A special event with a talk about the Class 50s is being held at the Severn Valley Railway‘s Kidderminster Town station next Saturday, 9 September at 7.30 pm.

Fifty Years of Fifties: An Evening with Geoff Hudson is being held in the station’s Valley Suite, on behalf of The Fifty Fund and the Class 50 Alliance. Geoff Hudson will share his knowledge of the Class 50 locomotives and their operation which he knows well as he was a former Fleet Manager at British Rail’s Laira Depot in Plymouth.

Geoff’s spent over 50 years working in the rail industry, and has always had a close association with the Class 50s.

Among the topics he will cover will be personal highlights of his career, the history of Class 50s from their introduction to their final years with British Rail and into preservation. Geoff also promises to tell many previously untold stories,

Although the evening is due to start at 7.30, the doors to the Valley Suite are expected to open about 7.00. If anyone arrives early, the King and Castle pub next door to the Valley Suite will be open. During the day on Saturday, 9 September, it is hoped that a Class 50 will be in service on the Severn Valley Railway.

Tickets for the evening cost £10 but are limited and can be booked here:

The Class 50 Alliance Ltd (the Alliance) maintains six Class 50s: 50007 Hercules, 50031 Hood, 50033 Glorious, 50035 Ark Royal, 50044 Exeter and 50049 Defiance, and are all based on the Severn Valley Railway. Hercules, Exeter and Defiance are main line registered for use on Network Rail’s infrastructure.

The Fifty Fund is a not-for-profit society that works to promote the activity of the Class 50 Alliance by raising money to fund its preservation activities. It also holds Class 50- related activities, and represents the interests of its members who are all Class 50 Alliance shareholders.