I Don’t know if the C50A (Class 50 Alliance) are funny about licensing but if they are not then I think this would be a good route. 50007 & 049 go on rail tours now and again (the Mk2s that are in the Class 86 pack are perfect for that job. Also there can be some heritage livery’s (perfect for the WSR). As well as this 50008 Thunderer is operated by Hanson Hall. This locomotive does many jobs on the mainline and heritage railways I have always wondered about the Class 50 on TSW 5/6
They could be added to the Diesel Legends pack for London to Reading but I think long term this seems like something one of the third party companies could do with a 1980s section of the GWR, Paignton to Exeter would be a good size for a non-DTG team to attempt. Set it when the HSTs were just being introduced and you could have a Timetable with HST, Class 50 and Class 52 passenger services, along with the ubiquitous Class 101. Would make a good DLC in my opinion. See, I do like non-electric stuff, sometimes.
The fact it's the two mainline 50's (yes I know there's 50008 on the mainline) this would be used for Railtours if they came to TSW
DLoGW is set in 1971 so the 50s were still on the WCML and didn't get to the Western Region until 1976.
Tagging DTG employees in Suggestions is considered bad form. Shouldn’t really do it. I’m sure they are well aware of the desire for a Class 50 in game but that isn’t going to make it magically happen. Another good route would be part of the Waterloo to Exeter line in the early 80’s, maybe Salisbury to Exeter which was a fine stamping ground for these machines. But not going to happen unless DTG or a competent third party decide it would be profitable enough.
Of course, this means that there are several other options to add to DLoGW such as Classes 22, 35, 42 and 43, 53, 117 and 121, 123, 128 and 251/261. Each of these types would have been regular performers during the period around 1971. The variety around Paddington was far more incredible than what we currently have.
Oh, I hadn't realised that pack was sent in any particular year. It wasn't that far off, D400 went to the Western Region in 1972 followed by D401 and D402 in 1973, the type started to move enmass from LMR to WR in 1974, 50031 (D431) was the last to move south-west in 1977.
The first few Class 50's came south ahead of the main batch for the purposes of type testing, driver/mechanic training. The rest of the fleet were still busy on the WCML unelectrified sections and while the Class 87s were still being introduced. I'm not sure when the first passenger working of a Class 50 happened on the Western Region but I'd guess it would be late 1973/early 1974. During my research of historical fleet allocations, I've found no evidence of them visiting the Paddington - Reading section of the GW in service until the Spring of 1974. By which time the decision had already been taken by BR to relegate them to secondary services once the HSTs were introduced (which happened in Aug 1976). The Class 50s eventually succumbed to the older but more reliable Class 47s on the Western Region before seeing out their last days on Network South East services from Waterloo to Exeter. They were not one of the successful classes but they certainly won the hearts of rail enthusiast, so much so that 18 of the fleet of 50 are still in existence, 17 in preservation and one (50008) returned to "mainline" duties for Hanson Rail in 2021.
By 1989 they were largely confined to Network South East, either the NWRA pool (I think it was) for Thames Valley or NSSA for the Waterloo to Exeter line. A small pool was allocated to the DCWA pool for engineering train use. The DCWA’s were technically de rated to 60 MPH although on the quite frequent occasions we had to replace a NSSA with a DCWA on a Waterloo service at Exeter (incoming loco one journey for brake blocks) never noticed much loss of time in running!
