18th June 2022
Class 50 no. 50007 "Hercules" slowly traverses the loop at Chard Junction at 16.49. This is the UK Railtour "The Devon Pullman" railtour, 1Z52 15.37 Exeter St. Davids to London Victoria. The train had travelled west earlier in the day via the GWR route.
Once commonplace on the Exeter to Waterloo route, the Class 50s ended service on the line in 1991, so see one back is a very welcome sight, even if it is wearing that inappropriate GBRf garb! I don't mind the livery at all but to me it has no place on these locomotives! A pair of '50s have passed here before in recent times but this is the first time a single "Hoover" has hauled a train on this route since 1991. I believe that this train may have been rostered to have both 50007 and 50049 hauling it, but only "Hercules" was provided in the end. Here we see it carefully traversing the loop at Chard Junction where it will wait for a few minutes to allow a westbound service to pass.
The Bellmond-owned Pullmans also made for a somewhat unique sight, these coaches probably not having travelled on this line for decades!
Once commonplace on the Exeter to Waterloo route, the Class 50s ended service on the line in 1991, so see one back is a very welcome sight, even if it is wearing that inappropriate GBRf garb! I don't mind the livery at all but to me it has no place on these locomotives! A pair of '50s have passed here before in recent times but this is the first time a single "Hoover" has hauled a train on this route since 1991. I believe that this train may have been rostered to have both 50007 and 50049 hauling it, but only "Hercules" was provided in the end. Here we see it carefully traversing the loop at Chard Junction where it will wait for a few minutes to allow a westbound service to pass.
The Bellmond-owned Pullmans also made for a somewhat unique sight, these coaches probably not having travelled on this line for decades!
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Also in: Chard Junction, Somerset
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