A Remarkable Story Jonathan Dunster The 2874 Restoration Journey So Far (restoring ex GWR 28xx no 2874)

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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50033 engine removal at Kidderminster TMD 12th June 2021 (Phil Seymour)

50007 leaving Kidderminster SVR for London Victoria on June 5th with the prestigious Bellmond British Pullman (photo by the late Ian Murray)

may be forgiven for thinking well that’s it, job done? Well, we certainly imagined so at the time, but as we soon discovered there was another chapter about to begin, on the main line!

The privatisation of British Rail in 1994 had removed the barriers previously cited for preventing preserved diesels operating on the national network. General Manager of the SVR at the time, Alun Rees, was a very keen supporter of main line steam operation and many of the railway’s steam fleet were regularly seen operating on the main line. Alun suggested to me that we might consider operating

(Above, left) 50033 empty engine room 19th June 2021 (Jonathan Dunster) and (Above, right) 50044 on the lifting jacks Kidderminster TMD February 2020 (Jonathan Dunster)

the 50s alongside the SVR’s steam fleet on the main line. We initially selected 50044 as our candidate, quite a ‘rags to riches’ candidate given we originally only purchased it for spare parts. However, when we tested the main generator insulation readings, these were below the minimum acceptable levels and therefore our attention turned back to 50031 - Hood was going to be the history maker.

Controversially at the time, when 50031 was examined by the Vehicle Acceptance Body team in the Spring of 1997, they determined no overhaul work was necessary and neither were any test runs. This was purely based on the condition of the locomotive, the records that we had kept concerning all the work undertaken on it in our ownership, and the fact it was in regular use on the SVR.

So with the required certification achieved, Past Time Rail Tours, agreed to promote the first train. ‘The Pilgrim Hoover’ ran on 1st November 1997 and would feature 50031 operating from Birmingham International to Plymouth and return, not a route for the fain-hearted taking in the famous Devon Banks and of course the Lickey incline on the return leg. 50031 met the task superbly and mainline Class 50 operation had returned only three and half years after the ‘final’ BR run with 50007 and 50050 on 26th March 1994.

So, what next? Given the main generator insulation issues discovered with 50044 we began to look at options to have this item overhauled. During this period our relationship with the team from ‘Project Defiance’, owners of 50049 based on the West Somerset Railway, was growing closer with frequent exchanges of technical information and materials between the groups.

Service trains return

One thing we learned almost immediately once 50031 was back in main line condition was the unpredictability of the newly privatised railway and you never knew when or where the next opportunity might come from. By this time Cardiff Railway Company, managed by the charismatic and highly regarded Tom Clift, had reintroduced loco hauled commuter services on the Rhymney Valley line. . After a failure of the regular locomotive, Tom urgently needed a replacement – enter 50031. In a remarkable move, June 1998 saw timetabled Class 50 service trains return in South Wales and these continued for six months bringing in considerable revenue that enabled us to fund the overhaul 50044’s main generator.

On the rail tour front, 50031 made a triumphant return to the Paddington – Penzance route in July 1998 and then went on to star alongside 50015, 50017 and 50044 at the ’50 event’ held at the West Somerset Railway in September.

Heavy engineering and the need for professionalism

With 50031 earning reasonable revenue throughout 1998 we considered options for the main generator overhaul needed by 50044. Ironically for an English Electric built locomotive it

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