Class 50 50032 'Courageous' - my second favourite 'Vac'- rests at Old Oak Common towards the end of its life - now with a link to my audio recordings of 50032 on SoundCloud! 😍
<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 ;)

Here is one of a set of photos I took on one of my last visits to Old Oak Common in 1990 - with Class 50 <b>50032 'Courageous'</b> looking a tad run down after a 22 career on British Rail.

50032 always stood out from the crowd in NSE livery because of the unique blue nameplate. The loco was a particular favourite of mine, and I was disappointed that she escaped preservation. 

<b>Something new for 2023...Sound &amp; Vision on SoundCloud - more memories from a mis-spent youth 😎</b> During the 1980s, I spent a lot of my time riding around the British Rail network, mainly chasing Class 40s and then Class 50s, but also seeing and riding behind a number of other classes. I made a number of tape recordings at the time - many from the front window, some from the platform - using my trusty 'ghetto-blaster' or 'boom box' - and now these recordings can finally be heard :)

<b>Join me at the front window for two recordings of Class 50 50032 'Courageous' on 1B56 18.07 Paddington - Hereford.</b> Firstly, we leave London Paddington and then travel the five miles or so to Ealing Broadway, where the train is slowed by a p.w. restriction, and then accelerates off again. I even managed to capture the ticket check :) Then, for the second recording, we leave Oxford and take the cross-country route to Worcester &amp; Hereford. Apologies for the wind buffeting noise but that's what it was like hanging out of the front window back in the day 😎 - recorded on 8th August 1986.
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/sound-vision-10193594/class-50-50032-courageous-on-1b56-departing-paddington-to-ealing-broadway-oxford-08aug1986" rel="noreferrer nofollow">soundcloud.com/sound-vision-10193594/class-50-50032-coura...</a>

<b>...and now with Part Two - further recordings made at Worcester Shrub Hill, Foregate St., Malvern Link &amp; the train departing Great Malvern :)</b> <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sound-vision-10193594/class-50-50032-courageous-on-1b56-departing-worcester-sh-foregate-st-malvern-08aug1986" rel="noreferrer nofollow">soundcloud.com/sound-vision-10193594/class-50-50032-coura...</a>

<b>Locomotive History</b>
D432 entered service 13-Jul-68
Renumbered 50032 in 1974
Named 'Courageous' 17-Jul-78
Withdrawn 15-Oct-90
After surviving in service until October 1990, the locomotive was stripped of useful parts at Old Oak Common and then cut up on site by Coopers Metals, along with my least favourite machine 50034 'Furious'. 50032 never carried the later version of NSE livery.

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>
class50 diesel locomotive oldoakcommon shed depot london d432 432 50032