Longest lasting liveries.

[Cowley]

I was looking at a photo recently of a 73/9 on a driver training service in Scotland which included in the consist an Intercity liveried mk2 aircon which made me think:
What livery has lasted the longest with no break (i.e with no modern heritage repaints')
If you say that Intercity first appeared on the APT in the early 80s, that's got to be a contender hasn't it?
What about blue and grey? Between the first repaints in the 60s and the last 31/4s or 08s maybe?
What about BR maroon, GWR Chocolate and Cream, SR green, LMS red, or LNER teak, which one lasted decades and which one was short lived? I've always wanted to know.
What does everyone think? My guess is Intercity livery in its various guises as it's nearing 35 years now and has been on the mainline (in various forms and possibly unrepainted/renovated) constantly since.

I know that this may be slightly ambiguous but I'd be interested in your points of view.

 

[Cowley]

Just to add - I'm not sure how long GWR green or perhaps Midland red lasted on locomotives? Pretty sure someone on here will though, so we'll go for hauled stock liveries and locomotive liveries if that's ok?
Any information much appreciated as always clever types...

 

[Harbornite]

Some ex GWR loco tenders retained said branding until about 1964, so about 16 years after the GWR ceased to exist.

Regarding rail blue, I think at least one class 08 has managed to stay in it without being repainted after privatisation. As you've mentioned, intercity is also a fairly good contender. Some more "modern" examples are the Virgin pendos and Super voyagers (approx 15 years for the 221s and a bit less for the older tranche of 390s) and the class 92s that have managed to retain two tone grey that they've had from new, albeit with rebranding in most cases.

 

[dubscottie]

Teak. Used by the GNR/ECJS and LNER from the late 1800's till 1948.

 

[daodao]

I was looking at a photo recently of a 73/9 on a driver training service in Scotland which included in the consist an Intercity liveried mk2 aircon which made me think:
What livery has lasted the longest with no break (i.e with no modern heritage repaints')
If you say that Intercity first appeared on the APT in the early 80s, that's got to be a contender hasn't it?
What about blue and grey? Between the first repaints in the 60s and the last 31/4s or 08s maybe?
What about BR maroon, GWR Chocolate and Cream, SR green, LMS red, or LNER teak, which one lasted decades and which one was short lived? I've always wanted to know.
What does everyone think? My guess is Intercity livery in its various guises as it's nearing 35 years now and has been on the mainline (in various forms and possibly unrepainted/renovated) constantly since.

I know that this may be slightly ambiguous but I'd be interested in your points of view.

The Dundalk, Newry and Greenore Railway used the LNWR livery from 1873 until its closure in 1951.

 

[yorksrob]

Southern Region Green must have lasted a long time from the 1920's to about 1965

 

[Ash Bridge]

If you say that Intercity first appeared on the APT in the early 80s, that's got to be a contender hasn't it?

What does everyone think? My guess is Intercity livery in its various guises as it's nearing 35 years now and has been on the mainline (in various forms and possibly unrepainted/renovated) constantly since.

I know that this may be slightly ambiguous but I'd be interested in your points of view.

I suspect it may be a little longer as the APT-P power made its first mainline run (possibly between the prototype HST powercars) during 1977, not absolutely certain it wore IC livery at this stage but it certainly did a year later when the prototype sets were completed, so 39-40 years for IC livery.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Southern Region Green must have lasted a long time from the 1920's to about 1965

I can recall travelling from Manchester Piccadilly to Stockport I'm pretty certain back in 1971 on a south coast bound train in a green livered mk1 SK or CK, quite a novelty as the rest of the rake was all blue/grey plus the odd maroon vehicle behind the Class 85/86 at the head, there surely couldn't have been many left in mainline service at that point?

 

[yorksrob]

I can recall travelling from Manchester Piccadilly to Stockport I'm pretty certain back in 1971 on a south coast bound train in a green livered mk1 SK or CK, quite a novelty as the rest of the rake was all blue/grey plus the odd maroon vehicle behind the Class 85/86 at the head, there surely couldn't have been many left in mainline service at that point?

That's interesting.

As I understand it, the phase 1 CIG's were the last units to enter service in Green in 1964 but went to rail blue over the next few years. I expect odd loco carriages might have survived in green until quite late !

 

[Ash Bridge]

That's interesting.

As I understand it, the phase 1 CIG's were the last units to enter service in Green in 1964 but went to rail blue over the next few years. I expect odd loco carriages might have survived in green until quite late !

There were still a few maroon mk1s kicking around up here at that time but it was my first and only ever sighting of a green southern region livered vehicle as I'd never ventured to 3rd rail land at that stage, the only exception was seeing the preserved Bulleid SO on the Worth Valley line a year previously.

 

[Bevan Price]

Unlined black was a common livery for freight / shunting steam locos (for many owning companies) right up to the end of regular BR steam working in 1968 - and the first working steam locos date from 1804 (or thereabouts). In all cases, there would be changes in lettering / emblems after BR took over.

Not sure when GWR started using green for passenger locos, but the last green "Castle" survived on BR until 1967. Chocolate & cream coaches largely disappeared from BR for a while, until some Mark 1 coaches on WR were repainted in that livery.

LMSR used a version of Midland Railway red on larger passenger locos; I think a few retained that livery until about 1950, then it disappeared brieflly until a few Pacifics appeared in red. (Wartime and early postwar repaints were usually black.)

LMSR red for "suburban" coaches was continued by BR, but I think that there were variations in the "lining" markings & lettering, so liveries were not totally identical.

 

[yorksrob]

There were still a few maroon mk1s kicking around up here at that time but it was my first and only ever sighting of a green southern region livered vehicle as I'd never ventured to 3rd rail land at that stage, the only exception was seeing the preserved Bulleid SO on the Worth Valley line a year previously.

I never saw carriages in green as their original livery. The first occasion was a four carriage Hastings thumper that used to run on the Marshlink during the late 1980's, but that had been repainted specially.

 

[Ash Bridge]

I never saw carriages in green as their original livery. The first occasion was a four carriage Hastings thumper that used to run on the Marshlink during the late 1980's, but that had been repainted specially.

I guess I must be showing my age sorry to go briefly off topic but I wonder if any Bulleid loco hauled coaches ever received blue/grey livery? I think a couple of the former LMS 57' bodied coaches did, and as we know former LNER catering vehicles certainly did.

 

[Cowley]

Some interesting replies on here thanks all. I hadn't really thought through how long some of the older liveries like SR green had lasted.

I guess I must be showing my age sorry to go briefly off topic but I wonder if any Bulleid loco hauled coaches ever received blue/grey livery? I think a couple of the former LMS 57' bodied coaches did, and as we know former LNER catering vehicles certainly did.

I don't think any Bulleids made it into blue and grey unless one in departmental service was painted all over blue possibly.
Some made it into maroon though and were used in Scotland and other places, I've seen photos of them somewhere.

I was wondering if the Metro-Vick CoBo still carries it's original (scorched) BR green? I know it's preserved and that now I've gone off my own topic...

 

[GusB]

Aren't there a few locos still carrying the Railfreight triple-grey livery? That must be getting on for 30 years old now.

 

[Cowley]

Aren't there a few locos still carrying the Railfreight triple-grey livery? That must be getting on for 30 years old now.

Good point actually. Aren't some of the 60s and 92s still running around in triple grey? I know they're not 30 years old but the basic colour scheme is.

 

[30907]

Southern Region Green must have lasted a long time from the 1920's to about 1965

Maunsell era was olive green, malachite came in with Bullied around 1937 - but survived on units till at least 1970 from memory (ignoring the heritage repaint of SUB 4732). So pushing 45 years continuous.

Midland Red on coaches I think had a longer life even than teak, provided you ignore simplifications of lining. Chocolate and cream had an interruption when the GW went to plain brown, but I imagine not every vehicle was repainted.

 

[yorksrob]

Maunsell era was olive green, malachite came in with Bullied around 1937 - but survived on units till at least 1970 from memory (ignoring the heritage repaint of SUB 4732). So pushing 45 years continuous.

Ah thanks.

I also remember some grubby looking de-icing units at Ashford that were still in all over blue in the early 1990's.

 

[Taunton]

Maunsell era was olive green, malachite came in with Bullied around 1937 - but survived on units till at least 1970 from memory (ignoring the heritage repaint of SUB 4732). So pushing 45 years continuous.

I understood the Maunsell olive green of the 1920s-30s was changed by Bulleid to his much brighter Malachite Green around 1938. This only lasted for some 10 years to nationalisation. Then, hauled main line stock was all repainted in standard BR crimson/cream, local steam stock in plain crimson, and Southern EMUs in BR "multiple unit green", which was a darker shade than malachite, and used on MU trains nationwide.

In 1957 the Southern was permitted to paint hauled stock in green again, and did so, until 1965, when it went to blue/grey, and the MUs to blue, so the various green eras did not last very long at all.

The Southern throughout had its own interpretation of what "painting" meant, having an intermediate category of "revarnishing", which could actually be a substantial touch-up of the paintwork in its original colour. As a result some of the green stock, in particular, did last well beyond its era, sometimes right through the next one but one. Strangely this only seemed to apply to green stock - the crimson and cream stock all seemed to get repainted back into green in about three weeks flat

 

[gg1]

For post 1948 liveries it must surely be rail blue, first introduced in 1964 and I've seen a few early noughties pics of 08s still carrying the livery.

 

[47403]

Was gonna say BR Blue but the esteemed Gent above beat me to it.

 

[Harbornite]

For post 1948 liveries it must surely be rail blue, first introduced in 1964 and I've seen a few early noughties pics of 08s still carrying the livery.

08925 still had it in 2007, I'll check later to see whether or not the loco is still in use and in that livery.

 

[Cowley]

08925 still had it in 2007, I'll check later to see whether or not the loco is still in use and in that livery.

That'd be great. Is it still operational?

 

[Ash Bridge]

On the train heading into Manchester yesterday I noticed a Railblue 08 on Longsight depot (unable to see the number) could this have been carried from BR days or is it more likely to be a later repaint?

 

[theageofthetra]

Did any of the Welsh narrow gauge lines have one livery from opening through into preservation?

 

[Taunton]

GWR steam locos were painted Brunswick Green from Gooch's first locos at the start in 1840, right through the GWR's history, and as BR express locos continued this to the end of steam, that's 125 years of locos in that green livery heading through Swindon.

Beat that!

I am aware that the Kings were painted blue for a short period in the late 1940s after nationalisation, but only them, none of the other green types.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Did any of the Welsh narrow gauge lines have one livery from opening through into preservation?

"Fairlie" maroon possibly... Though "rust" may have superceded maroon at some point!

 

[Harbornite]

That'd be great. Is it still operational?

I think so, a pic from last month shows it in use but I will have to confirm by looking at wnxx data.

On another note, you can add the old Anglia and Virgin mk2 liveries, they've been around for about 19 years.

 

[Harbornite]

That'd be great. Is it still operational?

Just an update, the loco is operational with GBRF at Whitemoor, but is now green rather than blue.

 

[Cowley]

Just an update, the loco is operational with GBRF at Whitemoor, but is now green rather than blue.

Interesting. Thanks for looking. Even if it lasted until 2007 in blue that still must make it one of the last carriers of standard blue on the network?
Probably have to go some to beat Tauntons Brunswick green post though.