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50 031 "Hood"

This locomotive was purchased in near operational condition, having been withdrawn with only minor faults.

In the early days of class 50 preservation, Hood was the only operational preserved class 50, and was much in demand for open days and Diesel Galas on preserved Railways. During 1993 and 1994 it visited The Severn Valley, The North York Moors, The Midland Railway Centre and The Watercress Line where it triple headed with BR's 50007 and D400.

Whilst on the Watercress Line the locomotive was rededicated to HMS Hood by one of only two remaining survivors of the famous ship's sinking and other members of the HMS Hood Association. To commemorate the occasion new crests were applied.

The Hood has been inspected by RESCO and is now certified for main line running. '31's first outing was The Pilgrim Hoover Railtour where she took over from 87101 at Birmingham International for the run to Plymouth along the sea wall at Dawlish and over the South Devon Banks. On the return leg the climbs up Hemmerdon bank (1 in 42 for 2 miles) and the Lickey Incline (1 in 37), were both tackled with ease. The locomotive performed faultlessly throughout.

Then '31 saw service with The Cardiff Railway Co. hauling commuter trains between Rhymney and Cardiff, on special services associated with the 1999 Rugby World Cup, and on a number of mini-railtours and other special trains.

Hood at Saltley Depot fueling point, reviving old times

In 2000 50031 was repainted as D431 to pair project Defiance's D449 on Pathfinder Railtour's "Certic Hoover" trip from Birmingham to Glasgow. Since then she has appeared as corporate blue 50031 both with and without nameplates, recreating various periods of her history.

All mainline locomotives operating in the UK from 1st January 2004 must have TPWS fitted. 50031 has received this extra equipment and a "B exam" during the early part of 2004. Follow this link for details of certification test run. Since then '31 has appeared on a number of tours operated by both Pathfinder and Steamy Affairs.
Hood has received an award for "Best Main Line Class 50", from Vaclads.

See the forthcoming events page for details of Hood's next outing.

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