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[[File:Hugh llewelyn D444 (5581607177){{Infobox diesel loco|image = 50044_Exeter_20170408.jpg|thumbcaption = 50044 Exeter at Kidderminster, April 2017|200pxconstruc = English Electric Vulcan Foundry Works, Newton-le-Willows|rightwheels = Co-Co| D444 (power = Diesel Electric|status = Operational|locono = 50044 Ark Royal) (Wikimedia Commons)]]|othernos =D444|designed =BR English Electric|locotype = '''Class 50'''|built = 1968|years1 = 1991|events1 = Purchased by Project Defiance|years2 = 1994|events2 = Entered SVR service|years3 = 2012|events3 = Diesel engine damaged|years4 = 2018|events4 =Returned to service|length =68ft 6"Fifty English Electric Type 4 |weight = 115t}}'''50044 Exeter''' (later D444) is a '''BR Class 50) diesel locomotives were built by English Electric at their Vulcan Foundry Works plant in Newton-le-Willows between 1967 locomotive'''. A brief description and 1968. When built they were numbered in history of the class can be found on the D4xx series. They later became BR’s [[BR Class 50, being allocated TOPS numbers in the 50xxx series. The class was nicknamed “Hoovers” because of the distinctive sound of the inertial air-filters with which the locomotives were originally fitted50007 Hercules|50007]] page.

Initially the locomotives were used ==50044 Exeter in service==D444 entered service at Stoke in November 1968, having been built as English Electric Works No 3814/D1185.  In May 1973 D444 was transferred to haul express passenger trains on Crewe, being re-numbered 50044 in February 1974. Following electrification of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) between Crewe and Scotland; that section not then being electrified, 50044 moved to Bristol in May 1974, before a move to Plymouth Laira in November 1980.  In April 1978, 50044 was named Exeter after HMS Exeter, a Royal Navy World War York Class Cruiser. This often entailed ‘Multiple Working’Commissioned in 1931, with two locomotives under control HMS Exeter was involved in the Battle of the River Plate which resulted in the sinking of a single driverthe German battleship Graf Spee. HMS Exeter was later sent to the East Indies where she was sunk by the Japanese in 1942. 50044 was withdrawn from service by BR in January 1991.

By 1974 the northern WCML had been electrified==50044 Exeter in preservation==Following withdrawal, 50044 was sent to London's Stratford depot for component recovery and the later offered for sale as suitable for scrap only. The Fifty Fund were seeking a locomotive as a source of spares for [[BR Class 50 fleet 50035 Ark Royal|50035 Ark Royal]], but finding that few components had been removed, successfully purchased 50044 for preservation in November 1991 at a cost of £5,044 (plus VAT). The locomotive was being transferred initially moved to St Leonards Depot in East Sussex in January 1992. A poll of the Fund's shareholders voted to cosmetically 'de-furbish' the locomotive to BR’s Western Region as near to work main line passenger services out of London Paddingtonas-built condition as practical.<ref>[https://www.fiftyfund.org.uk/index.php/our-locomotives/50044-exeter Fifty Fund.Our Locos]</ref>

The Class 50’s did not originally carry namesOn 1-2 May 1994, 'Exeter Railfair' was held at Exeter Riverside Yard to mark the City's 150-year link with the railways.<ref>[https://www.tauntontrains.co.uk/oldsite/MEMORIES-EXETERRAILFAIR.htm Taunton Trains, but Memories – Exeter Railfair.]</ref> 50044 was re-dedicated in a ceremony 1 May 1994. Following the late 1970s BR agreed event, 50044 was moved to their being named after Royal Navy vessels the SVR on 6 May 1994 with notable records [[BR Class 50 50031 Hood|50031 Hood]].<ref>SVR Stock Book, ninth edition</ref>. 50044 made its inaugural passenger operation at the SVR in the First and Second World Warssame month,<ref>SVR News 214</ref>while both appeared at Kidderminster as static exhibits at the [[Vintage transport events|Vintage Vehicle Day]] on 9 October that year. <ref>SVR News 112</ref>

Withdrawal of After arrival repairs were carried out to the class began B1 cylinder liner which was leaking coolant into the sump. The No. 6 traction motor was also running in an isolated condition.<ref>SVR News 115, Summer 1995</ref> In summer 1996 50044 and 50031 attended the Tinsley Depot Open Day. While there, 50044 had the No. 6 traction motor changed; the proportional brake valves were also changed at the same time. In that autumn, all the traction motor brushes were changed, and the early 1990slocomotive was repainted into a 1960-70s livery.<ref>SVR News 119, 120, Summer/Autumn 1996</ref>

==Between 1996 and 1998 50044 Exeter (D444) performed the brunt of all the class 50 diagrams on the SVR,<ref>SVR News 122, Spring 1997</ref> being used for rostered passenger work and driver training. In 1998 it attended the Toton Depot open day and the West Somerset Railway Diesel Gala. After visiting Brush Engineering at Loughborough to have a faulty field winding attended to in the generator; it was re-registered with RESCO for main line work.<ref>SVR News 128, 129</ref> 50044 was operational until the end of 1999 both on the SVR and the main line. In early 2000 50044 returned to Brush Engineering under warranty to check out what was thought to be a small earth fault on the recently repaired generator. 50044 returned to the SVR where other overhaul work was undertaken, while the generator underwent a lengthy repair carried out by Dowding and Mills. The locomotive eventually returned to service in May 2004 having also been fitted with TWPS which had become a requirement for main line working by that time. It had been repainted as D444 (nameless) in Servicean early BR two tone green livery (non-authentic, but representing how the class would have appeared if BR had not turned to blue livery at that time.<ref>SVR News 142, 146, 148</ref> On Saturday 14 October 2006, D444 was rededicated to HMS Exeter by Lieutenant Commander Scott Sellars, Logistics Officer of the later HMS Exeter,<ref group="note">A type 42 Destroyer launched in 1978; as of 2006 the only surviving veteran of the 1982 Falklands War.</ref> as part of the Kidderminster Station Festival.<ref>SVR News 156</ref> In early 2011 50044 was repainted by Pullman Rail at Cardiff Canton into an authentic BR blue livery, returning to main line use in the late summer of that year.<ref>SVR News 178</ref>  <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">Hugh llewelyn D444 (5581607177).jpg|D444 (50044 Exeter) on a mainline tour at Bristol, October 2008</gallery> During 2012 a problem with oil temperature on a mainline rail tour damaged 50044's diesel set. 50044 entered service at Stoke the new [[Diesel Depot]] facility when it became available for use in January 2016.<ref>SVR News 196</ref> A replacement English Electric 16CSVT was secured from Portugal (ex CP 1807) which was fitted with adjustments made to bring it in line with UK specifications.  On 30 August 2017 50044 travelled to the Old Oak Common open day in November 1968a convoy which also included 50049, 50047, 50035 and D1015.<ref>SVR News 200</ref> 50044 returned to passenger duty on 10 September 2018 having been built as English Electric Works No 3814received the overhauled engine and overhauled main, ETH and auxiliary generators.<ref>Severn Valley Diesels Official Facebook Group.</ref> It received a bogie overhaul in the [[Diesel Depot]] over the winter of 2019/D118520, and returned to the mainline in 2021.  ===50044 Exeter on the main line in preservation===A potentially incomplete list of main line appearances is as follows:

In {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"!data-sort-type="date"| Date!!Tour name !! Tour Operator!!Route !! Notes !! Reference|-|data-sort-value="4/9/2008" | 1999|| || || Paddington to York||With 50031 Hood || <ref>SVR News 131</ref>|-|data-sort-value="18/10/2008" | 18 October 2008||||Rail Blue Charters|| Manchester Piccadilly to Minehead||With 50049 Defiance and 57601 || <ref>[http://www.hondawanderer.com/50044_50049_Magor_2008.htm Hondawanderer.com/Martin Loader Photography] (Retrieved 21 January 2018)</ref>|-|data-sort-value="9/5/2009" | 9 May 1973 D444 was transferred 2009||The Cambrian Mountaineer||Spitfire||Bristol to Crewe, being reAberystwyth |||| <ref>[https://www.renownrepulse.com/gallery/other-class-50-s/preserved-class-50-s-on-main-line.html Renown Repluse Restoration Group website] (Retrieved 21 January 2018)</ref>|-|data-sort-value="3/9/2011" | 3-numbered 50044 in February 19744 September 2011||The Snowdon Ranger ||PTG Tours||London Euston to Holyhead ||With 57304 Gordon Tracy || <ref name="EEOrg">[http://www. englishelectric.org.uk/f819756767 Englishelectric.org website] Following electrification of the WCML(Retrieved 21 January 2018)</ref>|-|data-sort-value="19/11/2011" | 19 November 2011||The Edinburgh Explorer II || Spitfire||Preston to Edinburgh ||With 50049 Defiance and 57001 || <ref>Hart M., 50031 moved to Bristol in May 1974‘English Electric Class 40, 50 & 55 Diesel Locomotives’, Amberley Publishing Limited, before a move to April 2014</ref>|-|data-sort-value="21/7/2012" | 21 July 2012|| ||GBRf||Cardiff-Paignton (private leg) - Plymouth Laira in November 1980. ||With 66720 || <ref name="EEOrg"/>|-|data-sort-value="11/9/2021" | 11 September 2021|| ||GBRf||Tame Bridge Parkway-Stranraer || 'The Galloway Fifties', with 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance || |-|}

In April 1978, 50044 was named Exeter after HMS Exeter, a Royal Navy World War York Class Cruiser. Commissioned in 1931, HMS Exeter was involved in the Battle ==See also==*[[Diesel Locomotives]]*[[List of the River Plate which resulted in the sinking of the German battleship Graf Spee. HMS Exeter was later sent to the East Indies where she was sunk by the Japanese in 1942.preservation groups]]*[[SVR-based diesel locomotives visiting other events]]*[[Locomotive numbering|Locomotives running under different identities]]

==50044 Exeter in PreservationReferences==Following withdrawal, 50044 was sent to London’s Stratford depot for component recovery and later offered for sale as suitable for scrap only. The Fifty Fund were seeking a locomotive as a source of spares, but finding that few components had been removed, successfully purchased 50044 for preservation. Since then 50044 has worked both on the SVR and on the main line.<references />

*[http://www.class50alliance.co.uk/ Class 50 Alliance web site]<br>*[http://www.fiftyfund.org.uk/ 50 Fund web site] (still maintained)<br>  {{DieselNavbox}}

==See also==[[Diesel LocomotivesCategory:Operational passenger hauling diesel locomotives]]<br>[[List of preservation groupsCategory: Featured articles]]