50007 to be repainted in Large Logo blue 40 years after GW150 transformation

THE CLASS 50 Alliance has announced main line stalwarts 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance are to be repainted in the summer, losing their GB Railfreight deep blue and orange colours in favour of the popular Large Logo blue livery.

The two Class 50s were repainted into GBRF livery in early 2019, with the pair used regularly on main line charters and also on spot hire for unit moves and other work on behalf of GBRF. The owning group has confirmed that the repaint is not the end of their association with the freight operator and it is hoped that the Class 50s will continue to be used by GBRF as and when required.

The locomotives – in particular, 50007 – have been undergoing extensive bodywork repairs at their Kidderminster base on the Severn Valley Railway in recent weeks by specialist fabrication contractor Ian Williams but will then have their GBRF orange and blue colours tidied up prior to operating a final main line charter. Their last main line trip in their present guise will be at the head of Pathfinder Railtours’ ‘The Mazey Day Cornishman’, which is due to run from the West Midlands to Penzance on June 29. The repaint of the two Class 50s is due to be carried out by Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works during the summer.

While 50049 has previously carried Large Logo blue during its time in preservation, it will be the first time that 50007 has been painted into the popular colour scheme for more than 40 years. Following refurbishment works at Doncaster Works, 50007 was outshopped in Large Logo blue in February 1983. However, just one year later, 50007 was chosen for a repaint into lined GWR green livery, when it controversially lost its Hercules name in favour of cast brass Sir Edward Elgar nameplates, along with brass BR arrows, cabside fleet numbers and Great Western Railway crests below its nameplates. The repainting of the locomotive in February 1984 was done in a similar style to that carried by 47484 Isambard Kingdom Brunel, 47500 Great Western, 47628 Sir Daniel Gooch, in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Great Western Railway in 1984. Former Laira area fleet manager Geoff Hudson previously confirmed that 50007 was specifically chosen to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of the composer after whom it was renamed, with the previous locomotive to be named Sir Edward Elgar being GWR ‘Castle’ steam locomotive 7005, which was numerically similar to that of the Class 50.

After 50007 was withdrawn by BR in March 1994, it was initially bought for preservation by the Class 40 Appeal and retained its GWR green colours throughout the time it was owned by them. The C40A then sold 50007 to Boden Rail Engineering Ltd in 2013 and was then repainted into BR blue livery and regained its Hercules nameplates as part of the works done by BREL to recertify the Class 50 for main line operation. It was subsequently sold to the Class 50 Alliance in November 2016.

The CFA also owns 50031 Hood, 50033 Glorious, 50035 Ark Royal and 50044 Exeter, with all its locomotives based at Kidderminster on the SVR.

Martin Loader 50007 Hercules departs from Oxford station on April 2, 1983, working 1V68, the 08.20 Liverpool Lime Street to London Paddington service, which it had worked from Birmingham New Street. The Class 50 is still looking reasonably clean, having only been released from Doncaster Works from its refurbishment a few weeks earlier. For 50007, it would only run in Large Logo blue for a year, being repainted into lined green livery and renamed Sir Edward Elgar in February 1984, a move which proved to be controversial with many Class 50 enthusiasts.