2018 Severn Valley Railway Class 50 Golden Jubilee

To celebrate 50 years of their existence, a celebratory gala featuring almost all the currently operational Class 50s was held in October 2018 at the Severn Valley Railway. Attendees were: 50007 Hercules, 50008 Thunderer, 50015 Valiant, 50017 Royal Oak, 50026 Indomitable, 50031 Hood, 50035 Glorious, 50035 Ark Royal, 50044 Exeter, 50049 Defiance and 50050 Fearless. As a tribute to Class 50 history, locomotive 40106 also attended. Class 40s emerged from the Vulcan Foundry a decade earlier than the Class 50s, but in many ways could be considered their forerunners.

Unfortunately, locomotive 50026 suffered power-unit problems during testing prior to the gala and so was on static display. On a brighter note, having been abandoned and stored in an unserviceable condition at the Birmingham Railway Museum at Tyseley, locomotive 50033 was brought back to life for the first time in 14 years thanks an enormous effort by volunteers of The Class 50 Alliance Ltd. The graffiti on the sides of the locomotive were part of a fundraising exercise to pay for its repaint.

The locomotives provided turns from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth and Kidderminster to Bewdley.

For more pictures of these particular locomotives see the In Preservation group.

Dates: 2018-10-04 to 2018-10-06