Exeter back on the main line

AFTER a gap of more than nine years, the Class 50 Alliance’s No. 50044 Exeter returned to main line use on September 5, when it was used on the Preston to Bescot leg of GB Railfreight’s ‘This Time it’s Personal’ four-day charity railtour, sandwiched between Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance.

No. 50044 last saw main line use in July 2012, when, while working a GBRf staff charter, it suffered a major power unit failure, putting it out of service for several years. A replacement power unit was obtained from one of the now-scrapped Portuguese Class 50s (No. 1807), and following modifications, was fitted to the loco, and it began operating at the Severn Valley Railway in 2019.

Although stopped for several years, No. 50044 has remained main line certified throughout that period. Following the outing on September 5, there are a number of areas which the Class 50 Alliance wishes to attend to before No. 50044 ventures onto Network Rail metals again, so it is expected that the tours booked for Class 50s in December will be worked by Nos. 50007/49.

■ Another of the Class 50 Alliance’s fleet, No. 50035 Ark Royal, has been fitted with a pre-heater. This will reduce engine wear as well as

less smoke/emissions on start-up. Sensors have been fitted to enable the effectiveness to be assessed, and it is hoped to fit pre-heaters to the rest of the fleet in due course.

Jack Taylor BR blue No. 50044 is sandwiched in between GBRf’s Nos. 50049 (leading) and 50007, as they power past Moss Pit, just to the south of Stafford, on the 1Z34 Preston to Bescot Up & Down Goods as part of the ‘This Time it’s Personal’ railtour on September 5.