White/Blue Refurbished DMU livery

[EddieK]

My belief is that the last repaint of a refurbished "blue stripe" vehicle into blue grey was Class 101 TCL (downgraded) M59121. In late March 1984 I saw it at Derby, formed between two Class 120 power cars, the unit formation being 53696 - 59121 - 53663. At this point, 59121 was still in blue stripe livery, but the card nailed to the stepboard said "Swindon Works, General Overhaul". I believe the unit was actually about to go to Swindon that day.

Later in the year I saw the same set, all in Blue/Grey livery; the power cars were "C4" April 1984, while 59121 was "C3" (overhaul including repaint) April 1984. The official BR records show 59121 as C3 27th April 1984.

Obviously, I am will ing to hear from anyone with a later repaint....

There may have been a few blue stripe liveried vehicles still around at that time, but they had been withdrawn and were awaiting scrapping. 

[Roadrails]

Only saw one in 1983 it was a 3 car 110 sandwich dont have the numbers but a pic is here. When seen, unlike all the pics here, it was absolutely filthy!

[EddieK]

2 hours ago, Roadrails said:

Only saw one in 1983 it was a 3 car 110 sandwich dont have the numbers but a pic is here. When seen, unlike all the pics here, it was absolutely filthy!

Typical Hammerton Street mix and match. 

The "MetroTrain" branding appeared around 1982 and seemed to comprehensively replace the WY PTE logo, although my observations in Spring 1983 show a few WY logos still around. It was also in Spring 1983 that West Yorkshire area DMUs were made second class only, and it seems that depots did not hang around in removing the First Class stripes and window markings. 

Good find, by the way.

[montyburns56]

3 hours ago, Roadrails said:

Only saw one in 1983 it was a 3 car 110 sandwich dont have the numbers but a pic is here. When seen, unlike all the pics here, it was absolutely filthy!

 

Nice, it's rare to the three main livery variants in one train! It's weird though how rare pictures of the Class 110 in white are although I managed to find a couple.

 

Marsden 1979

 

 

York

 

 

I think this must be the same set as above.

 

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by montyburns56

[EddieK]

Class 110s were built fairly late in the first generation DMU scheme and as a consequence they were late entrants into the refurbishment scheme. Only three triple sets received the "blue stripe" livery, during the first half of 1979, as thereafter anything refurbished received the Blue/Grey livery.

Ages ago, in correspondence with a friend, he listed these three sets: -

51816-59816-51841

51819-59811-51832

51846-59707-52073

 

When the Hornby Class 110 first emerged, it was in blue strip livery and the vehicle numbers were correct for vehicles that received it. There was a sheet of alternative numbers (two numbers for each vehicle in the unit) provided within the set, and the alternative numbers were also "correct" for blue strip Class 110.

[keefer]

I'd heard that before- someone at Hornby really did their homework.

At that time you wouldn't be guaranteed to get the individual vehicle types right - or the whole thing could easily have been a 'sort-of' class 110 i.e. get the cab 'face' right and bodge the rest.

I'm obviously thinking of the Lima 117 here, but there wasn't much (anything?) else RTR at the time

[caradoc]

I had a Hornby 110 in white stripe livery, and the additional trailer car that was sold separately, but annoyingly got rid of them years ago. Perhaps worthy of re-introduction as a Railroad model ?

 

[Market65]

Or, completely retool the 110 to the highest of standards. That would give everyone another low density unit to go alongside the units from Bachmann, as well as the recently introduced excellent class 117 and 121’s.

 

Rob.

[caradoc]

That would be nice, but Hornby haven't shown any interest in high-quality modernisation plan DMUs since, well, forever ! 

 

[Legend]

17 hours ago, Market65 said:

Or, completely retool the 110 to the highest of standards. That would give everyone another low density unit to go alongside the units from Bachmann, as well as the recently introduced excellent class 117 and 121’s.

 

Rob.

 

Ah but if you're doing that why not make it a 104?

[MJI]

17 hours ago, Market65 said:

Or, completely retool the 110 to the highest of standards. That would give everyone another low density unit to go alongside the units from Bachmann, as well as the recently introduced excellent class 117 and 121’s.

 

Rob.

 

No point really, not a bad model at all, but limited use.

 

But plenty of others to do.

 

1 - Fix Lima 101 cab and rerelease as a 3 car. DMBS TCL DMC, possibly add TBSL as new

2 - One of the cross country sets. 119 or 120.

3 - BRCW 104 big missing one.

 

Anything else is too specialised if new 110 why not 107?

[Market65]

You’re all quite right, of course. A class 104, in 2-car, 3-car, and 4-car sets would be just perfect. That would include the NER variation with luggage racks opposite the toilet as well as the LMR sets. So, let’s try and persuade Hornby to do all of that. 
 

Rob.

[caradoc]

Given Hornby's lack of interest in DMUs. or indeed BR blue (and variations) generally, good luck with that !

 

[montyburns56]

Bradford Forster Square 1979

 

 

[keefer]

Good pic of one style of end painting - others had the white/blue stripe wrap round the end (mentioned earlier in the thread, i think):

SC59554 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

Edited July 10, 2020 by keefer

[montyburns56]

23 hours ago, keefer said:

Good pic of one style of end painting - others had the white/blue stripe wrap round the end (mentioned earlier in the thread, i think):

SC59554 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

 

You know I hadn't even realised that the inner ends were mostly blue until you posted that picture.

[keefer]

Here's the post from p.2 of this thread where EddieK described the different versions:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/130704-whiteblue-refurbished-dmu-livery/&do=findComment&comment=3212530

 

[Gibbo675]

Hi Chaps,

 

While looking for photographs of Gloucester class 100's I came across these photographs. The first shews 56315 carrying a white livery with a narrow blue strip and a blue arrows symbol in St Rollox works in March 1975 and the second is an all yellow livery likely taken the same day. The next two are form the previous year and the white livery, again 56315, has an orange stripe the other side being plain yellow with the other vehicle, 56317, painted plain red and BR Blue alternately. Both cars are trailer cars so any ideas of a brightly coloured train for your early 1970's layout will require locomotive haulage.

 

https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/1185

 

https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/1184

 

https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/2331

 

https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/2332 

 

Here is my Gloucester 100 and going against the grain it is finished in an uninspiring plain blue, sorry chaps !

 

 

Gibbo.

[keefer]

I like your Vic Berry stack in the background!

[Compound2632]

On 02/08/2018 at 21:41, Compound2632 said:

I associate this livery with the West Midlands PTE - I'm sure the ones I used to see on the Cross-City Line had the WM logo. I travelled on a 3-car unit in this livery between Oxford and Birmingham New Street - it was standing in for a no-show cross country train (usually 47 + Mk 1 BG + 4 x Mk2 e/f? SOs + Mk1 buffet + Mk2 BFO I think) on a very busy Friday before Christmas - a most unpleasant journey. This would have been in 1985 or 86, I think - maybe even a year or two later? Certainly the result is, I have no affection for the livery.

 

I'm not very well up on DMU classes but the usual ones on the Cross-City Line were all-door types. They were overall blue when we first moved into a house backing onto the line near Four Oaks station in 1972 but I think were blue/grey by the early 80s - they looked much smarter like that.

 

On 03/08/2018 at 18:13, EddieK said:

The Cross City line was the hunting ground of the Tyseley Class 116 fleet, with their suburban layout with lots of doors. From around 1976/7, most of these went through the refurbishment scheme and as this was funded (wholly or in part) by the PTE then the WM logo was applied on the driver's side, on the blue stripe. The non driver's side had a BR double arrow. From 1979 onwards, these units then gained Blue/Grey and the WM logo was usually applied. 

You have my sympathy for having to enjoy a Class 116 in place of loco haulage. Had it not been so crowded, it might have been a little better. The trip might have been longer ago than you think as the last "blue stripe" car of any type went for painting in April 1984...

 

On 14/06/2020 at 12:37, EddieK said:

My belief is that the last repaint of a refurbished "blue stripe" vehicle into blue grey was Class 101 TCL (downgraded) M59121. In late March 1984 I saw it at Derby, formed between two Class 120 power cars, the unit formation being 53696 - 59121 - 53663. At this point, 59121 was still in blue stripe livery, but the card nailed to the stepboard said "Swindon Works, General Overhaul". I believe the unit was actually about to go to Swindon that day.

Later in the year I saw the same set, all in Blue/Grey livery; the power cars were "C4" April 1984, while 59121 was "C3" (overhaul including repaint) April 1984. The official BR records show 59121 as C3 27th April 1984.

Obviously, I am will ing to hear from anyone with a later repaint....

There may have been a few blue stripe liveried vehicles still around at that time, but they had been withdrawn and were awaiting scrapping. 

 

The 3-car unit on my unpleasant journey from Oxford to New Street wasn't a high-density unit (it would have been better if it had been). I suppose it could well have been a Reading-based Class 101- would that fit? My memory is that all three cars were in blue stripe. From what I've read here, that journey must have been either before Christmas 1983 or possibly going home for a weekend in the winter of 1984; certainly no earlier.

[EddieK]

In late 1983 / early 1984 Reading did not have any Class 101 triple sets. Tyseley had a few sets hanging on in that livery so that was most likely what you travelled in.

[montyburns56]

This is slightly OT, but if you are inspired by this thread then Model Railways Direct are selling a two car Class 101 in Refurbished livery at a bargain price of £99.

 

https://www.modelrailwaysdirect.co.uk/locomotive-multiple-units/Bachmann-32-289-class-101-2-car-dmu-br-refurbished-white-blue/#

[montyburns56]

Class 115 Quainton Road 1979

 

 

[D826]

Cracking, went on that, the Quaintonian - running shuttles to Quainton.  Same day as the Hazells summer fete, over behind the social club on Oakfield Road which my mates Mum took him too.  At Quainton King Edward (1st)? was in a right pre restored state, but it used to be where L44, Met E Class my old man drove was kept so was keen to go.  Came back with a mirror with King Eddy 1 on it, so contributed at least 3 quid to her restoration!  

 

Yes,  the 115s out of Aylesbury were a right mish mash then.  Most Marylebone services used the long gone  bay platform, on the Multi storey car park side.  Used to be a 25 and lots of GUVs, CCTs etc there.  

Matt W

[johnw1]

18 minutes ago, D826 said:

Yes,  the 115s out of Aylesbury were a right mish mash then.  Most Marylebone services used the long gone  bay platform, on the Multi storey car park side.  Used to be a 25 and lots of GUVs, CCTs etc there.  

Matt W

Quoted bay platform

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/11561129765/

Mixed livery Class 115 set

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6740749875/