50031 'Hood' Class 50 awaiting 'the off' at Basingstoke station with 1V19 Waterloo - Exeter
<b>Memories of the fine art of Vac bashing</b>
Between 1983 and 1991 I spent many, many happy hours with my friends riding the rails behind the mighty 'Hoovers' or Class 50s. As well as enjoying the thrash, I managed to record many of the trips and railway scenes encountered on film for posterity. Those days are now long gone, but happily the photos remain for me to reminisce over and share ;)

After a brisk run from Waterloo, my adopted 'Vac' 'The Mighty Hood' waits for the road on at Basingstoke station, The secondman looks keen to get away!

Note the IBM Headquarters office building in the background, which is now the Skyline Plaza - a conversion into a residential complex [see my comment below]. 

<u><b>'A day in the life' - log book update:</b></u>
<u>Wednesday 13th April 1988</u> - 50031 on 1V19 19.10 Waterloo - Exeter.
Load 9 Mark IIs

Dep. Waterloo (P13) 19.10
<i>Clapham Junction 19.16
Wimbledon 19.20
Weybridge 19.28
Woking (signal stop) 19.31-33</i>
Woking 19.35-36
<i>Hook 19.50</i>
<b>Arr. Basingstoke 19.55</b>

<b>Locomotive History</b>
D431 entered service 06-Jul-68
Renumbered 50031 in 1974
Named 'Hood' 28-Jun-78
Withdrawn 05-Aug-91

The 'Mighty Hood' happily made it into preservation, and is now located on the Severn Valley Railway. More information here: <a href="https://www.svrwiki.com/BR_Class_50_50031_Hood" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.svrwiki.com/BR_Class_50_50031_Hood</a>
and here: <a href="https://www.fiftyfund.org.uk/index.php/our-locomotives/50031-hood" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.fiftyfund.org.uk/index.php/our-locomotives/50031-hood</a>

Taken with a Nikon F-501 SLR camera and 75-200mm zoom lens.

You can see a random selection of my railway photos here on Flickriver: <a href="http://www.flickriver.com/photos/themightyhood/random/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.flickriver.com/photos/themightyhood/random/</a>
diesel basingstoke class50 50031 station locomotive 431 d431 hood