100 tours with the Class 50 Alliance

On September 16, Class 50 Alliance locomotives powered their 100th tour on the main line. C50A chairman Tony Middleton tells Richard Clinnick how this milestone was achieved.

More than 25 years after the first preserved Class 50 returned to the main line, the Class 50 Alliance and Fifty Fund achieved a significant milestone on September 16, when two of their locomotives powered what was the 100th charter for their fleet.

Since No. 50031 Hood hauled Past-Time Rail’s ‘The Pilgrim Hoover’ between Birmingham International and Plymouth on November 1, 1997, No. 50049Defiance, No. 50044 Exeter andNo. 50007 Hercules have followed it. Not just on railtours, these locomotives have also hauled passenger trains for train operating companies (apart from Hercules) and have also been used by GBRf for its rail services business in recent times (Nos. 50007/049). This is a testament to the efforts of a small group of volunteers based at the Severn Valley Railway, now led by chairman Tony Middleton, who keep these popular locomotives on the main line. The C50A is supported by The Fifty Fund and its shareholders, led by chairman Joe Burr. The Fund assists through various  tremendous fundraising activities to keep the six locomotives operational.

Speaking to Rail Express on October 17, Tony, who is a driver for GB Railfreight, explains: “when we go out on the main line with a charter there are technical riders and we must always obey the various industry rules too, so for the Edinburgh trip on September 16,there were eight technical riders.” They may be C50A volunteers based at Kidderminster, but they all have Personal Track Safety (PTS) certificates enabling them to be on the railway and on the locomotives when they are hauling trains. “These guys are predominantly on the tours; back at Kidderminster there is a core of 20 people and they are the backbone of what we do.”

The C50A is a business. People don’t always see it as that, he says, but this is how the locomotives operate. “The Fifty Fund is from when the group was first set up and it had every man and his dog in that. I wasn’t there initially – I joined later. At the time I was a secondman at Old Oak Common and the ‘50s’ were still in service, but I knew ‘Gus’ Dunster and David Keogh and got involved that way.”

As the fleet grew in numbers, with No. 50035 Ark Royal joined by Nos. 50031 Hood and 50044 Exeter, the number of volunteers began to shrink, yet the ambitions grew.

The first ‘50’ to return to the main line was No. 50031 Hood. He explains that the locomotive had just been turned off. “There was not a lot wrong with it other than it had been stored,” he says. “Geoff Hudson and Malcolm Wishart at Laira made sure it was not stripped.” As has been the way ever since, it’s relationships like that with other railway people which have proven instrumental in enabling the Fifty Fund and, later, the C50A, to be able to achieve what it has.

There was already thinking in terms of what could the Fund do with its locomotives. When the ‘50s’ were first saved there were no preserved diesels operating on the main line, but that restriction was lifted, with No. D172 Ixion hauling its first charter in 1994, followed by D9000 Royal Scots Grey. “We began thinking about putting a ‘50’ back on the main line when we saw these,” said Tony.

His experience as a driver was key to the confidence in Hood’s successful return more than 26 years ago, and only just over three years after British Rail withdrew the last Class 50s from the main line. “The other locomotives had had test runs on the main line, but that charter WAS our test run. In the run-up to that train, people were concerned, but I knew No. 50031 would be okay. I had that knowledge. I didn’t drive it on November 1, 1997, but I had driven it on the main line before it was withdrawn as it was an Old Oak Common locomotive and of course I had driven it on the Severn Valley. It was a good locomotive and when you’re driving something you know if it’s right and Hood was right.”

Such is the way of preserved main line locomotives on the main line and the pitfalls that owning groups face, Hood was not meant to have been the first returnee. That honour was due to fall to No. 50044 Exeter. Even returning Exeter to the main line was a change from the original plans for that locomotive which had initially been bought as a source of spares. The ‘50’ had been stored at Stratford Works, where it had been moved with classmates, for component recovery, with various parts (Mk.3 cylinder heads) required for refurbished Class 37s that were undergoing an overhaul at the time. Famously purchased for £5044, the ‘50’ was due to continue providing spares, only this time for its classmates, but after further inspection it was determined that its condition was such that it could be restored.

And so, eventually, it was due to be the first to return to the main line. It didn’t go on the main line as planned because its generator wasn’t ready says Tony. “Dirt had accumulated which meant that resistance to earth became harder. The minimum resistance is 1MB and anything less than that is a risk, but we found that when it was warm it was 1MB, but in the winter it was less.” The decision was made to send it to Brush Traction at Loughborough for repairs, which came at a cost to the group, and so No. 50031 replaced it. Eventually, Exeter returned to the main line hauling passenger trains on the Welsh Valleys for the Valley Lines TOC.

Class 50 Alliance Main Line Trips

Sending ‘50s’ away for major maintenance is not something that is required these days, thus saving costs and therefore allowing money to be reinvested into the locomotives. Tony explains: “We can do everything at the Severn Valley Railway. We have to send the electrical generators to Bowes and I have used them for decades, but there is not a lot we cannot do.

“Some of it, I think should we pay to have that work done? Would it be wiser to have that work done by a contractor? None of us are paid to do what we do and anything that we earn as the Alliance is put back into the locomotives.”

He delves a little into the costs of keeping the ‘50s’ going. “We’ve got a bogie overhaul programme planned. Do we pay someone to do that? It’s £100,000 per locomotive and that excludes the traction motors and wheelsets. Nos. 50031 and 50035 need this work, and those two, withNo. 50033 Glorious could all do withnew tyres. Due to its current state,No. 50035 is unable to visit other railways but we want its tyres done. It can do a one-way journey for that work, but we don’t want it hauled to an event until everything is done, and we need to look at what we can do with it.

“It’s still £1000 per tyre. We have 12 tyres, but do we look at the cost of getting the wheels out, or do we do that work ourselves? We can do the bogie work at Kidderminster, but is it wise? You have to be realistic. We have six locomotives with four available currently for traffic. That’s not bad.”

With various costs mounting up, the number of volunteers declining and the commitments of other volunteers meaning that they cannot perhaps put the time in required, could one of the six locomotives be withdrawn? “It’s a possibility, if I’m honest,” Tony admits. “The difficult part is the future. We’ve got a volunteer liaison officer, but the problem is people will show up, but they have no experience.

“This is an issue we are looking at by building a strategy and firm structure designed to encourage and support volunteers with the necessary knowledge to help us sustain the locos for the foreseeable future.”

He highlights that one of the newer members of the team is a Great Western Railway apprentice. “There are lots of young people out there, but we cannot get them to commit and that is a concern going forward. A lot of the problem is the distance. It’s a big commitment to come to Kidderminster to volunteer.”

What the C50A has done now is to create a system whereby anyone who applies to volunteer receives a form asking why they want to join, what their skills are and how much time they can give. Tony also says that younger people with an interest in engineering will likely benefit from learning by working on older locomotives with technology dating from the 1960s as this will provide them with experience that they can use in the careers.

Currently the C50A has three main line-certified locomotives, Nos. 50007 Hercules, 50044 Exeter and 50049 Defiance. Of these, Nos. 50007/049 have been busy with GBRf in recent months and years and this means they do few, if any, runs on the SVR. This is because they need to be maintained to main line standards which includes recording TOPS hours. Running on the SVR adds to hours, even if they are not recorded, and so exams are needed.

Recently Defiance undertook a test run on the railway, and they have both stood in for unavailable traction when needed. Both are currently at the SVR for the autumn as Tony wants to preserve their wheelsets during a period that can be detrimental due to the leaf fall. “We pay for everything. If they need brake blocks then we have to pay and that’s £1500.

“The SVR pays us well for their use and we plod along with that. But the main line work needs to be separated from everything else we do because of the various safety systems fitted and we have to be cautious with the locomotives.”

Regarding the 100 tours, he says that No. 50049 Defiance has covered the most main line miles. He says that No. 50044 Exeter has been out four times by itself on charters, No. 50007 Hercules six times, No. 50031 Hood 15 times and Defiance leads the way on 16. As for operating in multiple, it’s nine trips for Exeter, 27 for Hercules, 52 for Hood and 75 for Defiance.

Rail Express asks if any of the other members of the fleet could return to the main line. “Gus would love No. 50035 on the main line. It’s next for wheelsets and the plan is that No. 50031’s bogies will go under Ark Royal, so that could happen one day.”

The current main line pair are back at Kidderminster with the C50A volunteers undertaking various jobs ahead of their next booked work, which is a London Euston-Manchester Piccadilly (and short circular tour) on December 9. Pre-heaters are being fitted while other small tasks are being carried out to ensure that the ‘50s’ are ready for that charter. But as Tony points out earlier, those tasks are only possible by having enough volunteers and if there aren’t enough available, then not as much can be done. The locomotives also need to be prepared ahead of the 2024 bookings, which remains up in the air for Tony and the team. “I know the tours that are planned for the ‘50s’, but I don’t know what other requirements there may be.”

Class 50 Alliance Fleet

With all that said and done, what are his favourite memories from the various trips the locomotives have done? “My favourite was No. 50031 to Fort William. I have quite a few favourites to be fair, but taking them to Scotland is always enjoyable. Cornwall is nice, but Scotland is something else.

“From 100 tours it’s hard to say that ‘this was the best day’ or ‘that was the best ever’ but taking ‘031 to Fort William…wow. If people had saidNo. 50031 wasn’t loud, they needed to hear that. It still makes me go funny talking about it now! I know people say steam engines are alive, but I got that that day – that locomotive was alive!

“Another was No. 50007 to Stranraer. I was in the back cab, it had load 13 and No. 50049 dead on the rear… wow. We were watching it, the engine was hammering away and as the technical riders we’re thinking: “wow, this is impressive”, but they were built to do that. It was doing what it was built to do. People forget that. But, on its own it’s a risk and it’s not something we’ll do often.”

He says that the December 9 tour, which is booked for load 13, will be top-and-tailed, and Tony has requested that a second driver is available should the need arise. While it’s all well and good making the ‘50s’ loud and entertaining it cannot be to the detriment of their condition, and a failure will be expensive and that will fall to the C50A to fund the repairs and, likely, undertake the work. It would also cause lost revenue, which is another major factor to consider.

Tony also explains that there was a lot of pressure around the 100th tour, which saw the ‘50s’ haul a Pathfinder Tours charter from Swindon to Edinburgh Waverley, running north via their former stomping ground on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). “We were having issues with the locomotives [prior to the tour] and that was stressful. That was a load of pressure but that was also testament to everyone involved who got them to Edinburgh. They are there because these locomotives are their passion.”

But why do it? Why put that added pressure on yourself? “I love it. I have been in the back cab with ‘Gus’ for so long on these trains and the passion remains.

“I get paid to drive them – it’s the best job in the world. I maintain them and I drive them on the Valley as well as on the main line. But when I’m driving them on the main line, I’m a different person. I know these locomotives inside out but I am concentrating all the time on them. If there is a fault, the first name as a point of contact is also me!

“There is a lot of pressure with that position and people don’t see that. We have to make decisions and we do turn down commercial work because of the added stress that that could bring. I have a job to drive trains and anything else cannot interfere with that!”

As for the future, the ‘50s’ have been pretty much everywhere, so what ambitions does Tony, and the Alliance have? “We’d like to go to Aberdeen and across to Inverness and I’d like to go to Oban too but that would have to be early in the morning.

“Long-term, No. 50044 is a pain in the rear end at times but it’s my favourite now after No. 50028 Tiger. As a lad I watched it come into Coventry in ex-works blue and it had just been named and it was one of my favourites after that, and we want to get that back on the main line.

“Hood is the stalwart of the group. That set the precedent for the main line running and it won’t take a lot to get running again.

“My aim is to have all six running. Other owners have approached us to do main line tours with them, and we will look at these on an individual basis.

“There are fantastic preservation groups out there who have done brilliant work, but nobody has done what we’ve done.”