Back in 1958-60 when British Railways decided to name members of the Class 41, 42 & 43 diesel hydraulic classes after warships of the Royal Navy, names were chosen in a fairly haphazard fashion, from a list of warships past and present; but excluding those carried by ex-LMS 'Jubilee' class locomotives which were still in use on the LMR. The names were allocated to their designated locoomotives from new, and in (with a few notable exceptions) alphabetical sequence. By comparision the names chosen for the Class 50's in 1978 appear, at first glance, to have been chosen in an even more arbitrary fashion, the absence of any recognisable sequence heightens this appearance. However, far more thought was put into choosing names for the Class 50's than had been given to their diesel hydraulic predecessors. The names chosen were, specifically, those of warships which had been part of the WW1 and WW2 battle fleets; but excluding those which had associations with Royalty and the British Empire. The list of available names was further reduced by the fact that a few Class 87's had been named (in a less orderly fashion, but following ex-LNWR/LMS tradition) after certain warships. The most notable name falling into this category was "Iron Duke", which had been the name of a flagship battleship in the 1914 Grand Fleet, but which had already been given to 87017. The names of two other warships: HMS Orion and HMS Colossus, were also ineligible as Class 47's 47083 and 47086 already carried them; albeit with a non-naval context. In later years BR might have simply removed the nameplates and transferred them to a Class 50, but back in 1978 the concept of "a name is for life not just for Christmas" still retained some meaning. There were a number of names of other WW1 Grand Fleet battleships which could have been chosen but which, for some reason, were not. Most notable among these were "Albion", "Glory" and "Goliath"; all of which had been previously carried by Class 42 locomotives.

The final list of names contained, as we shall see later, a small number whose inclusion was somewhat dubious, indicating, perhaps, that BR's research into 20th century naval history was not as thorough as it might have been!

The announcement in 1977, by British Rail, that the Class 50's were to be given names was greeted with much approval by enthusiasts. That they would be named after Royal Navy warships was seen as appropriate, and also welcomed. Not so the announcement that the 50's would, "henceforth be known as the 'Warship' Class" (sic), which was regarded with nothing short of contempt and derision, with memories of the diesel hydraulic 'Warships' still very much alive. The title did not stick and, as far as I am aware, was never mentioned anywhere, by anybody, ever again!

Of the 50 warship names chosen: 30 had previously been carried by ex-LMS 'Jubilee' class locomotives, 1 ("Illustrious") by ex-LMS re-built 'Patrot' class locomotive no. 45532, and 13 by the diesel hydraulic 'Warship' classes. "Lion" had been carried in 1962/3 by the BRCW/AEI/Sulzer prototype locomotive D0260, although this was in a non-naval context. There are five names that seem to have not been previously used: "Agincourt", "Bulwark", "Centurion", "Eagle", and "Exeter". None of the, now redundant, names have been used subsequently in an official naming, although "Centurion" was applied unofficially to 47301 at Tinsley TMD in November 1991. 50007's second name, "Sir Edward Elgar", was previously carried by GWR 'Castle' class No. 7005 from August 1957.

49 of the original namings took place during 1978, starting with 50035 as "Ark Royal" on January 19th in a ceremony held at Plymouth Station. The final naming was 50006 which was unceremoniously given its' "Neptune" plates at Doncaster Works in September 1979, where it was undergoing the first, and most protracted, refurbishment.

50040 has the distinction of being the only Class 50 to carry the name of more than one warship. "Leviathan" from 9/78-6/87, then "Centurion" from 7/87. Furthermore, Doncaster Works fitted 50033's "Glorious" nameplates to 50040 in error, following a major overhaul in July 1987, and sent it on a test run to Peterborough and back. So, 50040 has the additional distinction of being the only Class 50 to carry three different names whilst in BR service. However, the all-time record is held by 50002 which, in addition to "Superb", has carried SEVEN other nameplates on various occasions during its' time as a 'heritage' machine!

As soon as the Class 50's began to have their nameplates fitted a process began of 'twinning' the locomotive with the Royal Navy ship, or shore establishment, of the same name - where such still existed. The 'twinning' usually consisted of a ceremony involving BR officials and Naval officers, and the unveiling of Naval crests that were presented by the Navy; however some of the crests were fitted without a ceremony being held.

Originally the crests were fitted above the nameplates, but on the Class 50's repainted in NSE livery the nameplates were moved to a higher bodyside position, and so the crests were re-fitted beneath them.

During the three years that Class50.com has been in existence the questions which I have been asked most often concern the nameplates that were removed from the Class 50's that were scrapped: What happened to them? Where are they now? Where can I buy a nameplate from my favourite Class 50?

The first thing to say on this subject as that it is not correct to assume that all of the nameplates fitted to preserved Class 50's are the original BR plates. Some are, some might be, but some are full-size Newton replicas. Please do not ask me which are replicas, as to disclose this information would constitute a breach of a number of confidences!

Most nameplates were removed shortly following the official withdrawal of a locomotive; certainly before it was placed in a store or scrap line. It was well before the early 1990's that BR depot staff had learned that items such as nameplates, shed plates, works plates etc. would quickly vanish from withdrawn loco's dumped at the end of a depot yard! Most of the Class 50 nameplates were removed at Laira, some at Old Oak Common. At Laira there was a procedure regarding removed nameplates (I assume other TMD's had a similar procedure). This procedure consisted of the following steps:

Thus it was, in this manner, that many of the Class 50 nameplates were disposed of, with most "disappearing" into private collections. But, there is at least one exception that I know of: When the "Defiance" plates were removed from 50049 in August 1991 they were sold to the Class 50 Society.

There is also the question of what happened to the Royal Navy "twinning" crests that accompanied some of the nameplates. I have been told (unofficially) that some, at least, were returned to the Royal Navy. However photographic evidence suggests that many were removed 'unofficially' (nicked in other words!). One of the "Centurion" crests was sold (see below) in 2003. The NRM have one of the diamond shaped HMS Thunderer crests.

Occasionally a Class 50 nameplate turns up for auction at one of the 'Railwayana' auction houses. In September 2001 Sheffield Railwayana Auctions put a "Rodney" plate from 50021 up for auction which sold for £4,300. Then in April 2002 Kidlington Railwayana Auctions sold one of 50016's "Barham" plates for £4,800. Back to SRA in March 2003, where a "Centurion" nameplate, plus its' naval crest, was sold for £8,000. It is apparent that the value of nameplates is rising with each passing year, so anyone with the aspiration of one day owning a genuine Class 50 nameplate, will need to have between £5,000 and £10,000 available! Sheffield Railwayana Auctions have a "Private Treaty Sales" service through which they will, for serious potential nameplate buyers, attempt to locate a particular nameplate and make enquiries as to the possibilty of it being sold.

There is always ebay of course! Class 47 and Class 52 nameplates have appeared on ebay in the recent past, so it is quite feasible that one day a Class 50 nameplate will come up for auction. A word of warning however: no matter how, or from whom, you attempt to buy a nameplate, you should ensure that it is accompanied by the relevant documentation, including a certificate of authenticity.