50026 Indomitable - Background

“Indomitable” was amongst a batch of nine locos sent to Booths scrap yard in Rotherham early in 1992 along with 50001/04/16/20/23/26/36/40/45. All the locos were part of a bid by Operation Collingwood, however as no money was forthcoming Booths forced Operation Collingwood to chose the best five with the others to be cut. Therefore in the spring of 1992, 50004/16/20/36 were all cut (50020/36 had seen component recovery by several groups and 04 & 16 were heavily stripped at Stratford).

By the end of 1992, with still no money forthcoming from Operation Collingwood, Booths once again made an ultimatum. If no money was forthcoming then the other locos would also be scrapped. It was at this time that we approached Booths regarding the purchase of one of the locomotives as a spares donor for 50027. This plan suited Operation Collingwood because Booths would then agree to hold onto the other locos. So it was that another visit was made to examine the locomotives to see which was in the best condition. From this it was decided that only two locomotives could be considered: 50001 and 50026. 50001 was actually in better condition, but due to personal preference, 50026 was chosen. A classic case of allowing your heart to rule your head. Part of the deal allowed the removal of any parts from the other locos that were missing from 50026 (hence the fact that once restored 50026 will actually carry a large part of 50001’s roof and the electrical cubical from 50040).

Initially the locomotive was moved by rail from Rotherham to The Mid Hants Railway, but due to lack of facilities and space for its restoration the locomotive was soon moved on to a secure site at MOD Bicester, north of Oxford. Mike Fuller, the owner of 50026/27 at the time was able to secure class 50 parts from other sources for 50027, we were therefore able to persuade him that 50026 should be restored in her own right.

First working party 24th October 1994 (click on photo to enlarge)

Arriving in Bicester in October 1994 work could now start on the restoration of what was to all-intense and purposes a complete “wreck”. Years of vandalism during storage at Tavistock yard and at Booths had seen the loco heavily robbed. All copper pipework for the brake frame has been stolen together with all cab fittings, heavy duty cabling and brake and electrical equipment. On the plus side the bogies and auxiliaries were complete. Of the two major components, the ETH/Aux generator was damaged and the power unit, although basically complete, had seen a lot of water penetration and was seized solid.The only option therefore was a complete rebuild, overhaul and replacement of all components and complete rewiring. 

The first year was spent stripping the locomotive to a shell. All remaining components were removed, including the power unit. As most of the wiring and pipework was missing there was not much to remove !! The only things that were left untouched , were what remained of number 1 cab and the bogies. We were lucky in that we were able to store most of our parts and equipment undercover in the army’s loco shed and the purchase of two old Southern region box vans helped. Also several exchanges with the Fifty Fund and the owners of 50021 enabled us to acquire items such as windscreens and brake equipment.

November 1995 saw the power unit craned out. We were now able to strip this down to a block by the removal of all pipework, turbos, intercoolers, cylinder heads, liners and pistons. Not an easy task when all the pistons are seized and you cannot bar the crank round! In the following summer the first piece of good news, a mega test of the main generator showed it to be in surprisingly good condition. However this was overshadowed by the condition of the big end bearing shells which had been water damaged even though wear wise they we like new. Sickening. Also surprising was the fact that the unit carried 10 mark 2 cylinder heads even though class 50’s were supposed to only use mark 3’s. Luckily a good contact was able to supply us with plenty of mark 3 replacements. Generally the pistons were in good condition, but many rings had to be replaced including all oil scrapper ones. Many of the liners had rusted badly (some were still full of water when we remove the heads) and had to be replaced. The overhaul of the power unit was to take about 3 years including replacement of all gaskets, seals and hoses. New turbochargers and intercoolers (ex Doncaster) have also been fitted. Apart from reconnecting the air inlets and oil pipes to the turbos the unit is now as good as new, or as near as you can get. Mike Fuller decided to concentrate more on 50027 “Lion” and therefore decide to sell his share of 50026 to the restoration group headed by Paul Spracklen.

The restoration is being undertaken by a team of dedicated volunteers who give up their free time in order to see this fine locomotive operational again.

Anyone who would like to help with the restoration, or just come and have a look are welcome to get in touch (by e-mail). Please note that 50026 is kept in a secure MOD base and anyone trying an unauthorized visit to the loco is likely to be arrested and questions asked later !!