50031
Hood
This locomotive was purchased in near operational condition, having been withdrawn with only minor faults and so quickly became our most visible, working representative of the class.
"Hood" has made history on several occasions, most notably in November 1997 becoming the first mainline certified preserved class 50 on RailTrack (now Network Rail) metals when it hauled The Pilgrim Hoover railtour. 50031 covered thousands of miles on the UK maniline network before being stood down in 2006.
Hood was also one of the media stars of 2016 following a decision by the owners to paint the loco in Intercity livery. Although Class 50's never carried IC colours, they did come incredibly close (far closer than many people realise!) in the late 1980's. It is therefore very much a 'what might have been' livery and looks stunning.
On September 17th 2016, the loco was rededicated by the HMS Hood Association and New crests were unveiled in front of a large crowd at Kidderminster.
Hood is currently out of service, having suffered an engine failure in September 2019 which will be repaired as time and funding allow. In the meantime, 50031 has very kindly donated its fuel tank to sister loco Defiance and will receive a repaired tank in due course.
