When 50041 Bulwark slid on its side into Paddington on 23 November 1983 after derailing with the 21:35 Penzance to Paddington sleeper train, I thought I was going to be thwarted in my attempt to photograph every Class 50, as at that time it was one of the few I had yet to photograph. Feeling sure that it would be scrapped, I was pleasantly surprised when repairs were authorised and then on 12 September 1985 I finally managed to get a picture of it. The mist is just lifting as it approaches Appleford Crossing with the 1F12 08:10 Paddington to Oxford service.

With the early morning fog still obliterating the background, and a very week sun struggling to come out, 50041 Bulwark passes Fairwood Junction on 11 March 1986 with the 3A27 06:25 Plymouth to Paddington empty vans. It is taking the Westbury avoiding line, one of the many 'cut off' routes added by the GWR in the early nineteenth century.

Class 50s were never particularly common in Wales, but during 1987 the 3A12 Milford to Paddington empty vans was booked for the class, and on 15 August 1987, 50042 Triumph is seen rounding the curve at Duffryn with this working. At the time it was just one more bit of variety in what was a varied and busy freight scene, sadly now virtually all gone.

50042 Triumph whilst allocated to the DCWA engineer's pool between 1988 and its withdrawal in 1990 performed numerous duties such as this. It is pictured heading east from Didcot and approaching South Moreton on 24 October 1989 with the 11:50 Bristol to Old Oak Common, comprising HST power car 43140 and a barrier vehicle. Presumably this would have been switched to the relief line at some point.

A totally unrepeatable sight. On 6 July 1990, DCWA allocated 50042 Triumph moves slowly out of the permanent way yard at Ashton Gate and heads for Bristol East Depot with the Severn Tunnel inspection train. All track in this yard has now been lifted, although the barely visible track through the old station on the left has been re-laid and now serves the new freight terminal at Portbury Dock. 50042 was one of the handful of departmental allocated Class 50s that spent 1989 & 1990 pottering around on workings such as this. Note the Clifton Suspension Bridge partly visible through the trees in the background.

50043 Eagle arrives at Charlbury on 27 March 1982 with the 15:00 Paddington to Hereford service. The one unchanging part of this picture is the Brunel designed grade 2 listed station building. The last unrefurbished Class 50 was called to Doncaster for rebuilding the following year and it is only in recent years that Cotswold Line passengers have enjoyed more luxurious accommodation than the Mk 2 coaches pictured here, with the mass introduction of HSTs on the route after years of being a predominantly DMU worked line. It is also doubtful that with the possible exception of the Volvo that any of the cars in the station car park are still on the road!

50043 Eagle passes Potbridge (between Woking and Basingstoke) with the 1L13 14:15 Waterloo to Salisbury Network SouthEast service on 16 March 1990. With 50s working both the Salisbury and Exeter trains (along with a few Class 33s), a few freights and an endless procession of slam door EMUs, this used to be a an excellent location for a day's photography.

50043 Eagle pulls away from Moreton-in-Marsh station on 2 July 1986 with the 1B56 18:07 Paddington to Hereford 'Cathedrals Express'. Very unusually for the time, it was running twenty minutes late, something which Cotswold Line passengers would come to expect in the First Great Western era two decades later! Eagle is seen here in possibly the best Class 50 livery - large logo with black roof and red buffer beams. This particular machine wore this variant during 1986 and 1987, between appearing in standard large loco and revised Network SouthEast colours. This view is no longer possible as a Budgens supermarket has been constructed on the right with a car park in the immediate foreground.

Exeter meets Zulu Warrior! I was trying to recreate B. J. Freeman's 'First of the Day' painting with this picture, replacing his GWR 'Saint' with a Class 50. Sadly no fisherman in my picture, but the viewpoint is identical, although with artist's licence he has ignored the PW hut. 50044 Exeter heads north alongside the Oxford Canal at Wolvercote with the 1S61 06:45 Paddington to Edinburgh service on 17 June 1983. The Class 50 would be on the train as far as Birmingham New Street.

50044 Exeter leaves Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway with the 11:40 Bridgnorth to Kidderminster service on 6 August 1994. As can be seen from the recess in the roof, the locomotive has been cosmetically restored to its unrefurbished condition. It is pictured here in the condition it was in the summer of 1981, after the plaque had been added above the nameplate, but before being called to Doncaster Works for refurbishment.

D444 matches the verdant spring green foliage for colour as it shows off its very effective (but totally inauthentic) two tone green livery on 23 May 2004 during the Mid Hants Railway's Diesel Gala. It is passing Soldridge with the late running 12:36 Alton to Alresford service. Note that it has yet to be reunited with its Exeter nameplates. Although no Class 50s ever carried this attractive livery, this was purely down to timing. If the class had been introduced a few years earlier they almost certainly would have carried this colour scheme from new, rather than BR Blue.

50044 Exeter returned to the mainline on 18 October 2008 when it worked the Rail Blue Charters 1Z49 06:04 Manchester Piccadilly to Minehead  railtour in the company of 50049 Defiance. It is seen here passing the site of Magor station in appalling light. I had originally interned to see the tour at Llanvihangel on the Hereford to Newport line. However, while driving from Gloucester it seemed that the clouds were all clearing away, which meant that a sunny shot could be had in South Wales. To say the British weather is unpredictable is an understatement, as it was extremely dark and raining when it passed Magor on the relief line. Incidentally the non-authentic two tone green livery is a little ironic for a tour run by Rail Blue charters!

D444 Exeter (50044) catches the early morning sun as it passes Tackley with the 1Z50 05:26 Bristol Temple Meads to Aberystwyth 'Cambrian Mountaineer' railtour on 9 May 2009. This tour was run by Spitfire Railtours and The Network Rail Bristol Operations and Swindon Integrated Control Centre Three Peaks Teams in connection with the Railway Children charity. There was no doubt whatsoever as to what type of loco was approaching as I stood at this remote location in the Cherwell Valley. In the still morning air the once familiar Class 50 throb could be heard while the train was still several miles away, and then came the distinctive hesitant two tone horn as the train approached Tackley station, which was still over a mile away! Although I have numerous Class 50 pictures in the area from the 1980s, I certainly haven't got a two tone green machine on maroon coaches!

One of the highlights of the East Lancashire Railway's Diesel Gala over the weekend of 1 to 3 July 2011 was the use of 50044 Exeter, recently outshopped in gleaming BR blue livery. Here it is seen passing the old quarry at Heap Bridge on Sunday 3 July with the 2J82 15:26 Rawtenstall to Heywood service. The fact that there were no other photographers standing in the usual spot here meant I was able to include the large bush as a frame for the picture.

Positively gleaming in the late afternoon light, ex-works 50044 Exeter passes Heap Bridge on 3 July 2011 with the 2J89 16:35 Heywood to Rawtenstall service, during the East Lancashire Railway's Diesel Gala. Superbly restored to represent a machine in unfreburbished condition, this is a fine recreation of the late 1970s, apart from the working headcode and maroon coaches, which takes it back a few more years! For some inexplicable reason I was the only photographer at this particular location, which after all is one of the better spots on the line for lighting at this time of day.

50044 Exeter worked the PTG Railtours Euston to Holyhead 'Snowdon Ranger' railtour over the weekend of 3 & 4 September 2011. The Saturday was dull, and I was also otherwise engaged with some other classic traction on my local line. Despite the fact that I was unable to travel as far west as I would have liked, I wasn't going to miss the opportunity of seeing a single blue 50 on the mainline, especially with the added novelty of Virgin stock complete with DVT. I had to opt for one of the poor 'under the wires' locations, in this case Bradnock's Marsh, near Berkswell, to see the tour return from Wales on Sunday 4 September. Running as the 1Z51 13:14 Llanwrwst to Euston, 50044 with DVT 82126 directly behind heads homewards in some pleasant evening sunshine. 57304 is on the rear of the train.

The low winter sun is casting long shadows as 50045 Achillies approaches Circourt Bridge at Denchworth with the 3A03 13:15 Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington vans on 18 December 1985. Of particular note to anyone used to this location nowadays (apart from the obvious fact that in 1985 there were only two tracks!) is the fact that the background is completely open, as this is prior to the tree planting of the 1990s.

50045 Achillies pulls away from Charlbury station on 16 May 1986 with the 1A18 07:00 Hereford to Paddington 'Cathedrals Express'. A rarely photographed location, that apart from one pesky shadow affords an excellent view of southbound trains. The viewpoint was so open in the 1980s that Walcot Farm Cottages, on the Charlbury to Burford road can be seen in the distance.

50046 Ajax dodges the shadows at Savernake on 22 October 1983 whilst working the 1A01 07:25 Plymouth to Paddington HST replacement service. Note the trackbed of the former Marlborough branch curving away to the right. The Kennett & Avon Canal is in a cutting amid the trees in the background and Bruce Tunnel takes it right underneath where I am standing.

50046 Ajax approaches Wolvercote Junction on 20 August 1987 with the 1M85 14:32 Tonbridge to Preston parcels, a train that was always guaranteed to throw up some interesting traction, even if not much in the way of a profitable load! The A34 Oxford bypass is in the background, while the photo is taken from the A40 Oxford to Cheltenham road.

50046 Ajax catches the last of the evening sunshine as it approaches Handborough at speed on 23 April 1988 with the 1B56 18:20 Paddington to Hereford service. Not a particularly inspiring location, but at that time of day the low angle of the sun makes the choice of locations on the rather overgrown Cotswold Line very difficult. It would be even more difficult today!

50046 Ajax pulls away from Moreton-in-Marsh on 24 April 1988 with the 1A67 16:15 Hereford to Paddington Network SouthEast service. By this time Ajax was becoming a bit a celebrity as it still  retained 'large logo' livery when most Network SouthEast locos naturally were in NSE livery. In fact it kept this livery (in a progressively more decrepit state) until the very end. 

50046 Ajax emerges from Wickwar Tunnel on 30 May 1989 with the lightly loaded 9C04 14:54 Gloucester to Bristol East Yard departmental working. One of those occasions when only having one Pentax 6x7 was a severe disadvantage. At the time it was loaded with B&W film and consequently this is from a 35mm slide. With just one 6x7 a decision had to be made whether to load it with colour (which would only be usable if the sun stayed out) or B&W. Normally the expected weather conditions immediately changed once the film was loaded. Two years after this picture was taken the problem was solved by buying a second 6x7 body. I shudder now to the think of the weight of equipment I used to carry around!

Not much of a load for a Class 50! 50046 Ajax ambles past Brent Knoll on 1 August 1990 with the 9C05 08:27 Bristol East to Taunton departmental working. As this working then continued as the 11:05 Taunton to Exeter Riverside (still running as 9C05), I thought I would go for a second shot at Tiverton Junction. Unfortunately the three wagons were for Taunton and there was no traffic forward, so 50046 just sped through light engine, converting its 30 minutes early running at Brent Knoll into 90 minutes at Tiverton!

50046 Ajax approaches Gillingham on 2 February 1991 with the 11:15 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids Network SouthEast service. Despite the battered appearance of this loco there was obviously nothing wrong with its haulage ability as it had managed to gain a couple of minutes on the booked time. Ajax had just been transferred to the West of England route from the DCWA engineers pool, and would spend the next few months working the route and not helping the NSE image with its disreputable condition before eventually being withdrawn in November 1991.

50046 Ajax to the rescue! On 6 July 1991 the 13:15 Waterloo to Exeter Network SouthEast service was double headed after problems were discovered with 50027 Lion. Surprisingly running only 25 minutes late 50046 Ajax arrives at Crewkerne with a dead 50027 Lion in tow. After a long spell in the DCWA departmental sector, 50046 was spending its last year in traffic in the NWXA West of England pool, although its reallocated to passenger duties did not entail a repaint, and its large logo livery was in a terrible state at the end! Crewkerne station still retains a fine station building and goods shed, although now only one platform is in use, as a passing loop was not provided when the line was singled in the 1960s.

50046 Ajax poses in the autumn sunshine at Grateley whilst working the 1L05 10:00 Waterloo to Salisbury service on 14 November 1991, running 30 minutes late. This was the loco's penultimate day in traffic. The following day after working the 22:15 Exeter St Davids to Newton Abbot Fridays only local it moved to Laira with the 23:00 Newton Abbot to Laira ECS - its final working. Although in full working order, it had been taken out of traffic to donate its engine and generator to GW150 green 50007 Sir Edward Elgar, which had been out of traffic at Laira since 9 July 1991 with a main generator flash over. Latterly 50046 had been a bit of a celebrity itself as it still carried large logo livery amid a sea of Network SouthEast liveried machines.

50047 Swiftsure races through Hanborough station on 1 May 1982 with the 15:00 Paddington to Hereford service. This loco was one of the few to emerge from refurbishment (note the headlight) still in rail blue livery. Anyone wishing to replicate this view in 2008 will be sorely disappointed. The growth of vegetation means only a head-on shot is now possible. The station house is not now visible at all! In 1982 all was clearly visible, including the redundant down platform on the right, disused since the line was singled in 1971. Interestingly the station was at this time known as Handborough. Only recently have the railways come into line with most maps and road signs by dropping the D in the name of the village.

A sight that would give modern day health & safety officials a fit! 50047 Swiftsure's train is not on fire, but track workers are just starting to burn off the lineside vegetation, while trains pass by at full line speed! 50047 is working the 1A50 (very appropriate!) 09:32 Penzance to Paddington service, seen here passing Edington on 11 March 1986. Although the smoke is largely drifting across the fields in the background at this point, this is nothing compared to what happened when they lit both sides of the cutting in the foreground. The whole scene then disappeared in smoke!

27 June 1986 was one of those hazy summer days when the sun just get hazier and fades out rather than actually setting. As can be seen from the track just in front of the loco and the very weak shadow of the coaches on the cutting side, the sun was just about gone when this photo was taken. 50047 Swiftsure passes Compton Beauchamp with the 1C71 18:47 Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads service, one of a couple of Friday only loco hauled trains on the GWML in the evening in the mid 1980s. However this was a bit of a bonus, as this train was booked for a Class 47.

50047 Swiftsure approaches the site of Coaley Junction, and what would later become Cam & Dursley station, with the 1V55 09:20 Liverpool to Penzance service on 11 October 1986. Until recently I considered this an unrecoverable image, as it was taken on the only roll of film that I deliberately uprated. Pushing transparency film one stop theoretically has a minimal effect on the image quality, but whether the lab did something wrong, or perhaps Ektachrome 100 doesn't like being pushed, I don't know. The slide has a terrible purple cast, far worse than a forty year old badly stored Agfa slide! Thankfully, Photoshop has come to the rescue and (nearly) restored the image to what it should have been. The reason for wanting ISO 200 film, was that when using a Pentax 6x7 with a 200mm lens, ISO 100 film is on the very border of what can be used reliably. I had to wait for Fujichrome 400 to be improved years later before the problem was finally resolved.

The marker lights in the former headcode box give an indication of how dark the scene is here, as 50048 Dauntless arrives at Kingham station on 6 October 1983 with the 1A25 16:15 Hereford to Paddington service. The head on viewpoint was chosen to minimise any movement, as the picture was taken at 1/60sec f2. Kodachrome 200 was not introduced until 1986, so this was taken on Kodachrome 64, which was not really fast enough. As this is the only time I saw 50048 on the Cotswold Line, this picture is included purely for the sake of completeness, despite the poor quality.

One of my favourite Thames Valley Class 50 pictures. 50048 Dauntless is pictured near Baulking (between Swindon and Didcot) with the 1A22 08:36 Cheltenham to Paddington service on 10 December 1986. With the tree making a perfect frame, the sun out, a touch of frost still visible in the field, and of course top traction on the train, what more could you ask for?

50048 Dauntless races under the roadbridge at Whitchurch on 17 June 1989 with the 1V17 17:15 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids Network SouthEast service. Pictured here in the revised version of the NSE livery, this loco spent its last few years in traffic working such West of England expresses, before being withdrawn with collision damage in July 1991.

Very nearly a picture of the first and last built Class 50s! 50049 Defiance (the final loco to be built) stands next to 50001 Dreadnought (the second loco to be built) at Oxford in the pouring rain on 24 March 1984. As D401, 50001 entered service on 9 December 1967, while D449 (50049) completed the class just over a year later on 11 December 1968. In this view Defiance has just arrived with the 1S61 06:45 Paddington to Glasgow Central, which it worked as far as Birmingham New Street, while Dreadnought waits on the centre road to head north light engine.

The last rays of the setting sun highlight 50049 Defiance as it passes the site of Challow station with the 17:27 Paddington to Cheltenham service on 14 April 1984. This is long before the reinstatement of the relief lines, and consequently the disused platforms are still intact. This station, along with all the others between Didcot and Swindon closed on 7 December 1964.

50049 Defiance passes Chilson on 26 October 1986 with the 1B16 09:40 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill Network SouthEast service. Defiance was still a year away from being converted into the unique Railfreight 50149 when this picture was taken. After that unsuccessful interlude it reverted to passenger work, before finally joining the ranks of preserved Class 50s, and having a second career on the mainline. When I took this picture it was just another member of the fleet! The loco may still be around, but this location is unfortunately no longer available, due to the enormous increase in lineside vegetation.

In gleaming ex-works Railfreight General livery, and with the Bristol Channel in the background, 50149 Defiance rounds the curve on the approach to Doniford Beach Halt with the 11:05 Minehead to Williton freight on 28 October 1994. This was the loco's first working during the West Somerset Railway's Diesel Gala.

One of the highlights of the West Somerset Railway's 1995 Autumn Diesel Gala was the pairing of 50149 Defiance & 40145 on the Saturday 30 September 13:50 Norton Fitzwarren to Minehead service. This pair of classic English Electric machines are pictured passing Roebuck Farm in the rain. Prior to its return to mainline duties, 50049 was cosmetically restored to its former guise as Railfreight experiment 50149. Both these locos feature basically the same engine, although a decade of development has seen the Class 40's 2000hp increase by 700hp in the Class 50. The later design is also approximately 18 tons lighter and dispenses with the leading pony wheel on each bogie.

449 (50049) & 431 (50031) pass the site of Coates station on 21 April 2002 with the 5Z50 18:08 Swindon to Crewe ECS. The previous day the pair had worked a Swindon to Carlisle charter, and this is the empty stock working back north. Locations free of vegetation on the 'Golden Valley' route are at a premium, especially with low evening light. However, the large flat area on the right which was the site of the former GWR goods station (the nearby Kemble station having no freight facilities) means that not much shades the line here.

50049 Defiance & 50031 Hood pass Pulford, on the single track Chester to Wrexham line with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z70 16:47 Chester to Reading railtour on 16 August 2003. The tour had worked to Chester earlier in the day as the 1Z35 07:15 from Reading. The bridge in the background is the relatively new A483 road which now bypasses the villages of Rossett and Pulford.

50049 Defiance & 50031 Hood pass Upton Scudamore on 24 July 2004 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z91 05:36 Guildford to Par 'Eden Belle' special. Not strictly a railtour, more of a day out excursion to the Eden Project. This might explain the exemplary running. Left on time, on time here, and arrived in Cornwall half an hour early!

My first picture of the Pathfinder Tours 'Monarch of the Glen' railtour on 5 March 2005 was this almost aerial view of Glenfinnan Viaduct, reached after a very energetic climb, which itself followed a ten hour overnight drive from Oxfordshire! 50049 Defiance on the front & 50031 Hood on the rear slowly traverse Robert MacAlpine's concrete masterpiece. This was the second day of the tour, but I hadn't bothered with the trip up the WCML the previous day, as the West Highlands were what the tour was all about. It is running here as the 1Z23 10:20 Forth William to Mallaig.

50049 Defiance rounds the curve past the little isolated church at Polnish en-route from Fort William to Mallaig with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z23 'Monarch of the Glen' railtour on 5 March 2005, unfortunately in typically West Highland dull weather. 50031 Hood is hidden by the cutting on the rear of the train.

A handy bank at the end of the platform at Arisaig allows this view looking down on the station as 50049 Defiance departs for Mallaig with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z23 'Monarch of the Glen' railtour on 5 March 2005. The short stop for the RETB token exchange had given several members of the crew the chance of obtaining pictures of the train in a surprising patch of sunshine.

50049 Defiance rounds the curve at Beoraidbeg, just a couple of miles from journey's end at Mallaig, with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z23 'Monarch of the Glen' railtour on 5 March 2005. 50031 Hood can just be seen on the rear of the train. Note the 'Scotty Dog' emblem applied to the side of the loco especially for this tour.

During all my years photographing Class 50s when they were in regular mainline service, I never thought I would see one here! However, in preservation all things are possible, and here we see the quite extraordinary sight of the first ever Class 50s to traverse the West Highland Line. The snow covered peak of Beinn Dorian (3530 ft) dominates the view as 50049 Defiance crests County March Summit with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z24 10:30 Fort William to Dalmuir 'Monarch of the Glen' railtour on 6 March 2005. Judging by the smoke, it would seem that 50031 Hood is giving a hefty shove at the rear as well.

Yet again the sun dipped at the critical moment as 50049 Defiance passes Pulpit Rock, near Ardlui with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z24 10:30 Fort William to Dalmuir 'Monarch of the Glen' railtour on 6 March 2005. However, I certainly wasn't going to miss another picture of the first ever Class 50s on the West Highland Line, whatever the weather!

Class 50 sunset. 50049 Defiance brings up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours 1Z24 10:30 Fort William to Dalmuir 'Monarch of the Glen' railtour at Murie (between Dundee and Perth) on 6 March 2005, as 50031 Hood leads the train into the setting sun. Less than a minute after this picture was taken the sun disappeared into a bank of cloud on the horizon.

50049 Defiance & 50031 Hood approach the site of Ashbury Crossing, near Shrivenham on the Great Western mainline with a football special taking Chelsea fans to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for FA Community Shield match against Arsenal on 7 August 2005. The locos still carry their Scottie Dog logos from their unbelievable Scottish railtour earlier in the year.

50049 Defiance & 50031 Hood pass Milford Junction, heading north with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:58 Cardiff Central to Redmire 'Redmire Rambler' railtour on 25 March 2006. The sidings here are used as a staging point for Aire Valley power station coal trains. Ironically this was the sunniest it was all day, just where I didn't want the sun out due to the strong backlighting!

50049 Defiance crosses the River Swale at Morton-on-Swale with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:58 Cardiff Central to Redmire 'Redmire Rambler' railtour on 25 March 2006. This section of the Wensleydale Railway sees little use, as no passenger services currently operate between Northallerton and Leeming Bar.

50049 Defiance passes Harmby on the Wensleydale Railway with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z27 05:58 Cardiff Central to Redmire 'Redmire Rambler' railtour on 25 March 2006. For such a long line through such a scenic area, the line has surprisingly few good photographic locations. The bridge in the background is obviously a popular spot, but the view is very restricted, and if the sun had come out (some hope!) would have been completely in the shade.

I wasn't going to bother to photograph 50049 Defiance on the ECML with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z28 14:20 Redmire to Cardiff Central 'Redmire Rambler' railtour on 25 March 2006, as by that time it was getting dark. However, as my route home crossed the line anyway, I thought I might as well watch it pass through. Liking a technical challenge, I decided to photograph it anyway even though there was no light and it was starting to rain. Here it is passing South Otterington photographed at ISO 1600. The dark sky and the loco's bright lights show up the conditions.

Only the lineside gorse is bright in this very early morning view of 50049 Defiance approaching Muir of Ord with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z18 06:51 Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh 'Orcadian' railtour on 17 June 2006. I suppose the plus point was that at least the rain hadn't yet started!

In the pouring rain, 50049 Defiance crosses the A835 at Garve with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z18 06:51 Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh 'Orcadian' railtour on 17 June 2006. One of the few occasions when a moderate wide angle lens comes in useful for railway photography, to include not only the un-gated crossing in the foreground, but the station and distant hills as well.

Achnasheen - a location I only ever seem to visit in the pouring rain! 50049 Defiance (masquerading as 50012 Benbow) arrives with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z18 06:51 Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh 'Orcadian' railtour on 17 June 2006. 50031 Hood can be seen on the rear of the train.

The mountain scenery would look even more impressive at Balnacra on 17 June 2006 if it wasn't virtually obliterated by the driving rain and low clouds! 50049 Defiance (masquerading as 50012 Benbow) heads towards Kyle of Lochalsh with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z18 06:51 'Orcadian' railtour from Inverness. 50031 Hood is nearly invisible on the rear of the train.

Both the railway and the road hug the coastline at Badicaul, on the approach to Kyle of Lochalsh. 50049 Defiance (masquerading as 50012 Benbow) rounds the curve with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z18 06:51 Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh 'Orcadian' railtour on 17 June 2006. Note the sea defence work being carried on the railway embankment. In fact, during the short time I was waiting for the train to arrive, a large barge was offloading granite blocks onto the shoreline for use in the reinforcing work.

50049 Defiance (masquerading as 50012 Benbow) does a spot of shunting in the rain at Kyle of Lochalsh, after arriving with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z18 06:51 'Orcadian' railtour from Inverness. This view gives a good view of the Highland Stag motif applied to the cab sides of both 50049 and 50031 for their Scottish jaunts.

50049 (masquerading as long scrapped 50012 Benbow) goes where no Class 50 has been before. Winding round the reverse curves at Kinbrace in the wilds of the North of Scotland, it heads the Pathfinder Tours 1Z20 06:00 Inverness to Wick 'Orcadian' railtour on 18 June 2006. I probably should have ventured further south for this first shot of the day, as there was some sun around Brora, but I didn't want to miss this location, through having to chase the tour on the very narrow roads.

The only sunny shot of the entire four day Scottish Class 50 railtour. 50049 (masquerading as long scrapped 50012 Benbow) stands at Forsinard waiting for the RETB token to proceed to Georgemas Junction with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z20 06:00 Inverness to Wick 'Orcadian' railtour on 18 June 2006. I hadn't planned on getting this picture, as I thought by the time I drove from the previous location at Kinbrace the tour would be gone, so was surprised to see it stopped across the crossing at Forsinard as I drove up, and even more surprised that I had time to get to the front of the train for this picture.

You can't get further north than this! While classmate 50031 has the honour of being the most northerly traveled Class 50, as it sits at the other end of the train under the roof at Thurso, 50049 waits to head the Pathfinder Tours 1Z22 17:00 Thurso to Wick and Inverness 'Orcadian' railtour on 18 June 2006. With a few minutes to go before departure, the last of the passengers has just rejoined the train, and are probably glad to get out of the rain!

2006 saw the use of Class 50s on an Arriva Trains Wales working to Fishguard. On 15 July 2006, 50049 Defiance passes the buddleia bushes on the approach to Pembrey & Burry Port station, whilst working the 1B96 10:55 Cardiff Central to Fishguard Harbour service. There are still plenty of semaphore signals at this West Wales outpost!

Photographed from on top of a very conveniently placed Second World War concrete bunker, 50049 Defiance runs alongside the River Towy estuary at St Ishmael on 15 July 2006 with the 1B97 13:35 Fishguard Harbour to Cardiff Central Arriva Trains Wales service. Initially this started out as a Saturdays only train, but was later run during the week as well. Obviously it brought quite a few Class 50 bashers to West Wales and it also introduced the odd combination of a large loco 50 hauling turquoise liveried Arriva coaches.

The Tytherington Branch must be one of the least photogenic stretches of railway in the country. Every single vantage point is completely obstructed by trees. It is difficult to spot the rails at all from one of the bridges! After having stopped to operate the barriers, 50049 Defiance slowly crosses the B4058 at Iron Acton with the Railway Children 1Z25 15:15 Tyherington to Bristol Temple Meads (via Gloucester and Chepstow) 'Bristol Coal-Stone Haul' railtour on 3 June 2007.

50049 Defiance passes Crubenmore on the Highland mainline with the Railway Touring Company 1Z55 08:20 Inverness to Kings Cross 'Autumn Highlander' railtour on 8 October 2007. Unfortunately, although it was fairly bright, I just missed the sun here, which was a pity, as I noticed the train was in sun as I passed it at Kingussie. This was not a location I had tried before, being slightly south of the more normal location at Crubenmore, but on seeing the black clouds to the south and a convenient layby on the A9, it had to be done. To get a slightly more elevated viewpoint I was standing on the lower rung of an electricity pylon!

50049 Defiance passes Stanley in miserable light on 8 October 2007 with the Railway Touring Company 1Z55 08:20 Inverness to Kings Cross 'Autumn Highlander' railtour. 40145 can just be seen on the rear of the train. This was very much a bonus shot, after seeing the train a little earlier at Crubenmore.

And now for something completely different! 50049 Defiance works the 6F50 09:08 Cardiff Canton to Kidderminster past Broken Cross (near Gloucester) on 29 March 2012. The train comprises partially restored 37308, 50135 Ark Royal & 50044 Exeter. The inclusion of a van and a couple of wagons makes it seem a bit more like a real train, rather than a loco convoy. This highly colourful combination could easily be seen approaching across the open countryside. Not only is 37308's light blue 'livery' startling, but it was made more obvious by tatty plastic sheeting around the roof fan, that was flapping around in the slipstream! 50135 and the wagons were dropped of at the Severn Valley Railway, leaving the thee locos to continue on to Derby RTC as 0M50. 37308 was then detached, and the two remaining 50s worked back to Kidderminster as 0V50.

Unrefurbished 50050 Fearless passes under the bridge at Chilson 23 March 1982 with the 06:00 Hereford to Paddington service. Note the vintage bullhead track which was retained after the line was singled in 1971. It was replaced on this single track section between Ascott-under-Wychwood to Wolvercote Junction section in stages between 1984 and 1986.

A filthy 50050 Fearless accelerates away from Oxford station on 29 October 1982 with the 1V58 08:35 Birmingham New Street to Paddington service. Obviously not helped by the gloomy weather, but in the early 1980s the surviving unrefurbished 50s always seemed to be in this 'BR corporate grime' livery, with just a hint of blue underneath! Presumably 50050 got even tattier until it was called to Doncaster for rebuilding during the following year. The scrapyard on the right is now the car park for Oxford station.

With the village of Kingham visible in the background, 50050 Fearless passes Daylesford on 8 May 1986 with the 1B46 17:00 Paddington to Hereford service. Although an attractive livery when freshly applied, this view clearly shows why a light grey roof was not a good idea on a Class 50! Four exhaust ports and a smoky English Electric engine soon altered the colour scheme!

50050 Fearless catches the weak early morning autumnal sun as it passes Lyneham on 18 October 1986 with the 1A18 07:00 Hereford to Paddington 'Cathedrals Express'. Not a particularly good angle, unless you like low level bold loco close ups, but at least it is clear of shadows! The photo is taken from the little used level crossing next to the extremely limited headroom underbridge on the Lyneham to Milton-under-Wychwood road. 

50050 Fearless accelerates away from Oxford and passes Hinksey Yard on 14 March 1987 with the 1F35 14:00 Oxford to Paddington Network SouthEast service. Network SouthEast's coach repainting programme was well ahead of the loco repainting, so it was quite common at the time to see complete rakes of NSE Mk 1s hauled by large logo Class 50s. Two decades later the replacement for this comfortable eight coach train is a three coach Turbo unit, such is progress!

50050 Fearless & 5024 Vanguard speed past the MoD loops at Ashchurch with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z41 Taunton to Carlisle 'Fellsman II' railtour on 23 April 1988. This is one of only two pictures that I have of the erstwhile D400 in Network SouthEast livery, and as the other is in black & white it doesn't really count! Having managed to get a pair of locos in matching revised NSE livery, the effect is slightly spoiled by the otherwise matching rake of coaches being interrupted by a single blue & grey coach, and then a single InterCity liveried vehicle!

D400 (50050) passes Dinton on 6 April 1991 with the 1O86 09:45 Plymouth to Waterloo service. This was its first passenger duty after being reinstated to service in a virtually 'as built' condition, with nameplates removed and carrying its original number. The readers of Rail magazine sponsored its repainting into BR blue livery, and despite the fact that it was a very dull day, it still makes a fine picture passing the long closed Dinton station. Although it appears to be running wrong line, the track on the right is actually a headshunt for the MoD depot on the left.

D400 passes Newnham (near Hook) with the 1O86 09:45 Plymouth to Waterloo service on 6 April 1991. This was the loco's first working after returning to service after its repaint into original BR blue livery. After already photographing the train at Dinton, it was quite easy to chase it to this spot for a second picture.

Classic traction compensates for the nasty backlighting here! D400 passes Worting Junction on 29 July 1991 with the 1V09 08:40 Waterloo to Exeter St Davids Network SouthEast service. At this time it seemed that D400 was avoiding me, as every time I went out to West of England line hoping to see it, either 50030, 50031, or 50033 would show up instead. Looking back it is hard to see that there was a problem with that!

D400 returned to service on 5 October 1991, after suffering a power unit failure a couple of months previously. It's first run was the 10:00 Waterloo to Exeter St David's relief service, pictured here passing Tisbury in the pouring rain in the company of 50030 Repulse, which was no doubt included for insurance purposes, given D400 record over the previous year!

D400 catches the evening sun as it passes Oborne on 5 October 1991 with the 15:07 Exeter St David's to Waterloo relief service. This was its first day in traffic after being fitted with the power unit from withdrawn classmate 50048. After it was repainted into BR blue and renumbered as D400 earlier in the year I had made frequent trips to the West of England line to try to photograph it, but it managed to elude me for most of the time. This was not helped by the frequency with which it went bang during the year!

On a dull and bitterly cold 5 January 1992, D400 (50050) accelerates away from Sherborne along the bi-directional section of double track to Yeovil Junction with the 08:15 Basingstoke to Yeovil Junction Network SouthEast service. This was the first Sunday that this service terminated at Yeovil, previously having worked through to Exeter St Davids.

Dark grey clouds hang over Yeovil Junction station on 5 January 1992, as D400 (50050) departs with the 10:40 Yeovil Junction to Waterloo Network SouthEast service. The loco had just run round the stock after arriving with the 08:15 train from Basingstoke. After very little success photographing D400 during 1991, the new year started well, but unfortunately the same could not be said about the weather!

The temperature is well below freezing, and frost still covers the field in the foreground, as D400 passes Barford St. Martin on 12 January 1992 with the 08:55 Waterloo to Yeovil Junction Network SouthEast service. Surprisingly on this occasion the train is composed entirely of InterCity Mk2 vehicles instead of the usual rake of more appropriately liveried NSE stock.

D400 & 50007 Sir Edward Elgar head south through the Lune Gorge at Dillicar with the returning Rail / Network SouthEast Carlisle to Waterloo 'Carlisle Fifty Farewell' railtour on 11 April 1992. Despite the gathering gloom I wasn't going to give up on this picture even though the only colour film I had with me was ISO 100. I had after all walked over a mile to get to this spot, which ironically is right next to the M6 motorway! Luckily the train came just at the point when I was considering a B&W only rollfilm shot.

D400 & 50007 Sir Edward Elgar have just passed underneath the M4 motorway, and are passing Grovesend Colliery Loop (near Pontarddulais) on 8 January 1994 with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z16 06:25 Crewe to Robeston 'Dyfed Dub-Dub' railtour. The day was notable not only for the incursion of a pair of 50s so far into the west of Wales, but also for the terrible weather, which later in the day degenerated into persistent heavy rain. Here however, there is almost a glimmer of sunshine as the pair head west.

26 March 1994 was a sad day for Class 50 enthusiasts, as it was the date of the final run of the class on British Rail, although little did we know then that less than four years later a preserved Class 50 would return the mainline! The Pathfinder Tours '50 Terminator' railtour ran from Waterloo to Exeter via the old Southern Railway route, and then after reversal at Exeter St. Davids carried on to Penzance via the former Great Western mainline, thus covering both routes that were home to the class in their latter years. The tour then returned via the Great Western to Paddington. Luckily the day turned out to be perfectly sunny, and here 50050 Fearless & 50007 Sir Edward Elgar are pictured rounding the curve at Oborne (near Sherborne), at this point running as 1Z40 08:52 Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids.

50050 Fearless & 50007 Sir Edward Elgar pass Stoford with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z40 08:52 Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids '50 Terminator' railtour on 26 March 1994. A 25 minute stop at Yeovil Junction enabled me to easily get to this location after seeing the tour at Oborne. As this was the final Class 50 hauled train on the national network (at least until the first run of the preserved 50031 a mere four years later) the event was being videoed from the cab for Locomaster Profiles. Note the cameraman in the secondman's seat!

Class 50 twilight. Catching the last rays of the setting sun, 50050 Fearless & 50007 Sir Edward Elgar are a little way into their history making run as they cross the River Hayle between St Erth and Hayle with the Pathfinder Tours 1Z35 17:35 Penzance to Padding '50 Terminator' railtour on 26 March 1994. Seven hours later the pair would make a triumphant entrance into the London terminus with virtually continuous blaring of their horns. Did any local residents complain about the noise?

50050 Fearless snakes through the Wylye Valley at Great Wishford with the 09:45 Victoria to Bristol VSOE special train on 2 September 1998. 50050's return to the mainline was fairly short-lived, being sidelined after a little over a year's use. It worked a number of Orient Express charters during this time, often as here coinciding with gloomy weather!

50050 Fearless is pictured at Hatton on 9 September 1998 working a Victoria to Stratford-upon-Avon Venice Simplon Orient Express British Pullman special and passing 150209 & 150202 on the 09:36 Great Malvern to Leamington Spa Central Trains service. For a short period at the end of the 1990s the preserved 50050 was used on a number of VSOE trains such as this.

A small balloon hangs above Bristol Temple Meads station as 50050 Fearless departs with the NENTA Traintours Felixstowe to Minehead 'Star Coast to Coast Explorer' railtour on 17 July 1999. A preserved Class 50 on a train of Anglia Railways Mk2 coaching stock is not something you see everyday in the west! Unfortunately Fearless failed with a defective gasket on the return run.