Class 50 - GB Railfreight - 50007/50034 'Hercules/Furious'

Class 50 - GB Railfreight - 50007/50034 'Hercules/Furious'50007 50034 Hercules Furious GB Railfreight Reunited with its original Hercules name at Washwood Heath in 2014 after being acquired by Boden Rail the previous year, 50007 has been one of the busiest Class 50s in preservation after being retired by British Rail for the second and final time in March 1994. This followed its earlier withdrawal in July 1991, later rescinded in 1992 so it could work railtours. It had initially been sold to the Class 40

50007/50034 Hercules/Furious GB Railfreight

Reunited with its original Hercules name at Washwood Heath in 2014 after being acquired by Boden Rail the previous year, 50007 has been one of the busiest Class 50s in preservation after being retired by British Rail – for the second and final time – in March 1994. This followed its earlier withdrawal in July 1991, later rescinded in 1992 so it could work railtours. It had initially been sold to the Class 40 Appeal at the Midland Railway Centre and retained its its celebrity GW150 paint job and still controversial Sir Edward Elgar name from February 1984. As part of the Neil Boden fleet with 50017 and 50050 it returned to Network Rail metals in May 2014 in BR blue, which it last wore up until its refurbishment at Doncaster Works in February 1983. After just two and a half years of occasional use with Colas Rail, it was sold to the 50 Alliance, a partnership between the Fifty Fund and Project Defiance, giving the group a second main line operational locomotive after 50049.

Withdrawn in August 1991, 50049 was acquired that same December by the Class 50 Society – later known as Project Defiance – and was started for the first time in preservation in May 1992. With memories of its Class 50/1 conversion still fresh. the locomotive was returned to its popular Railfreight General paint scheme in August 1993 and was twinned with its Royal Navy namesake at an event at Laira. This saw it given a crest above the nameplate on each side – notably in BR service it had only worn a single example. In May 1994 it moved to the West Somerset Railway where a power unit lift and main generator repair was undertaken. This was completed in the October and it ran the first trains of its preserved career soon after. In 2000 it returned to the main line in BR blue and four years later following a large logo repaint it was partnered with the Fifty Fund’s 50031 Hood as the key representatives of the class in action on the national network. This was cemented in 2006 when the pair were hired to Arriva Trains Wales for summer-dated trains between Cardiff and Fishguard Harbour, as well as other special services and relief trains. While this only lasted that year, Defiance has remained a regular on the main line ever since, principally for railtours and stock transfers.

Consummating a useful relationship with GB Railfreight, 50007 and 50049 were outshopped in the operator’s steel blue and orange livery in March 2019, which surprisingly suited the pair very well, basically being a privatisation era update on the much loved large logo scheme. They were regularly rostered on GBRf staff charters and stock moves, as well as their usual railtour duties, although 50007 initially only wore its Hercules ’plates on one side, with the other (five grille side) carrying the Warspite moniker from 50014. This was replaced with a Furious ’plate from 50034 in 2022 in memory of preservationist Paul Taylor who passed away the same year. Once the five-year deal had run its course, the two Class 50s returned to Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works in August 2024 where they were returned to large logo blue. Both are fitted with the necessary equipment for main line running, including TPWS, OTMR, and GSM-R.