Interesting rarities that made it into BR blue?

[Cowley]

Paint wibble alert!
Sort of related to the photo of the Metro-Vic Co-bo in BR blue in this thread:

Class 28: Metro-Vick Type 2 Co-Bo

I presume this is a Western diesel hydraulic? It’s not a Class 42 “Baby Warship”, though, but I can’t think what it is. Can the experts here please help me out? TIA...

www.railforums.co.uk

I’m interested in locos or rolling stock that were painted in corporate blue/blue and grey, that are quite surprising considering how long the livery lasted for, or possibly how early these things were withdrawn.
Off the top of my head some of the more interesting ones were things like the original North British Warships, class 22s, class 07s, class 17s and various other assets...

Your starter for ten everyone. What’s the most unusual thing?
(I’ve got a couple tucked up my sleeve still )
But also as a side note what classes never made it into corporate image blue despite hanging around well into that era (40106 is not allowed I’m afraid)?

 

[Gloster]

Gresley buffets.

 

[Cowley]

Gresley buffets.

Route one but definitely...
What about the odd Hawksworth coach Gloster?
If anyone has any links to photos of banger blue weirdness to add that’d definitely be appreciated by the way.

 

[Gloster]

I am not sure, but I think a few six-wheel parcel vans made it into blue.

 

[Cowley]

I am not sure, but I think a few six-wheel parcel vans made it into blue.

I’ve got a feeling that there might have been some Hawksworth coaches but it’s late now and I need to have a look into it tomorrow night.
Interesting subject though and I’m trying to look at it from a slightly different perspective than what we’ve covered before on here.

 

[Poolie]

7, 8 and 9

 

[Gloster]

Another possibility is GWR fruit vans (Fruit D, I think) which were used for parcels. I think their last use may have been on the Barnstaple line.

 

[delt1c]

Southern Elephant vans

 

[Ianno87]

Didn't some Vale of Rheidol steam locos make it into BR blue?

 

[Cowley]

Didn't some Vale of Rheidol steam locos make it into BR blue?

@Poolie mentioned them in post #6. Good thinking though.

Another possibility is GWR fruit vans (Fruit D, I think) which were used for parcels. I think their last use may have been on the Barnstaple line.

Yes definitely. I’ve seen plenty of photos of them on the line in the 1970s.

 

[Irascible]

Obvious stuff like Syphons, the old W&C stock, ancient IoW stock, all the pre BR designed EMUs ( quite easy to forget how old some of those were - and how ugly the Brighton Belle looked ) - I would like to know if the AM1 EMUs made it to some sort of blue though, they started as units built by the LNWR...

Not sure of - E2001, Brush "Hawk"

 

[Ash Bridge]

There were some of the Stanier LMS short framed passenger stock that made it into BR Blue/Grey livery, also the ex LMS 12 wheeler sleeping cars that were still operational during the early 70s complete with Inter City Sleeper branding.

 

[Beebman]

SR Bulleid electric loco 20001 received Rail Blue with full yellow ends about a year before withdrawal, there's a photo here:
https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/E2/class-70/Class-70-Bulleid-Raworth/i-2bLK89s/A

Photo of LMS 'Porthole' CK M24635M in blue & grey:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/34575086940/

and SK M13167M:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/34151857223/

This is the best photo I can find of a GWR Hawksworth coach in blue & grey:



(Source: http://www.fourfooteightandahalf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=750)

 

[CW2]

I recall seeing newly-painted D6356 in blue at Reading depot. Did many others of this class make it into blue?

 

[pdeaves]

SR Bulleid electric loco 20001 received Rail Blue with full yellow ends about a year before withdrawal, there's a photo here:
https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/E2/class-70/Class-70-Bulleid-Raworth/i-2bLK89s/A

Yuk, what a horrible livery that was (at least on some stock!).

 

[eldomtom2]

Some prize must go to this ancient six-wheeler in departmental service: https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/14748010617/

 

[peteb]

SR Bulleid electric loco 20001 received Rail Blue with full yellow ends about a year before withdrawal, there's a photo here:
https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/E2/class-70/Class-70-Bulleid-Raworth/i-2bLK89s/A

Photo of LMS 'Porthole' CK M24635M in blue & grey:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/34575086940/

and SK M13167M:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/34151857223/

This is the best photo I can find of a GWR Hawksworth coach in blue & grey:

View attachment 90469

(Source: http://www.fourfooteightandahalf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=750)

Is there a date for that photo? Must be c.1966?

Bulleid, Maunsell and Hawksworth coaches - did they last until the 1970's

www.rmweb.co.uk

This is an interesting discussion from a while back.......

 

[matchmaker]

There were some of the Stanier LMS short framed passenger stock that made it into BR Blue/Grey livery, also the ex LMS 12 wheeler sleeping cars that were still operational during the early 70s complete with Inter City Sleeper branding.

The porthole BSKs to D2161 received blue & grey. As well as the 12 wheeler 1st class sleepers, the LMS design 2nd class 8 wheeled sleepers lasted to receive blue & grey. The twelve wheelers even had ETH fitted for use on the WCML. These sleepers lasted until the mid 1970s.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Some prize must go to this ancient six-wheeler in departmental service: https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/14748010617/

I'm pretty sure it was the generator for the LMR Cinema Coach. The two vehicles stabled at stations to give film shows in connection with, for instance, electrification. The Cinema Coach itself was also blue and grey, and I'm pretty sure it was a converted LNWR sleeper (with narrow vestibules) Certainly still about in the early 70s. - last time I saw it was at Euston.

 

[xotGD]

There are BR Blue Class 14s in preservation. Bit of a fudge, though.

 

[Western 52]

Class 41 Warship D600 was blue and was scrapped at Barry Woodhams about 1980.

 

[Cowley]

Some prize must go to this ancient six-wheeler in departmental service: https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/14748010617/

That’s amazing. Was it the only pre grouping item that made it into corporate blue? (Apart from the VoR tanks)

Some great replies on here everyone.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

My Ian Allan ABC spotters' book of about 1968 had a picture of a Class 29 in blue (well, the picture was black & white, but you could tell because of the yellow ends and double-arrow symbols). They can't have outlasted the start of the Rail Blue era by many years as I think they'd all gone by about 1971.

 

[Gloster]

Not quite pure BR blue, but two Ferry Motor Car Vans were repainted in Sprinter livery to act as match-trucks when a 150/2 was sent to the IVA exhibition in Hamburg in 1988.

 

[Journeyman]

Some of the Southern's very early suburban EMUs, converted from wooden-bodied loco-hauled stock, made it into departmental service, and one unit was used for training and instruction purposes. It survived until the seventies, and was painted blue with full yellow ends. It looked a bit strange.

 

[Western 52]

Some of the Southern's very early suburban EMUs, converted from wooden-bodied loco-hauled stock, made it into departmental service, and one unit was used for training and instruction purposes. It survived until the seventies, and was painted blue with full yellow ends. It looked a bit strange.

I think there were also some used for de-icing duties. They were still about in the late 70s painted plain blue with yellow ends.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

As well as the 12 wheeler 1st class sleepers, the LMS design 2nd class 8 wheeled sleepers lasted to receive blue & grey. The twelve wheelers even had ETH fitted for use on the WCML. These sleepers lasted until the mid 1970s.

Also a few ex LNER sleeping cars.

Gresley buffets.

And at least one Thompson buffet.

 

[Journeyman]

Also a few ex LNER sleeping cars.

Yep. The last survivor in traffic lasted until 1971, and has been restored into blue and grey livery at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway.

 

[43096]

Yuk, what a horrible livery that was (at least on some stock!).

It just shows up what a hideous design that loco was. Zero styling. To be fair a lot of Southern stock was like that: the BEP/CEP design always looked like a standard coach end with windows cut out for the crew and jumper cables/pipes added.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

My Ian Allan ABC spotters' book of about 1968 had a picture of a Class 29 in blue (well, the picture was black & white, but you could tell because of the yellow ends and double-arrow symbols). They can't have outlasted the start of the Rail Blue era by many years as I think they'd all gone by about 1971.

I have books with colour pics. of 6101 and two of 6107 in 67/68, and several of 6129 around these dates.