TheEngineShed Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 2 hours ago, AY Mod said: @Rugd1022 - on your travels if you find the snap of the 50 on MGRs at Stafford do let us know. Have tried numerous times to find it again. It was northbound and I think it was Buildwas to Silverdale or Hem Heath empties. A 50 on an MGR at Stafford... https://flic.kr/p/2m5nhk4 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirwilliamfrs Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) 8 hours ago, TheEngineShed said: A 50 on an MGR at Stafford... https://flic.kr/p/2m5nhk4 There are photos of 50022 on MGR empties at Cannock Road, Wolverhampton, along with 408 at Cosford and 50031 at Ironbridge with MGRs on pages 67 & 68 of 'Life & Times Class 50' by Colin Marsden OPC 1991. Edited August 31, 2023 by sirwilliamfrs Addition Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 13 hours ago, AY Mod said: @Rugd1022 - on your travels if you find the snap of the 50 on MGRs at Stafford do let us know. Have tried numerous times to find it again. It was northbound and I think it was Buildwas to Silverdale or Hem Heath empties. Covkid beat me to it with the Bradford Barton examples, but I'm sure there may be one or two more in amongst the seven volumes entitled 'BR Diesels In Action, I'll dig mine out later and have a shuftie Andy. In one of the BBs there's a shot of a 50 doing a Sunday diversion loco swap at Bushbury Junction, something they did far more often than some would acknowledge. Somewhere down the list of railway cliches is '50s never worked south of Crewe in their early days' but this was definitely not the case, they worked in and out of New St on Sunday diversions via Walsall and the Cannock Chase line, right up to their transfer to the WR. I've mentioned elsewhere that my first 50 sighting was D404 on a southbound liner at Rugby one dark, freezing cold December night, I had it down as '73 but it was actually Christmas '71, a bit of context being that it was the same weekend my dad, uncle and I spotted Rod Stewart from the top deck of a bus in Kensington High Street, getting out of his white Lamborghini Miura S then us returning home in time to watch 'The Persuaders' on ITV. I've often wondered how D404 got back to Crewe, I guess I'll never know now! Sadly D404 is no longer with us, but Rod's Miura S survives and was recently restored by Lamborghini for its UK owner. Right, back to 50s... Photo by Phil Richards : 50 037 fresh as a daisy outside the Factory at Old Oak on 15th April 1982... Photo by David Malt : 50 019 at Reading c.1984... Early style shed sticker on 50 028... Photographer unknown : D403 at Polmadie sand jumpers... 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted August 31, 2023 Moderators Share Posted August 31, 2023 6 minutes ago, Rugd1022 said: I'll dig mine out later and have a shuftie Andy. Cheers Nidge. It was definitely online (not to say it wasn't nicked from a book); the one I'd got in mind was a B/W shot northbound held on what's now Platform 6 in the station. It's just to check which loco it was for modelling purposes to ensure the 'never happened' mob stay silent. 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Roy Langridge Posted August 31, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 31, 2023 5 minutes ago, AY Mod said: It's just to check which loco it was for modelling purposes to ensure the 'never happened' mob stay silent. When did facts ever stop anybody having a moan Andy? Roy 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Geep7 Posted August 31, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 31, 2023 I think my first encounter with a 50 would have been at Hayes in the mid-80's, when my father used to take me and let me stand on the platform edge (public side of the fencing in the car park). I then remember seeing them at Reading, still in LL or early NSE. They are one of my favourite locos, but are out of my modelling time period in my favourite livery (LL), so would love to go for an early-70's Western Region allocated one, but I don't think there are any in this first batch, unless Neptune is a pre-refurbished loco and I can remove the nameplates...... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 24 minutes ago, AY Mod said: Cheers Nidge. It was definitely online (not to say it wasn't nicked from a book); the one I'd got in mind was a B/W shot northbound held on what's now Platform 6 in the station. It's just to check which loco it was for modelling purposes to ensure the 'never happened' mob stay silent. Just had a look Andy and nothing around Stafford. Only five volumes in this series though not seven, I was getting mixed up with the equally good 'GW Steam In Action' volumes, of which there are definitely seven. I did find these 50 shots though which are rather nice... The hard back Bradford Bartons are an absolute treasure but so too are the smaller softbacks from other publishers which can be picked up fro a few quid, these are worth searching out... Another early memory... 10 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Roy Langridge Posted August 31, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 31, 2023 1 hour ago, Rugd1022 said: Just had a look Andy and nothing around Stafford. Only five volumes in this series though not seven, I was getting mixed up with the equally good 'GW Steam In Action' volumes, of which there are definitely seven. I did find these 50 shots though which are rather nice... At last a shot of my favourite 50, Implacable. It seemed to be the rarest to see, was my last for sight, and hence would make my day whenever I saw it. I would have loved to see that one preserved, but it was not to be. Roy 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flood Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) 21 hours ago, AY Mod said: @Rugd1022 - on your travels if you find the snap of the 50 on MGRs at Stafford do let us know. Have tried numerous times to find it again. It was northbound and I think it was Buildwas to Silverdale or Hem Heath empties. This one Andy? Copyright Stephen Dowle Quick guess I say no. 17 Edited August 31, 2023 by Flood 8 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted August 31, 2023 Moderators Share Posted August 31, 2023 15 minutes ago, Flood said: This one Andy? That's the one! Thank you Gra. My addled head was convinced it was B/W (and that it was pre-TOPS). Chucked to see @Rugd1022 has posted in the Flickr comments so we're as bad as each other. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium andythenorth Posted August 31, 2023 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 31, 2023 Was it this one? Such realism 😛 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 10 minutes ago, AY Mod said: That's the one! My addled head was convinced it was B/W (and that it was pre-TOPS). Chucked to see @Rugd1022 has posted in the Flickr comments so we're as bad as each other. I’d forgotten all about that Andy, typical! Mr. Dowle did an excellent book on Westerns a few years ago, I thoroughly recommend it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magna Junction Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 How about this gem of an ex Donny works Thunderer making its way back to the western region on a mgr working. https://www.flickr.com/photos/150229284@N02/25968474127/in/photolist-FyKdCx 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Covkid Posted August 31, 2023 Share Posted August 31, 2023 (edited) 13 hours ago, AY Mod said: That's the one! Thank you Gra. My addled head was convinced it was B/W (and that it was pre-TOPS). Chucked to see @Rugd1022 has posted in the Flickr comments so we're as bad as each other. I am with you Andy. In my minds eye I am seeing a b/w image of a 50 -5003x or D43x just a little bit further towards the junction, heading north off the Grand Junction. I really don't believe the 50s were as rare as the caption hinted in the Bradford Barton book. If you consider the 50s were air brake type 4s fitted with slow speed control. they must surely have been quite tempting for power controller to use, provided qualified drivers could be sourced. I was there decades later when working for Trainload Coal 1992-1994. We used the the BRT class 20s and several refurb class 37s, some of which had SSC, The period in question was before 56s, 58s and before probably over 100 class 20s got SSC in the 1980s-1990s. . Edited September 1, 2023 by Covkid typo 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D826 Posted September 1, 2023 Share Posted September 1, 2023 (edited) Rugd1022 two of those images above have made me very happy and nostalgic. I was almost a resident of the footbridge outside Kennaway tunnel in the 70s/early 80s. I loved that LQ signal with its sighting board. There was something magical about seeing the signal wires tremble and 'zing' almost imperceptibly and then the signal bouncing to off. Also love the 50 on the up milk. I was dismayed when, in 1980, and after the eradication of my beloved Westerns, the Milk disappeared. Always sounded fast and heavy the up milk - loco working hard. I also bemoaned the loss of Lairas last 25s, or Sulzers as my Dad called them. Characterful little locos. I love the pictures posted by yourself and others of the 70s/80s, but particularly the 70s. I'll raise a glass of beer to you tonight ! Cheers Matt Wood Edited September 1, 2023 by D826 2 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flood Posted September 1, 2023 Share Posted September 1, 2023 12 hours ago, AY Mod said: That's the one! Thank you Gra. My addled head was convinced it was B/W (and that it was pre-TOPS). Chucked to see @Rugd1022 has posted in the Flickr comments so we're as bad as each other. A pedantic note of warning Andy. If you want to model this then the 50s would have had their filter covers near the No.2 end exhausts ports added. Accurascale are going to make this version (probably with a centre logo) but the current model available for pre-order is a pre-TOPS one without the covers so they would need to be added. That's if you're as picky as me! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted September 1, 2023 Moderators Share Posted September 1, 2023 8 minutes ago, Flood said: That's if you're as picky as me! Better look more closely at Neptune. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BR Blue Posted September 1, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 1, 2023 8 minutes ago, AY Mod said: Better look more closely at Neptune. and watch out for the misaligned front handrail on the No. 2 end depending on when you are modelling. 😀 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flood Posted September 1, 2023 Share Posted September 1, 2023 1 hour ago, AY Mod said: Better look more closely at Neptune. #pedant mode Neptune is a refurb (but with the cab sandboxes still in place which is correct for the first year or so). #non-pedant mode 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 (edited) Photo by Eddie Holden : 50 006 and 50 024 passing at Totnes on 23rd February 1980... Photo by Pete 'Loose-Grip-99' on flickr : 50 002 at Padd on 1st August 1976... Photo by Stephen Hattersley : 50 044 at Brum New St in 1975... Mt photo of '44 at Doncaster in 1982, waiting to go into the works for collision damage repairs (other end)... Edited September 2, 2023 by Rugd1022 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
50025 Posted September 2, 2023 Share Posted September 2, 2023 I used to love seeing Class 50s on the Paddington to Birmingham New Street service. Living in Solihull, it was unusual to get a train into New Street as neatly all headed to Moor Street. I remember on Thursday nights catching the 1953 from Olton station into New Street. For some reason it was usually 50042. Happy times. 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 'Dreadnought' at St.Austell in March 1983... '011 at Plymouth in July 1974... '012, '035 and '043 at Plymouth, photo by Kevin Smith... 'Agincourt' at a very damp Par in 1982, this is how I remember many of my Cornish 50 bashing trips, wet, noisy and wonderful... 'Superb' and 'Ramillies' at Penzance, probably 1984, not long after the semaphores had been replaced... 'Lion' and 'Courageous' at St.Austell on 3rd June 1981... '029 at Newton Abbot c.1977... '044 at Lostwithiel on 24th July 1974, check out the jaded WR chocolate and cream paintwork platform buildings... Not a happy picture but still a fond memory in a way - my brother and I had 50 046 from Padd to Plymouth on a damp and dismal day in 1991 and I grabbed a hasty shot as we passed Laira, with 50 010 and 50 047 identifiable on the dump roads... 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 37 minutes ago, Rugd1022 said: 'Dreadnought' at St.Austell in March 1983... Does that straight line between the marker lights and under the headlight indicate the loco had been used for some sort of test? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 47 minutes ago, woodenhead said: Does that straight line between the marker lights and under the headlight indicate the loco had been used for some sort of test? I think it's just meant to be a number 1, probably put there by a 50 basher. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted September 3, 2023 Share Posted September 3, 2023 'Hercules' at Bristol TM on 27th March 1981... 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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