class 50's in south wales

[Richard_A]

how common were these in south wales especially near swansea after their relocation from the midland region?

[jonny777]

how common were these in south wales especially near swansea after their relocation from the midland region?

 

If you mean late 70s, after the Westerns were withdrawn - I think the imprecise answer is not many at all.

 

However, during the mid 80's they appeared on long distance services for a while. The Glasgow to Swansea was a regular for some time, with electric locos giving way to 50s at BNS.

 

I think there was a Manchester to Swansea service which had them for a time as well. However there are far more knowledgeable folk than me here, who should be able to give you details.

[simon47603]

If you scroll through this chaps Flikr page. There are quite a few 50's West of Cardiff. He has also noted the trains they were working. They are all in Class by Class order, so you will have to spend a wonderful time look through this. Put the kettle on!

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/r_molyneux_gallery/sets/72157626261306873

[D854_Tiger]

My understanding was that after they moved from the LM, they could turn up on any of the top-link GWML express routes out of Paddington, until the HSTs arrived on the scene, a straight swap for the Westerns basically.

 

Back in the day, I travelled from Paddington to Newport behind one and that was on a Swansea express.

 

It was only when the HSTs were introduced that they were relegated to the Oxford line (including Worcester and Hereford) and later the Waterloo - Exeter route.

 

Mind you, there were only a couple of years when the class 50s reigned supreme (if indeed that was what they did) on the GW, between the Westerns being phased out and the HSTs, around the period 1974  - 1976.

 

But certainly, for that short period, they worked many of the more important (by then mk2 air conditioned) GW expresses, they kind of followed the Westerns around, at every stage helping in their demise, until they also headed for the great scrap yard in the sky.

[Downendian]

My understanding was that after they moved from the LM, they could turn up on any of the top-link GWML express routes out of Paddington, until the HSTs arrived on the scene, a straight swap for the Westerns basically.

 

Back in the day, I travelled from Paddington to Newport behind one and that was on a Swansea express.

 

.

I spotted in Bristol alongside the London - South Wales mainline from the arrival of the 50s from the LMR until 1979, and I can't recall once seeing a class 50 on a service to or from South Wales. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but very infrequent. Most services were firmly in the hands of Landore or Cardiff based 47/4s or 47/0s until the HST fleet took over. Class 50s from arrival took over the Temple Meads and West of England expresses, replacing the Westerns as you say.

Neil

[Richard_A]

thanks for the replies gentlemen

[griffgriff]

Believe there was a reasonably regular working out of Cardiff in the morning returning a loco after overnight wheel turning at Canton.

 

Griff

[ben racey]

Fairly common in the mid 00's for atw as well, on the Fishguard. A welcome, if brief, return to the old days.....!

 

Richard

[Rivercider]

My impression, from the late 1970s and early 1980s was, they were not very common west of Cardiff.

 

I thought they might more regularly have got to Swansea on parcels working, and Flickr shows several working

the 09.35 Swansea - Old Oak Comon vans in the late 1980s

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marktj/1428314165/in/photolist-aFjrCP-EwaWJU-DpgyTn-aFjzs8-aTNNC6-dASfp4-3bdu3i-3bhY9W-3bhYjw-aTNMxH-3bduQF-ekikSq-DwwRTM-Jqr1vj-JqqMn5 

 

 

They also regularly worked a Bristol - Weston - Cardiff - Paddington diagram in the early 1980s

50035 Eagle crosses the River Usk at Newport with a morning Cardiff - Paddington working, 7/5/85

 

 

cheers

 

[Richard_A]

I was hoping there was going to be a decent amount of haulage in the mid to late 70's as that's my favourite era. oh well.

 

but thanks for the replies and pictures people ☺

[Iankirby]

I was hoping there was going to be a decent amount of haulage in the mid to late 70's as that's my favourite era. oh well.

but thanks for the replies and pictures people ☺

I was a reasonably regular spotter at Cardiff during the 1970s and can't recall seeing a 50 in South Wales - it wasn't really until the 1980s that they began to appear.

[br2975]

I was a reasonably regular spotter at Cardiff during the 1970s and can't recall seeing a 50 in South Wales - it wasn't really until the 1980s that they began to appear.

 

Seconded !

[Mattydude88]

I lived in llanharan and saw the 1st class 50 regular working in october 1981 at the start of the winter timetable this being the Glasgow to Swansea service.

 

However the very first class 50 was 50033 back in 1978 working a rail tour I believe to carmarthen then back to paddington.

 

Some good sights were the bank holiday additional services which in 1982 saw two ecs workings to swansea one with 50024 pictured as it passes Pontyclun heading West followed by 50020.

 

I travelled to Bridgend to try and catch one of the return trains from Swansea to Paddington and to my surprise one additional relief service pulled inwith both locos at the front. A memorable trip then with 5,000 hp to cardiff!

 

Pictures attached in sequence are :-

 

50024 traveling west with ecs's to Swansea passing Llantrisant / Pontyclun

 

50024 & 50020 working Swansea to Paddington Bank Holiday relief

 

Leaving Bridgend

 

arriving at Cardiff platform 2

 

50007 pictured at Pontyclun working Saturdays on Paignton to Swansea service in 1983

 

50034 at Swansea on a relief to Paddington in August 1983

[brian daniels]

I saw 50034 on Canton on 24-03-78

[Richard_A]

thank you very much chaps. gives me a reason to keep mine

[The Johnster]

50s in South Wales were rare in normal service in the 70s, and to all intents and purposes unknown west of Cardiff (rail tours and back workings excluded), because there was no traction knowledge of them among Canton drivers.  One would work in occasionally from Bristol with a Bath Road crew, much as the D800 Warships had a few years before, but by and large they were kept for the Weston-Super-Mare/Bristol-Paddington trains, with Bath Road and Old Oak crews.  These used electrically heated air conditioned Mk 2 stock, which was also used on the South Wales trains but with Class 47/4.

 

In the late 80s, there was a Sunday morning Cardiff-Paddington via Gloucester train booked for a 50 with a Bath Road crew who worked the stock over as a stopper.  8 coaches of 100mph B4 fitted airbraked mk1 and earlier 2, and great fun as the last part of the run was usually making up time lost to the usual Sunday slacks and diversions.  I once timed it at 114 mph through Goring and Streatley, the fastest I have ever gone on a loco hauled train.

[TEDDYBEAR D9521]

_{A class 50 worked a Cardiff to Treherbert evening train back in 80's I can't remember the number}

[The Johnster]

They had occasional outings on the loco-hauled Rhymni trains in the 90s as well

[TEDDYBEAR D9521]

In the 80's when I worked at Newport they would turn up on the Down Newspapers and work the empties back to OOC latter in the day.

 

 

We use to get an Bristol East depot to AD Jct ballast job which always seem to have 50019 working it, another working was a L/E from Bath Road to Cardiff for the Southampton Parcels

 

which always was a 50. 

 

 

The morning Glasgow and Edinburgh was always nearly 2 50's which would come off at Birmingham New Street for West Country workings.