THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY NOTICE
BOARD
Rheilffordd Arfordir Gogledd Cymru Bwrdd
hysbyseb
This site is dedicated to all our regular contributors and
supporters, and especially the rail staff of North Wales.
Edition of 24 July 2004
'Hoover'
special
Highlight of 19 July was the appearance of a pair of Class 50 diesels
on the Coast line, seen heading west through Abergele in David Wood's
picture above. The story behind this event is that locomotives
needed to haul charter trains on the main line are now required to be
fitted with the TPWS (Train Protection and Warning System) safety
equipment. 50 031 Hood, owned by The Fifty
Fund, and 50 049 Defiance, owned by Project
Defiance, have recently been so
equipped, and it was decided to give the pair a 'TPWS proving run'
along the Coast. To add to the fun, it was requested by EWS that they
take the chance to collect locomotive 47 750 which had been
languishing at Llandudno Junction for some weeks after catching fire at
Colwyn Bay while working a Virgin service
The two locos worked together as 0T50 Crewe - Llandudno Junction, then
separated, with 50 049 running to Llandudno and back and then to Bangor
and Back, while 031 rested in the yard at The Junction. This was not,
we believe, the original plan - one loco was to go to Llandudno and the
other to Bangor. Does anyone have inside information?
The event was well-publicised in advance with its full timings by
various 'gen lists' and the ever-topical Railhead website,
resulting in a large turnout of railfan spectators, especially at
Llandudno Junction. It is very pleasing to hear, however, that everyone
behaved well and there was no friction between rail staff and
photographers. Let's follow the day with the pictures we've been kindly
sent by many contributors. Above, the two 50s arrive at Llandudno
Junction under Queen's Road Bridge. (Picture by Bill Rear)
Closely-observed passage through Platform 4 ... (Ian Bowland)
... under the road bridge ... (Lynn Roberts)
... and back into the yard (Ian Bowland)
Amid the foliage behind Platform 4 (Jim Murphy)
Another 'handsome beast' in attendance on the day: Jim Murphy
writes: 'Also spotted wandering up platform 1 at Llandudno Junction was
this gigantic shield bug. A fine specimen at around half an inch across
- as it was walking up the white platform edge you couldn't miss it!
Evidently a fan of English Electric...'
Dead 47 750 sits in its siding awaiting its journey to Valhalla
- or maybe Wigan CRDC (Lynn Roberts)
50 049 headed for Llandudno, pictured here at Deganwy by Bill Rear
...
... and at the buffers in Llandudno by John Wilkinson.
50 031 in the sidings at Llandudno Junction awaiting its brother's
return. (Rowan Crawshaw) A little information about Class 50:
Built in 1967-68 by English Electric (EE) at Vulcan Foundry, the class
was the last of a dynasty which can be said to have begun with the two
prototypes built for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in the
late 1940s. In many respects they are a larger version of the Class 37,
fitted with a 16-cylinder version of the 37's 12-cylinder EE diesel
engine. A prototype, numbered DP2, had been built by EE in 1962 and
tested successfully on the main line until its career was cut short by
a collision with a derailed freight train in 1967. DP2 used a
characteristically EE-style body design based on the 'Deltic' class,
and looked like an overgrown 37, but when the 50s were ordered the then
Chief Mechanical Engineer of British Rail insisted that there should
'nose' in front of the cab, so a flat-fronted version with a rather
sad-looking window layout was created. The
bogies are basically the same as the 37 and Deltic, however, and the
cab sides with their 'tumblehome' at the bottom distinguish the type
from other makers' flat-sided locos such as the 47.
Rowan Crawshaw's picture shows 50 049 running into the yard at
The Junction on its return from Bangor. The fifty locos of Class 50
were built originally to work West Coast Main Line trains between Crewe
and Scotland until that line was electrified: for a while these 2700
HP, 100 mph, machines were used in pairs on these trains to achieve the
necessary power over the gradients north of Lancaster. When that line
was electrified, most were transferred to the main lines out of London
Paddington to replace the Western Region's diesel-hydraulic locos which
were being withdrawn as non-standard, and at that time they gained
'warship' names. Later, largely displaced by HSTs on these routes, they
appeared on the Waterloo - Exeter line until Class 159 railcars took
over there. Quite a number of the original 50 have survived in
private ownership.
Once 049 was back at Llandudno Junction, came the manoeuvres to
sandwich the failed 47 between the two 50s...
...illustrated by these two pictures by John Wilkinson. The 50s
were painted in the original version of BR blue with small logo and
lettering when first built: later, they gained the excellent
'large logo' version which both these privately-owned machines now
carry.
Here's the cavalcade setting off for Warrington Arpley (Rowan
Crawshaw)
Warren Desmond was on hand to see the trio passing through
Chester station.
Hood , the name of 50 031, is a traditional British navy warship
name, serviced from the Hood family that spawned several great naval
leaders in the mid-1700s to early 1800s. Several ships carried the
name, but the best-known was the battle cruiser built in 1920 and
lost in action in 1941; only three men of the crew of 1418 survived.
The HMS Hood
Association
has a marvellous website for anyone interested in this subject. No
connection with the name The Hood carried by Virgin loco 57
312: this relates to a character in the Thunderbirds TV puppet
series...
And finally, a historical note. Tony Flusk writes: 'After the
interest which was shown by the arrival in North Wales of 50 031
& 50 049, I have found the above picture of the last visit of a
'50' to Llandudno town. This was on Saturday 10 March 1984, when 50
018 worked light engine from Birmingham to take over the Llandudno
- Blaenau Ffestiniog leg for 1T13 07:05 Coventry - Blaenau Ffestiniog
excursion. The stock was then shunt released at Blaenau by 40
047, both locos working in tandem back to Llandudno Junction, for
50 018 to return the train to Birmingham.
'The only other 50 which should have visited Llandudno Town after this
date was on Saturday 5 December 1992 when 50 033 & 50
050 worked a Euston - Blaenau Ffestiniog tour forward from Nuneaton
and should have reversed at Llandudno, but due to late running,
reversed at Llandudno Junction.'
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this page, everyone
involved in restoring working the two 50s, and of course all rail staff
of North Wales. For another report on the day's events, visit the Railhead
Class 50 Special. Oh, and why 'Hoover'? Well, it seems that the
sound of the Class 50's turbocharger resembles that of a vacuum cleaner!