50006 Kingham 17 April 1982

50006 Neptune arrives at Kingham station with the 15:00 Paddington to Hereford service on 17 April 1982. All was not well with the loco, as it was misfiring badly. The explosive banging noise as it departed in a cloud of blue smoke was something I have never heard before or since from a loco in normal service (possibly a stuck exhaust valve?). Although still in rail blue livery, the loco is in refurbished condition (note the headlight and lack of sand fillers on the bodyside). It was in fact the first Class 50 to be refurbished, returning to traffic in November 1979.