Thirty Years of Class 50 Preservation – A Remarkable Story Jonathan Dunster
Chaiman of Class 50 Alliance Ltd It’s thirty years since The Fifty Fund purchased the first Class 50 to enter preservation no. 50 035 Ark Royal. The three decades that followed are, by any measure is a remarkable story.
Early Days
The Fifty Fund was formed by myself and Dave Keogh in October 1988 as it become clear the Class 50s were being phased out rapidly by British Rail. Fundraising was achieved by means of a simple share ownership scheme with shares priced at £25. By the summer of 1990 over £20,000 had been raised and we wrote to the BR Director of Supply requesting that we be included on notification of any tender for the sale of Class 50s. Frustrated by the lack of response, I eventually wrote to the Managing Director of Network South East, Chris Green to advise him of our intent and to request that he might consider disposal of some locomotives for preservation. Not long afterwards a tender list was issued offering locomotives 50008, 50019 and 50035 for sale. We submitted a bid for 50035 based on it being in better overall condition and in April 1991 we were advised our bid had been successful. 50035 was lying at Old Oak Common Depot and with an open weekend planned there in the August, we had the perfect opportunity for a handover ceremony and we were honoured when Chris Green agreed to officiate. Rather than be based on a heritage railway, we had initially agreed to base ourselves at St Leonard’s Railway Engineering so that the locomotive could be kept under cover.
One Becomes Three!
British Rail released more 50s for sale in the autumn of 1991. We examined all of those offered for sale and to some surprise found 50044 Exeter to be relatively intact and so we decided to submit a bid just above scrap value essentially to purchase it as a source of spare parts. At the same time, two of our shareholders came forward with the intention to purchase one of the complete locomotives at Laira, and place it in our care. After examination and following advice from Area Fleet Manager Plymouth, Geoff Hudson, a bid was submitted for 50031 Hood. Both bids were successful and as a result in just over three years of existence we had become owners of three locomotives.
Operations Begin
50031 was fully operational and after some minor attention in early 1992 it was offered to heritage railways for diesel events. The Severn Valley were
Great Western Star Summer 2021
50035 at Bewdley SVR 9th May 2021 (Jonathan Dunster)
keen for us to operate at their May Diesel Gala and in those days, as is the case today, their events were considered one of the highlights of the diesel preservation calendar. So thus, 50031 became the first 50 to haul a public passenger train in private ownership and although we didn’t realise at the time, another chapter was opening. Meanwhile at St. Leonards, work on returning 50035 to operational condition was well advanced. In August it was fired up for the first time, followed by 50044 in late November 1992.
Severn Valley Beckons
Over the winter of 1993, the Severn Valley Railway informed us they were willing to house both 50031 and 50044 permanently and they both arrived in May the following year. 50035 also moved to Kidderminster in September 1996, closing our five-year association with St Leonard’s depot. Having returned all three locomotives to operational condition and now based on arguably one of the best heritage railways in the country, you
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