50050 Fearless
50050 Fearless worked the final Class 50 railtour, The 50 Terminator, in March 1994 along with 50007 Sir Edward Elgar (previously Hercules). The tour went from London Waterloo to Penzance and back into London Paddington. The locomotive was withdrawn the same month due to it being surplus to requirements, thereby becoming one of the final two Class 50 locomotives to be withdrawn after over 26 years of active service. Its engine hours stood at 8,599.
After its withdrawal, 50050 was purchased by a private individual and was based at the former British Rail depot at St Leonards in Sussex. In 1998 the locomotive was re-certified for mainline use by Deltic 9000 Locomotives Ltd (DNLL) who operated the locomotive on various charter and service trains. The D400 Fund was formed in 2003 in order to return the locomotive to use for DNLL. However financial problems caused DNLL to cease trading during 2004 and 50050 is now solely in the care of this group. In 2004, the locomotive was moved from the Birmingham Railway Museum at Tyseley to its new home at the Yeovil Railway Centre, where it now resides.
With new batteries fitted, 50050 has had its power unit regularly started whilst at Yeovil. Most of 2007 was spent working on the electrical systems and some rewiring was undertaken. Repairs have continued during 2010 and the locomotive has managed to move under its own power.
This photograph can also be seen in the September 2010 edition of Railways Illustrated magazine.
Class 50s
from the