Photos of green BP TTAs?

[faa77]

Spent a very long time on flickr last few weekends, mainly groups aimed at Class 37s, British railfreight, industrial railway photos and I came across hundreds of photos of brown bitumen and grey petroleum TTAs, but I only saw a single photo of the green BP TTAs (as per the Bachmann and Farish models). I did find a few photos of tanks in Ipswich which were green, but had no BP logo.

 

I just wondered if someone in the know could give me some background on when/where these green TTAs (with the yellow BP logo) were used? I know they are probably the same wagons which are currently based as grangemouth, but I'm referring to when they were BP branded and not used for aviation fuel.

Edited February 18, 2017 by faa77

[Glorious NSE]

The green livery is a 90s+ thing, so I wouldn't expect you to find them in 1970s or 80s photo's. 

The de-branded ones in the last few years reflect that the wagons are no longer owned by BP.

Are you looking for photo's of wagons specifically? There are plenty of sites to try that will probably be more productive than just searches:

Here's a good place to start: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/?q=bp

[faa77]

The green livery is a 90s+ thing, so I wouldn't expect you to find them in 1970s or 80s photo's. 

 

The de-branded ones in the last few years reflect that the wagons are no longer owned by BP.

 

Are you looking for photo's of wagons specifically? There are plenty of sites to try that will probably be more productive than just searches:

 

Here's a good place to start: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/?q=bp

 

Hi, appreciate that regarding 70s/80s (no idea why I mentioned that now) but I was looking at groups including up to the present day too. I must have come across ~1,000 pics of TTA rakes, but no green wagons.

 

I'm not just after pictures of isolated wagons, I wanted to see the rakes and which engines were pulling them.

[Glorious NSE]

Try searching for trains out of Grangemouth or Coryton?

The BP TTAs were (are?) in frequent use between Grangemouth and several Scottish terminals, putting 'Grangemouth TTA' into Google comes up with lots of train shots of green TTAs.  Some of them will probably get you headcodes to search for, which will produce many more shots if you search on Flickr or similar?

[njee20]

As said, they're now debranded and used for Jet A1 aviation fuel. I believe the main flow is from Grangemouth, and utilises Colas locos:

 

[Roy Langridge]

I just used Google and searched "BP TTA" and went to images and found quite a lot, many branded. What search engine did you use?

 

Edit: now looked again and see Flickr. Just use google.

 

Roy

Edited February 12, 2017 by Roy Langridge

[faa77]

I just used Google and searched "BP TTA" and went to images and found quite a lot, many branded. What search engine did you use?

 

Edit: now looked again and see Flickr. Just use google.

 

Roy

 

Hi. I was referring to the BP-branded green TTAs.

As said, they're now debranded and used for Jet A1 aviation fuel. I believe the main flow is from Grangemouth, and utilises Colas locos:

 

 

Hi, thanks. Aware of this but I wanted to find pics of the BP branded green TTAs, as per the Bachmann BP TTA model.

[Daddyman]

A book on model wagons published in 2008 says that the branding was removed "a few years ago" in a re-branding exercise by BP, though I find the explanation given above more plausible - the wagons are no longer BP-owned. In 2003-5 when I lived in Edinburgh I always chose Thursday (or was it Tuesday?) to go walking alongside the WHL so as to see the little green tankers, and I don't recall seeing branded versions. This is the earliest photo I have - 2006 - all unbranded. EDIT: you'll notice the subject of one of Bachmann's models in the photo - 53774: 

Edited February 18, 2017 by Daddyman

[pharrc20]

Volume 3 of Air Braked Wagons by Tom Smith has some photos of the green BP TTAs. Not sure if the book is still in print but you can still find secondhand copies. It was published by Cheona Publications and I helped with the information on the wagons.

HTH Paul

[BrushVeteran]

The SRPS at Bo'ness has a full BP liveried tanker TTA BPO67496 with a picture on their website. I believe it was donated to them by BP Grangemouth. I took the photo of it not long after they acquired it back in 1998.

 

Edited February 18, 2017 by BrushVeteran

[faa77]

A book on model wagons published in 2008 says that the branding was removed "a few years ago" in a re-branding exercise by BP, though I find the explanation given above more plausible - the wagons are no longer BP-owned. In 2003-5 when I lived in Edinburgh I always chose Thursday (or was it Tuesday?) to go walking alongside the WHL so as to see the little green tankers, and I don't recall seeing branded versions. This is the earliest photo I have - 2006 - all unbranded. EDIT: you'll notice the subject of one of Bachmann's models in the photo - 53774: 

P1020050small.jpg

 

I'm not sure how close it relates to what you said, but I found a media release from VTG saying they had bought BPs tanker fleet:

 

http://railwaystrategies.co.uk/article-page.php?channelid=94&contentid=10989&issueid=335

 

VTG Rail UK, a subsidiary of VTG Aktiengesellschaft, has signed a deal with BP Oil for the purchase and leaseback of its fleet of 124 tank wagons. 

 

The deal represents a significant increase to the VTG fleet, and introduces GB Oils and BP Air as new customers for VTG Rail UK. Under the agreement, all 124 wagons will operate out of the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland, with 57 two-axle aviation kerosene wagons being used to deliver fuel to Prestwick and Linkswood airports, and 12 bogie wagons being used to deliver aviation kerosene for engine testing at Rolls- Royce in Derby. VTG will now become responsible for all maintenance and regulatory matters.

[faa77]

<deleted> 

Edited February 18, 2017 by faa77

[rob D2]

Can't be much usage of the left now.

 

Linkswood finished as RAF leuchars shut, don't think sinfin runs anymore either

[Fat Controller]

A photo in the March edition of Rail Express shows a short rake of de-branded green TTAs behind a Freightliner 66. The working was apparently an Ipswich- Immingham empty tanks.

[faa77]

A photo in the March edition of Rail Express shows a short rake of de-branded green TTAs behind a Freightliner 66. The working was apparently an Ipswich- Immingham empty tanks.

 

I found a fair few pics on flickr of unbranded green TTAs at Ipswich. Just couldn't find any BP-branded.

[Dungrange]

 

I'm not sure how close it relates to what you said, but I found a media release from VTG saying they had bought BPs tanker fleet:

 

http://railwaystrategies.co.uk/article-page.php?channelid=94&contentid=10989&issueid=335

 

VTG Rail UK, a subsidiary of VTG Aktiengesellschaft, has signed a deal with BP Oil for the purchase and leaseback of its fleet of 124 tank wagons. 

 

The deal represents a significant increase to the VTG fleet, and introduces GB Oils and BP Air as new customers for VTG Rail UK. Under the agreement, all 124 wagons will operate out of the Grangemouth refinery in Scotland, with 57 two-axle aviation kerosene wagons being used to deliver fuel to Prestwick and Linkswood airports, and 12 bogie wagons being used to deliver aviation kerosene for engine testing at Rolls- Royce in Derby. VTG will now become responsible for all maintenance and regulatory matters.

 

 

No, these events were unconnected.  I believe that the BP branding (ie the letters BP in the shield shaped logo) had gone by about 2004.  I think this was simply that the logo was obsolete and was removed without replacement.  However, the wagons at that point were still in the ownership of BP Oils Ltd and carried BPO prefixes to the numbers.  However, in 2010, VTG acquired the remaining wagons on a leaseback deal, which meant that ownership of the wagons changed but because of their age and limited life they have remained in green but with VTG number prefixes.  In time these will be withdrawn and replaced by newer tanks as repairs make it uneconomic to keep them in the VTG fleet.    

[Classsix T]

I found a fair few pics on flickr of unbranded green TTAs at Ipswich. Just couldn't find any BP-branded.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find any frankly friend. From memory, prior to the green tanks appearing, fuel for the LIP at Ipswich was delivered in unbranded grey tanks. (Which always piqued my interest for their 56XXX numbers, but I digress).

 

Now, I'd been buying the green Bachmann jobs to replicate the flow on the layout at home (it was often an EWS turn with "celebrity" 37s in the early '90s) and from observations and pics in Traction mag and the like at the time, I decided I'd only debrand SOME wagons, perhaps out of five wagons only one would still have BP on it. I'm led to believe this wouldn't be out of place and would be inclined to do as you feel baring in mind the advice given above re: dates of ownership etc. I must've been paying particular attention at a time the tanks had attractive motive power perhaps?

 

C6T.

[Gazza]

Hi all

anyone could recommend a paint colour to represent the green barrel 

thanks 

[Steven B]

I've used Ford Modena Green in the past for BP Green - available in a rattle can from Halfords or Hycote.

 

Steven B.

[Dungrange]

I can't recommend the paint, but this one is described as BP Green.  https://www.hiroboy.com/BP_Green_and_Yellow_Paints_2x30ml--product--7565.html

 

In response to the earlier question about branding, https://logos-world.net/bp-logo/ gives a history of BP branding.  The letters 'BP' within a yellow shield, as per the logo on the Bachmann model that prompted @faa77's original question, was the corporate logo from 1989 to 2000.  The wagons were originally grey, but were clearly painted into the company's corporate green livery from 1989 as part of the rebranding (taking advantage of a relaxation in the rules for tank wagon liveries) with the, at the time, new logo applied. 

 

However, the current 'flower' logo was introduced in 2000 and therefore the de-branding of wagons (ie the removal of the 'old' corporate logo) would have started at this date, with the de-branding probably occurring at the next major service date.

 

Therefore if looking for a train of branded wagons, as per the Bachmann model, you'll have to search among those taken in the 1990s.  That probably means photographs will be far fewer in number than the de-branded version, simply because digital photography was not as widespread in the 1990s.

Edited June 11, 2021 by Dungrange