English Electric "Type 4" D400-D449 and Class 50 50001-50050 Refurbished
CJM Class 50 - 50014 Warspite in BR Blue Livery Circa 1979
CJM is pleased to introduce this completely new loco, which is now in production and is available to order immediately to your own specific requirements. The model has been created to enable every loco in the class to be produced in all liveries with every subtle detail variation included right down to your choice of windscreen wiper!
Over 2 years in development this model embodies all the qualities for which CJM has become renowned, Accuracy, Detail, and Finish with amazing reliability and performance. With every new model CJM raises the bar in terms of detail and with this model in terms of performance with the NEW "Saturn" chassis which has been thoroughly tested by CJM customers for almost a year prior to going into production.
Roof detailing with separate fan and distinctive cutaway roof section
The model has many details which leave you feeling “It just Looks Right” of which the following, some large and some very small all combine to give that illusive quality.
- Full depth body sides with correctly proportioned cabs and roof
- Main side grill louvers in varying positions
- Slightly recessed front cab windows
- Roof fan grill see through with separate 3D fan
- Separate jumper boxes and cables
- All hand rails in stainless steel
- Brass body side lifting lugs
- Scale rivets and bolts
- Alternate head code boxes with grab handles
- Choice of windscreen wipers
- Brass oval buffers
- Tread pattern on buffer beam foot steps
- Sand box fillers
Four different cab and body side finishes carried in B R Blue
ALL LIVERIES AVAILABLE INCLUDING PRESERVED SPECIALS
BR BLUE in all four guises depicted are in production now.
All other liveries (Refurbished locos) will commence production in November 2011.
SATURN Chassis
This amazingly powerful and durable chassis offers a realistic top speed with the equally important ability to crawl imperceptibly and excellent control at all speeds in between. The chassis has a parts and labour warranty to 2018.
Servicing circa every 5 years is currently £25.00 plus p&p.
Loco Detail Differences and Revisions
As built only D400 / 50050 lacked cab front hand rails above marker lights.
Only D400 and D401 were delivered with jumper boxes cables, others were fitted from 1970.
Around late 1972 early 73, additional ventilators were fitted to roofs between engine access doors.
Head codes gave way to loco numbers (5001etc.), black panels and white dots, then finally plating over. (It is best to work from photos for your chosen loco as dates vary for these revisions)
Refurbished locos from 1979 no.1 end body side windows replaced with grills, roof vents replaced with walk ways and recessed cut away roof along with sand boxes plated over. Head lights and circular roof vent added. Subsequently RETB boxes were added to cab roofs.
Background
The English Electric Type 4 D400-D449 later to become Class 50 first entered service in 1967 – 1968. All were delivered in the BR Blue livery with yellow cab fronts to Crewe to operate Anglo Scottish services prior to completion of electrification of the West Coast mainline. They could be found working every thing from expresses, parcels and even booked MGR trains. In 1972 D400 moved to Bristol Bath Road to evaluate their use on Western Region services prior to the HST introduction.
By the time of their move South from 1974 onwards, the locomotives were renumbered into the range 50001-50050, to conform with the TOPS system and the Class 50 was born. With the exception of the first-built locomotive, which was renumbered to 50050, the rest retained their original numbers. From 1978 the Class acquired names of capital ships of the Royal Navy, Ark Royal appears to have been first when applied to 50 035, the others followed in due course.
By 1979 the decision was to “refurbish” the fleet and the first 50017 returned to service with a blanking plate in place of the head lamp and the cab side sand boxes fillers not plated over (subsequently corrected). Along with 50003-6-13 they were out shopped in BR Blue. The first into Large Logo was 50023 “Howe” in 1980 the rest of the fleet then followed. It is worth noting that at various times not all carried the pale grey roof, many acquired black or rail blue. In latter years orange cantrail lining was carried.
By the mid 80s the Class had been displaced on the Western Region by HSTs much as they were with electrification of the West Coast mainline and could be found working cross country services and were well entrenched on Southern metals. In 1986 50023 along with 50017 were the first in Network Southeast colours, followed by a further 27 members of the class. Subsequently the livery was refined, (a vast improvement in my opinion, not least as it is a real pain to mask and paint) by painting out the cab end upswings and by so doing integrating the loco livery with matching coaching stock. It should be noted that 50030, only the cabs were repainted leaving a noticeable colour shift between cab and body side as the blue had quickly faded. By 1990 Old Oak Common had repainted some with a further tweak to the livery stopping the upper white band behind the cab doors creating among others 50033 “Glorious” Network Southeast. Laira appears to have not followed this trend but all those repainted were turned out in a darker shade of blue.
In 1987 50049 received class 37 bogies and along with a repaint in the new triple grey sector livery became 50149 and another celebrity was born. 50007 received lined GWR colours and brass plates in 1984, 50015 C E “Dutch” livery, 50011 and 50019 in departmental blue grey livery in 1991. 50050 received B R Blue as D400 although still refurbished it looked splendid. Some 9 members of the class are preserved and have been restored, most in authentic liveries and on occasion some rather impressive “what might have beens” including B R Two Tone Green and Load Haul.
CJM Class 50 Detail Gallery
The Main Gallery is powered by Adobe Flash and requires version 8 or better. A prompt to install will appear if flash 8+ is not installed. Just follow the prompts to install.
