Peter J Green first photographed Class 50 diesels in action in 1975,
while they were still being transferred from the London Midland to the
Western Region of British Rail. But it was in the early 1980s, when they
were named and painted in Large Logo livery, that his interest in the
class really took off. For Peter, they stood out from most other
locomotives that were painted in the rather drab Rail Blue livery. The
sound of the locomotives, particularly when running at speed, was also
very impressive, producing shouts of '50!' from waiting photographers,
even before the train was in sight. The class became a particular target
for his railway photography and many of his trips were made with them in
mind. They regularly worked trains around his home town of Worcester, so
if he did not want to go too far, it was easy to find a satisfactory
subject at which to point his camera. Before their withdrawal in the
late 1980s and early 1990s, they were used on many rail tours, which
always provided good photographic opportunities. Today, with many of the
class working on heritage railways, and a number of privately owned
locomotives registered for main line use, there is still plenty to keep
his cameras occupied. A selection of Peter's best photos of the Class 50
diesels, taken over a period of forty-five years, appear in these pages.
