Class 50

• Not much detail available for this shot of 50015 passing East Usk (Newport) with westbound tanks. It dates from the mid-1980s and all I can remember is that the loco returned east within 15-20 mins and therefore couldn't have taken the train any further than Alexandra Dock Jct. I also vaguely recall there being a strike earlier in the week (possibly including the previous day), which may have contributed to this unusual working.
• 50018 trundles the 9M01 Gloucester - Bescot departmental service through Great Bridge at 10:35 on Tuesday 12th July 1988. This rather wonderful train, together with the 9V01 return working, was booked a Class 50 for a couple of years in the late 1980s. Its main failing was that it only ran on Tuesdays, significantly reducing the chances of photographing it in good light. On this occasion I got lucky, although even here the scene isn't totally sunlit.
• 50030 accelerates through Northfield at 11:13 on Saturday 1st October 1988. I believe this was the late-running Rose Grove - Paignton train running on what must have been the last Saturday of the summer timetable. After this shot I stayed at Northfield to photograph 31449+31420 on the 10:10 Manchester - Paignton which passed at 12:24. Then I went to Selly Oak for 31437 towing failed Norwich DMU set 59 on a New St - East Anglia working at 14:05, followed by 50003 on the 08:50 Glasgow - Paignton at 14:12.
• 50031 and 50049 approach Droitwich with a 1Z27 Swindon -Inverness charter on Friday 16th June 2006. I have no idea which loco is which because they were masquerading as 50028 and 50012, on one side at least. The train was running five minutes late, probably delayed by the preceding unit, and the picture was taken at 09:07. This caused me some minor angst because a swathe of thin high cloud was about to spoil what had been a cloudless morning. Fortunately the train beat the cloud, and the light was perfect. Pete Tandy's shot of this train was taken from Droitwich station, a couple of hundred yards behind me.
• 50032 rushes through Bescot with 5V96 Oxley - New St at 13:50 on Saturday 4th March 1989. This ECS formed 1V96 14:41 New St - Paddington. Class 50s were never common at Bescot but around this period there were booked workings on Tuesday and Saturday. The Tuesday train was the 9M01/9V01 departmental service (see above), and 5V96 was the Saturday train.
• Another shot lacking proper caption info. This is 50034 arriving at Birmingham International on what I presume was 1V96 (see previous shot). It dates from the late 1980s.
• 50036 stands at Birmingham International with a Paddington-bound train, probably 1V96 again. This shot was taken in Autumn 1989.
• 50042 climbs towards Dudley with 9V01 Bescot - Gloucester at 13:20 on Tuesday 21st February 1989. Digging out the caption info for this shot I was surprised to find that it was taken in February, the light looks more like late March or April and the shadows aren't that long. But February it was, and a very nice day as well by the look of it. This was the same day as the shot of 37718 on 6V43. Between that shot and this one I'd been chasing 37241 (still in BR blue) on 6E29 Brierley Hill - Scunthorpe. Happy days.
  
  Here's a monochrome shot of 50025 on 9V01. It isn't up to much technically, but the consist of the train rather makes up for it.
• 50049 was the diesel being used at the Severn Valley Railway on Saturday 25th August 2007. It's seen here a mile or so east of Bewdley with the 14:50 to Kidderminster. The area immediately behind the train is the Safari Park.