Our Exclusives Get a 'lil Blue As We Kick Off 50 Run Two With GBRf Pair

Warbonnet · 2025-07-03T12:04:44Z

Our Class 50s have certainly struck a chord since arriving in stock a few weeks ago, with our latest English Electric delight being put to work on layouts across the UK and beyond, settling into traffic seamlessly.

With so few units from Run 1 still available, we’ve been inundated with requests for details on Run 2. So—do we know what’s coming up?

Of course we do! In fact, we already have decorated samples ready to show you.

The full main range will be revealed next week, but first, we’re thrilled to unveil a rather special pairing as part of our Accurascale Exclusive release for Run 2: the GBRf pair!

Check out their prototype history below:

50007 / 50034 Hercules / Furious – GB Railfreight

Reunited with its original Hercules name at Washwood Heath in 2014—after being acquired by Boden Rail the previous year—50007 has become one of the busiest Class 50s in preservation. Originally retired by British Rail in March 1994 (for the second and final time), its first withdrawal came in July 1991. However, this was rescinded in 1992 so it could operate railtours.

Initially sold to the Class 40 Appeal at the Midland Railway Centre, it retained its celebrity GW150 paint job and the still-controversial Sir Edward Elgar name, applied in February 1984.

As part of the Neil Boden fleet—alongside 50017 and 50050—it returned to Network Rail metals in May 2014 in BR blue, which it had last worn before its refurbishment at Doncaster Works in February 1983. After two and a half years of occasional service with Colas Rail, it was sold to the 50 Alliance, a partnership between the Fifty Fund and Project Defiance. This acquisition gave the group a second operational main line locomotive, alongside 50049.

50049 Defiance – GB Railfreight

Withdrawn in August 1991, 50049 was acquired in December of the same year by the Class 50 Society—later known as Project Defiance. It was restarted in preservation in May 1992.

Still remembered for its Class 50/1 conversion, the locomotive was returned to its popular Railfreight General livery in August 1993. It was also formally twinned with its Royal Navy namesake at an event at Laira, receiving a crest above each nameplate—an upgrade from BR days, where it only wore one.

In May 1994, it moved to the West Somerset Railway for a power unit lift and main generator repair. These were completed by October, and it ran its first preserved trains shortly after. In 2000, it returned to the main line in BR blue. A large logo repaint followed in 2004, and it was partnered with the Fifty Fund’s 50031 Hood, becoming a key representative of the class on the national network.

This was cemented in 2006 when the pair were hired by Arriva Trains Wales for summer services between Cardiff and Fishguard Harbour, along with other specials and reliefs. Although the arrangement lasted just one year, Defiance has remained a regular on the main line ever since, primarily for railtours and stock transfers.

Working with GB Railfreight

Sealing a productive partnership with GB Railfreight, 50007 and 50049 were outshopped in the operator’s striking steel blue and orange livery in March 2019—a privatisation-era update that surprisingly suited the pair and echoed the much-loved large logo scheme.

They were regularly rostered for GBRf staff charters and stock movements, in addition to their usual railtour duties. Initially, 50007 wore its Hercules plates on just one side, while the other (five-grille side) displayed the Warspite name from 50014. In 2022, this was replaced by a Furious nameplate from 50034 in memory of preservationist Paul Taylor, who passed away that year.

Following the end of their five-year deal, both locomotives returned to Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh Works in August 2024, where they were repainted in large logo blue. They remain fully equipped for main line operation, with TPWS, OTMR, and GSM-R systems.

The Model, Price And Availability

Leading our second production run of our acclaimed Class 50s, the GBRf pair will be part of the Accurascale Exclusives range and available exclusively via our website. Each model will come in special presentation packaging with limited edition certification and features the same superb specification from Run 1, including: