#3909
British Rail Class 50
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by English Electric· from 1967· class of 50 Co′Co′ 2700hp diesel-electric locomotives
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6 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. 15.04.82 Old Oak Common MPD 50021 (13317046665): Phil Richards from London, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 2. 50014 at Birmingham New Street 2: Tutenkhamun Sleeping· CC BY 2.0
- 3. BR 50 007: Murgatroyd49· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. Class 50 50035 Ark Royal: Peter Broster· CC BY 3.0
- 5. 50135 engine compartment Severn Valley Railway: Timitrius from Great Britain· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 6. Plym Valley Railway 02: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
what is it?
The British Rail Class 50 is a class of diesel locomotives designed to haul express passenger trains at 100 mph (160 km/h). Built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows between 1967 and 1968, the Class 50s were initially on a 10-year lease from English Electric Leasing, and were employed hauling express passenger trains on the then non-electrified section of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Scotland. Initially numbered D400–D449 and known as English Electric Type 4s, the locomotives were purchased outright by British Rail (BR) at the end of the lease and became Class 50 in the TOPS renumbering of 1973.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 59 years ago, in 1967.
- Top speed is 1.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 15 minutes.
- 2 MW is about 24 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 20.7 m long: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 27 years (1967–1994).
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1967–1968
- in service from
- 1967
- retired
- 1994
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 50
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- English Electric, Vulcan Foundry
- operators
- British Rail, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, London Midland Region of British Railways, Western Region of British Railways
- top speed
- 161 km/h
- power
- 2 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- Co′Co′
- length
- 20.7 m
- nicknames
- Hoovers
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4970826, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 50 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.