Class 50 Alliance acquires 50007 Hercules

[alexl92]

The Class 50 Alliance has released the following Press Statement:

Monday 7 November 2016
CLASS 50 ALLIANCE ACQUIRES 50007 HERCULES

The Class 50 Alliance (C50A) has completed the acquisition of diesel electric locomotive 50007 Hercules, from Neil Boden, for mainline contract work.

The locomotive, currently based at Washwood Heath, Birmingham, will soon join the C50A’s fleet and was selected due to its overall condition and suitability for future mainline work. Commenting on the purchase, Jonathan Dunster, Chairman of the C50A said: “We are delighted to add 50007 to our fleet and look forward to beginning our next chapter of mainline operation in the coming months”.

“The purchase has only been possible thanks to the tremendous generosity of Phil Swallow and a small number of our existing shareholders, who have kindly provided the finance necessary to secure 50007. The C50A has to repay this loan over the next two years, and we’re now embarking on a major fund raising campaign to encourage shareholders old and new to become part-owners in not only Hercules, but the rest of the fleet.
“We mustn’t underestimate the scale of the fund raising task ahead, and I urge anyone with an interest in Class 50s to consider making an investment, however large or small. Only with the support of our members, can we continue to keep the Class 50s in action, and secure the future of our fleet,” he added.

Before entering service, 50007 will undergo a thorough technical inspection and both its main and train heat generator will be overhauled.
The locomotive will then take up crew training with an as yet unnamed Train Operator, before beginning a period of contracted mainline work. However, it is also expected to be available for occasional use on the heritage railway circuit, and potentially also some railtours. Details of the mainline operations will be subject to a further announcement.

Jonathan Dunster added: “Hercules has been acquired primarily for mainline work, and this will help fund its ongoing maintenance, and significantly contribute to the upkeep of the rest of our locos and the turnover and profitability of the Alliance. Our 100 mph ETH fitted locomotives are useful assets suited to a range of duties, and we look forward to having 50007 available, alongside our other two mainline registered locos 50044 and 50049 in the months ahead. “We would like to thank Neil (Boden) and his team for their cooperation with the sale, and of course for their great work in returning this fine locomotive to the mainline in recent years.”

The locomotive is expected to play a key part in a programme of events currently under consideration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Class 50s, beginning next year.

Joe Burr, Chairman of the Fifty Fund, support group for the C50A fleet added: “We’re currently in discussions with a number of stakeholders about an exciting programme of events to mark 50 years since the introduction of this iconic class of locomotive. We want to put together a coordinated programme to celebrate 50 years of the 50s, and we expect it will involve a sensible number of mainline railtours, events at heritage railways and a number of interesting merchandising opportunities.

“A working group has been established and we will be contacting other locomotive owners shortly about getting involved. We expect to reveal more details early next year, for a programme spread out between October 2017 and November 2018 – the period marking the anniversaries of the introduction of the first locomotive D400, and our own D449 – the last express passenger diesel locomotive to be built in Britain.”

For those interested in participating in the programme of events to mark 50 years of the Class 50s, please contact [email protected]

Have you considered setting up a Standing Order with us? Even a few pounds a month is invaluable to us for the maintenance of our locomotives. Click here to download an SO form:
http://www.class50alliance.co.uk/SHAREstandingorde.pdf

To purchase shares outright, please click here:
http://www.class50alliance.co.uk/SHAREPURCHASE.pdf

Shares can also be purchased with Paypal, via our online shop:
http://sales.fiftyfund.org.uk/c50a_shares.htm

To view our prospectus, please click here:
http://www.class50alliance.co.uk/Current Prospectus.pdf

It'll be interesting to see what the Class 50 Alliance has lined up that Boden couldn't offer the loco. Good to know it's to go mainline and has a secured future though.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Presumably it is easier to spot hire a Class 50 when you can provide up to three - useful backup if one fails.

 

[Cowley]

That is interesting. Does Boden still own 50017 and 50050 though? I thought (although I may be wrong) that his locos don't seem to have been out and about so much recently.

 

[Ash Bridge]

GWR Cardiff-Taunton next year! perhaps not but it's a lovely thought from an enthusiasts point of view

 

[59CosG95]

GWR Cardiff-Taunton next year! perhaps not but it's a lovely thought from an enthusiasts point of view

Agreed, definitely have those over a pair of Skips!

 

[Cowley]

GWR Cardiff-Taunton next year! perhaps not but it's a lovely thought from an enthusiasts point of view

I didn't want to say it but yes please!

 

[Tim R-T-C]

A great way to fill up the train and stop the actual passengers getting a seat

Perhaps they should strategically deploy a 50 and coaches on the quietest services out of Paddington then use the pair HST on that working.

 

[Phil.]

A great way to fill up the train and stop the actual passengers getting a seat

Perhaps they should strategically deploy a 50 and coaches on the quietest services out of Paddington then use the pair HST on that working.

Would you re-phase that. I can't understand what you're trying to say.

 

[Ash Bridge]

A great way to fill up the train and stop the actual passengers getting a seat

Perhaps they should strategically deploy a 50 and coaches on the quietest services out of Paddington then use the pair HST on that working.

Ha Ha, I like your way of thinking, a little taster below if they decided to do so,

Dedicated to Cowley as it's definitely on his patch!

 

[Cowley]

Ha Ha, I like your way of thinking, I little taster below if they decided to do so,

Dedicated to Cowley as it's definitely on his patch!

Ah lovely. First one I saw looked like that, it was in Cornwall. It honked at us and made me cry!
I was 26 years old (. Only joking I was little)

 

[Ash Bridge]

Ah lovely. First one I saw looked like that, it was in Cornwall. It honked at us and made me cry!
I was 26 years old (. Only joking I was little)

Ha Ha, even I was relatively young when that picture was taken, recently arrived on the Western Region then (1975) note how well the LMR had looked after them, sorry to go off topic briefly but also note the non-aircon mk2 stock, the following Paddington bound service was hauled by class 52 D1046, it's train was a rake of mk2d aircon's, passengers must have suffered a hot and sticky journey up to London on that!

 

[Cowley]

5 and 1 of course being the Paddington platforms then. Oh for a time machine.

Thinking about it (I know, completely off topic), I've never seen a photo of a Western with aircon coaches.

 

[BestWestern]

Ah lovely. First one I saw looked like that, it was in Cornwall. It honked at us and made me cry!
I was 26 years old (. Only joking I was little)

I imagine a fair few bashers would still cry if honked at by a 50!

 

[59CosG95]

I imagine a fair few bashers would still cry if honked at by a 50!

I would...with happiness!

 

[snakeeyes]

would these be an alternative for Highland sleepers?

 

[AnthonyRail]

I imagine a fair few bashers would still cry if honked at by a 50!

I`d cry if I ever seen a 50 in Exeter St Davids

 

[ainsworth74]

Think I'm going to have to invest in the tissue business with all this crying!

 

[Harbon 1]

That is interesting. Does Boden still own 50017 and 50050 though? I thought (although I may be wrong) that his locos don't seem to have been out and about so much recently.

50 & 17 went to Derby on Friday, and all three had a trip out late last month as insurance for a Colas 47 test.

Out of interest, with them stating 7 will go mainline, isn't she already registered? It's only a few months since the tour to Swanage. Read it wrong, they're buying it because she's mainline registered

 

[D6975]

Ha Ha, even I was relatively young when that picture was taken, recently arrived on the Western Region then (1975) note how well the LMR had looked after them, sorry to go off topic briefly but also note the non-aircon mk2 stock, the following Paddington bound service was hauled by class 52 D1046, it's train was a rake of mk2d aircon's, passengers must have suffered a hot and sticky journey up to London on that!

A dodgy paint finish used to be the hallmark of a particularly reliable loco.
The reliable ones soon gained a reputation for being so and consequently saw a lot of work and didn't spend any time having minor repairs, preventing them being repainted. D1041 was a classic example, the most reliable Wezzie with maroon paint and bare metal showing through before they eventually patched it up.

 

[Ash Bridge]

A dodgy paint finish used to be the hallmark of a particularly reliable loco.
The reliable ones soon gained a reputation for being so and consequently saw a lot of work and didn't spend any time having minor repairs, preventing them being repainted. D1041 was a classic example, the most reliable Wezzie with maroon paint and bare metal showing through before they eventually patched it up.

That's an interesting point, I hadn't thought about it like that, then again I'm not certain it applied to many class 50s at that time in their life, before they went through that Doncaster Works major modification program.

 

[Cowley]

That's an interesting point, I hadn't thought about it like that, then again I'm not certain it applied to many class 50s at that time in their life, before they went through that Doncaster Works major modification program.

It is an interesting point. The 50s were pretty bad though before going through refurbishment by all accounts. I'm not sure if some were better than others though.
I remember reading somewhere that some of the Westerns put sterling performances in around the end of their days despite having very little maintenance.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

The 50's would habe performed a lot better ad it not been for the poor generator they were fitted with. Why they were never swapped out for a more reliable alternator on refurb is anyones guess

 

[Ash Bridge]

It is an interesting point. The 50s were pretty bad though before going through refurbishment by all accounts. I'm not sure if some were better than others though.
I remember reading somewhere that some of the Westerns put sterling performances in around the end of their days despite having very little maintenance.

I too recall reading this for the Westerns, on the day I photographed that 50 at Exeter SD (early Oct. 1975) a couple or so hours afterwards we awaited our return train back to Paddington hoping it would be a 52 rather than a 50, when 1049 Western Monarch rolled in we were "over the moon" bagging a table for 4 in the mk2a open second next to the loco, awesome run up to London leaving Exeter a few mins late and around 10 early at PAD, left everything for dead on the adjacent M5 around Cullompton etc. and this was from a locomotive with only a few months of mainline service left before final withdrawal.

The 50's would habe performed a lot better ad it not been for the poor generator they were fitted with. Why they were never swapped out for a more reliable alternator on refurb is anyones guess

A genuine question, but was the class 50 generator not similar to the one fitted in the class 40 then?

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Cant say for sure, but I doubt it as the power ratong of the loco is much higher. The engine however is a development which starts with with the LMS1000 and used in the 20, 31, 37, 40, 50, 56 and 58. Many of the internal parts are interchangeable as are bogies, traction motors etc. DP2 gave its engine to the pool of 50 spares but put a leg out and has now been scrapped and it is my understanding that there is a 50 with the engine sat on a 40 sump (thing someone corrected me on this forum and told me that didnt happen) as there is also a 50 with a CP1800 engine in it too. The bods on the class 50 facebook page will know better as many of the owning individuals and groups are on there.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Cant say for sure, but I doubt it as the power ratong of the loco is much higher. The engine however is a development which starts with with the LMS1000 and used in the 20, 31, 37, 40, 50, 56 and 58. Many of the internal parts are interchangeable as are bogies, traction motors etc. DP2 gave its engine to the pool of 50 spares but put a leg out and has now been scrapped and it is my understanding that there is a 50 with the engine sat on a 40 sump (thing someone corrected me on this forum and told me that didnt happen) as there is also a 50 with a CP1800 engine in it too. The bods on the class 50 facebook page will know better as many of the owning individuals and groups are on there.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Cowley]

I seem to remember 50016 Barham having DP2s engine for a while. DP2 seemed like a very good reliable machine until it was written off. It was also a simpler machine.
As far as 50s go it did seem like the generator on them was the thing that caused the most major failures in service back then, it's interesting to think what they could have been like had they been fitted with something along the lines of a class 56 alternator which was obviously available back then being that 56s were being built around the time of the 50 refurbishment plan.

 

[Ash Bridge]

I seem to remember 50016 Barham having DP2s engine for a while. DP2 seemed like a very good reliable machine until it was written off. It was also a simpler machine.
As far as 50s go it did seem like the generator on them was the thing that caused the most major failures in service back then, it's interesting to think what they could have been like had they been fitted with something along the lines of a class 56 alternator which was obviously available back then being that 56s were being built around the time of the 50 refurbishment plan.

Like you say about DP2 being a simpler machine it no doubt used mainly tried and tested conventional electrical systems as opposed to the class 50 which was bristling with untried and then state of the art solid state electronics, and was perhaps as much their Achilles Heel as the generator was, infact wasn't most of this replaced or simplified during the Doncaster refurbishment? looking at the driving controls after they came out of Doncaster it was obvious even to us laymen when seeing all the blanked of positions where instruments and switches were previously fitted that much simplification had must have taken place.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

The 37 refurbs were given alternators too

 

[Cowley]

The 37 refurbs were given alternators too

I was chatting to a guy that used to drive 37s recently and he said that refurbished ones with alternators were much more manageable than the original ones, which I found interesting. I said that I'd noticed on preserved railways with 37/0s that there was a sensation just below 25 mph when they seemed to (for want of a better expression) change up into a higher gear than felt comfortable for the locomotive. He said it was to do with field diverts being just below 25 mph and that you didn't get that with alternator fitted ones.
I unfortunately don't quite understand the technology, but I am trying

Basically he was saying that opening a 37/0 up was all or nothing I think, where as a refurbished 37 was more controllable.
I wonder how an alternator fitted class 50 would have behaved?

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Probably would have made the difference between becoming XC dedicated locos and NSE locos (which IC kept pinching!)