Best livery on a Class 47

[Richard Scott]

Fair play mate. I think I had around 230 of them, but nowhere near what you managed.
People knocked them but I absolutely loved them.

I didn't really bother with them but at last count was around 255 so one short of half the class (does include some that I had as 57s but as I count the body shell I'm putting them in as 47s!). Friend of mine was into them so picked up many /0 and /3 variants whilst out with him; must admit to doing the odd one if out on my own, just to see his reaction when he missed a rare one!!!!

 

[33011]

D1562, D1671, D1734, D1908, 47208, 47282, 47291, 47325.

The first five were withdrawn before I even started bashing (although I spotted 208 about a month before its crash).

282 was an early withdrawal, though I had a chance at it - I had the choice of 282 or 371 one day in the early 80s, and you couldn't have both. Obviously the "big" Eastern 47/3 was the one to go for. I never had another chance at 282 and, of course, ended up having 371 five more times.

When I gave up bashing (due to moving abroad) I just needed 291 and 325. By the time I returned to the UK, even if I'd regained an interest, they'd both been withdrawn.

47282 was in the accident near micheldever if I remember correctly

 

[D1537]

47282 was in the accident near micheldever if I remember correctly

It was indeed. BR got very careless with their 47s in the space of a year between 1986 and 1987 - in that time we lost 47089, 47093, 47111, 47131, 47202 and 47282 all to accidents.

By that time a decision had clearly been made that locos needing very expensive repairs (especially no-heat ones) would no longer be authorised, as they had been previously.

Compare, only 18 months earlier, 47452 - very badly damaged in the Morpeth accident, which remarkably spent over 18 months in Crewe Works, was practically rebuilt, and returned to service.

 

[xotGD]

I think this thread has prompted me to go and figure out how many Duffs I've had for haulage.

Spoiler: Too many!

 

[alistairlees]

I think this thread has prompted me to go and figure out how many Duffs I've had for haulage.

Spoiler: Too many!

At least one, then?

 

[delt1c]

Cant remember if it was 37.093 or 47.829, but I remember reading that on one of them the intention was that it should have able to just wash it of after the photos but turned out was not to be the case.

 

[Richard Scott]

I think this thread has prompted me to go and figure out how many Duffs I've had for haulage.

Spoiler: Too many!

They were too easy to get and regularly found one would turn up on a diagram of another class. Makes them the most numerous of classes for me in terms of haulage, HST power cars next and then 37s. Oddly I have had more DB 218s than any of those, obviously spent too much time in Germany!

 

[43096]

They were too easy to get and regularly found one would turn up on a diagram of another class. Makes them the most numerous of classes for me in terms of haulage, HST power cars next and then 37s. Oddly I have had more DB 218s than any of those, obviously spent too much time in Germany!

There’s no such thing as spending too much time in Germany, particularly if there’s Rabbits involved!

 

[Richard Scott]

There’s no such thing as spending too much time in Germany, particularly if there’s Rabbits involved!

True, managed to get out there for a few days in August and helped with the stress of previous few months, even tracked down one if my last 218s for haulage! Germany started my love of foreign travel (first loco was 140824 which we had whilst on a school trip). Fell into 218365 a couple of years later at Frankfurt and was hooked! More of a 47 link, ended up looking for Sulzers in Romania, odd for someone who wasn't biggest 47 fan (though had a soft spot for peaks having seen them as a four year old)!!!

 

[33011]

How does this livery compare?

 

[Bevan Price]

I can't say that any 47 livery was my favourite, there were just some that I disliked or found a bit boring. The latter include West Coast Rail - it looks OK in bright sunshine and recently painted, but otherwise looks very drab. Rail blue also faded quickly, and I found it a bit boring -- perhaps because nearly everthing else looked the same at one time.......

I managed to see all 512 Class 47s, but D1671 was "a bit close", the only time I saw it was dumped at the side of the track with D6983 after their accident near Bridgend. Haulage was 509 Class 47s (missed D1671, D1734 & D1908).

 

[pdeaves]

Cant remember if it was 37.093 or 47.829, but I remember reading that on one of them the intention was that it should have able to just wash it of after the photos but turned out was not to be the case.

It was the 37, painted for filming an advert. The 47 was the 'proper' (intentional, final) paint scheme.