The Type 4 Class 50 ‘Hoovers’ were an express passenger locomotive that worked on much of the UK’s railway network, and is now available for Train Simulator.
Fifty of the Class were built in the late 1960s by English Electric at Vulcan Foundry Works and were exclusively used on the then non-electrified West Coast Main Line between Crewe, Carlisle and Scotland. Prior to TOPS classification, the Type 4 locomotives had a top speed of 100mph, being re-classified to the Class 50 and purchased from English Electric Leasing by British Rail in the early 1970s.
After electrification of the WCML, the Class 50s were displaced and transferred to the Western Region, working mainline passenger services from London Paddington along the Great Western Main Line. However, the Class was beset with reliability problems and BR made the decision to refurbish all 50 locomotives in the late 1970s. Whilst this temporarily resolved the reliability issues, by the early 1990s, just eight locomotives remained in service.
By 1994, the whole fleet had been withdrawn from service, but 18 were preserved and can today be found mainly on the UK’s heritage railways with many still certified for mainline running and used to head rail tours.
The Class 50 for Train Simulator, developed by Meshtools, is available in a variety of BR and privatised liveries, including BR Blue (TOPS and Pre-TOPS), Great Western Railway Green and BR Dual Green, Network South East Blue (original and revised) and BR Large Logo. Features of the model include independently operated screen wipers, four position reverser, two-tone horn, opening cab windows, operating sun visors and configurable locomotive running numbers and names.
The locomotive is also Quick Drive compatible, giving you the freedom to drive the Class 50 on any Quick Drive enabled route for Train Simulator, such as those available through Steam. Also included are scenarios specifically for the Settle to Carlisle[ route (available separately and required to play these scenarios).
Scenarios
Five scenarios for the Settle to Carlisle route:
- Carlisle Commuter
- Hoovering Pipes
- Scottish Express
- Settling In
- Sleeperless in Carlisle
More scenarios are available on Steam Workshop online and in-game. Train Simulator’s Steam Workshop scenarios are free and easy to download, adding many more hours of exciting gameplay. With scenarios being added daily, why don’t you check it out now!
Key Features
- Class 50 in BR Blue (TOPS and Pre-TOPS), Great Western Railway Green and BR Dual Green, Network South East Blue (original and revised) and BR Large Logo livery
- Quick Drive compatible
- Independently operated screen wipers
- Four position reverser
- Two-tone horn
- Opening cab windows
- Operating sun visors
- Configurable locomotive running numbers and names
- Scenarios for the Settle to Carlisle route
- Download size: 433mb
