Railway Herald
Class 50 No. 50031 'Hood' awaiting departure from Reading Station for Paddington on 31st March 1990. New to the London Midland region of BR in July 1968 as No. D431, it was renumbered under TOPS in February 1974 to No. 50031. Transferred to Plymouth Laira MPD in May 1976 following the Crewe - Glasgow electrification scheme No. 50031 was named 'Hood' complete with crests during JUne 1978, after the last Battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy and sunk by The Bismarck on 24th May 1941. A transfer to Old Oak Common MPD in May 1980 followed and withdrawal took place just under a year after this photo was taken in February 1991. Preservation by 'The Fifty Fund' at the Severn Valley Railway has ensured its survival for future generations.
Bob Woolnough
