and appearances on the Banbury line became commonplace. In the glorious summer of 1980, there were simply not enough IC125 units to go round and the class made a welcome reappearance on the London-Bath and Bristol line. Appearances on the Gloucester and Worcester/Hereford lines increased until the start of the 1982/83 timetable when many locomotive hauled services were axed. The class was seen less frequently on the north-east to south-west line as IC125 units made their presence felt on this line from October 1981. Class 50s took over many of the stopping train services in Cornwall but otherwise the pattern of services remained unchanged. Between 1978 and 1982, Bristol Bath Road Depot lost their allocation of Class 50s but Old Oak Common substantially increased theirs as the old steam-heated rolling stock was phased out and the need for e.t.h. locomotives became paramount.
It is strange that the 'Hoover' nickname given to the class in their early days, presumably by some juvenile train spotters, has become accepted by even the more studious modern traction fans, especially as the refurbished Class 50s do not make the 'Hoover' sound. However, even the magazine of the Class 50 supporters' club is called The Hoover and it now seems unlikely that their official 'Warship Class' label will ever stick. The Class 50 locomotives are now 15 years old and over the years they have had their ups and downs in availability percentage terms, but as thoroughbreds they are entitled to be a little temperamental. There is no doubt that they can reach their maximum service speed of 100 m.p.h. (recently restricted to 95m.p.h.) with comparative ease and the sound of their 16 cylinder engines, as the exhaust is emitted from no less than four apertures in the roofline, is quite tremendous. Their descendancy from British Rail's first series production type 4s, the venerable Class 40s, can easily be traced and by reputation there is no doubt that the class deserves the support which it is presently enjoying. It has been a labour of love preparing this volume and I sincerely hope that the selection of photographs has done justice to these magnificent, if controversial, locomotives. My thanks go to all contributors and fellow photographers, and to my publishers who have again allowed considerable freedom in the choice of material and design.
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