Last Year for Class 121 in Overall Blue

[Ian J.]

Hi all,

 

Can anyone enlighten me as to the last year that a Class 121 was in all over blue (with yellow ends)?

 

TIA

[Davexoc]

It was the very early 80s by the time they wore blue/grey. Can't say a definite year.....

 

Dave

[SouthernBlue80s]

Reading Depot's Route Learning Class 121 TDB975659 - W55035 was in blue until at least 1987

 

Some western Region ones were blue in 1980

 

Steve

[Halvarras]

The last all-blue DMU I ever saw in BR service was a Class 118 3-car working the Truro - Falmouth branch in June 1982 (IIRC it was W51305/59472/51320). However Class 121 W55026 was working the same branch 5 years earlier already in blue/grey livery, bolstering a Class 120 3-car. I reckon very early 80s for the last blue Class 121s in normal service must be correct.

 

Neil

[ianmianmianm]

I believe the 105s were still in blue but carrying NSE branding in the mid 80s

 

[keefer]

Having a quick look through the class 121 images at railcar.co.uk, it would seem most 121s gained blue/grey by mid-1980. 

However, 55032 was still in plain blue 12/2/81: https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/3169 (into b/g by December)

55034 lost blue by 1979 but went into white/blue: https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/14932

Was this the only one to get the white livery?

Edited December 2, 2019 by keefer

[andyman7]

16 minutes ago, ianmianmianm said:

I believe the 105s were still in blue but carrying NSE branding in the mid 80s

 

104s and 105s seemed to avoid the creep of Blue Grey, which was originally supposed to be for refurbished units although over time pretty much everything passenger gained it prior to secorisation

[Metr0Land]

On 30/11/2019 at 20:25, SouthernBlue80s said:

Reading Depot's Route Learning Class 121 TDB975659 - W55035 was in blue until at least 1987

 

Some western Region ones were blue in 1980

 

Steve

 

Pic of Reading route learner here at Doncaster works late 1987

 

 

[keefer]

More info at Railcar: 

"Early Route Learner: 55035 was transferred to departmental stock in 1978 after a period of a year in store. It passed through Swindon Works for overhaul, which included fitting Leyland engines, and become a route learner at Reading renumbered as ADB975659."

https://www.railcar.co.uk/data/vehicle/975659

Edited December 2, 2019 by keefer

[EddieK]

On 02/12/2019 at 21:10, keefer said:

Having a quick look through the class 121 images at railcar.co.uk, it would seem most 121s gained blue/grey by mid-1980. 

However, 55032 was still in plain blue 12/2/81: https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/3169 (into b/g by December)

55034 lost blue by 1979 but went into white/blue: https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/14932

Was this the only one to get the white livery?

55032 had its refurbishment at Swindon and was outshopped mid September 1981.

 

55034 was refurbished May 1979 also at Swindon, the first Class 121 to be refurbished and the only one to gain "blue stripe" refurbished livery. At the same time, Driving Trailer 56283 also emerged from refurb in this livery. These were the only Class 121 vehicles to gain this livery - at some point in mid 1979, the livery fell out of favour.

[EddieK]

On 02/12/2019 at 21:23, andyman7 said:

104s and 105s seemed to avoid the creep of Blue Grey, which was originally supposed to be for refurbished units although over time pretty much everything passenger gained it prior to secorisation

The application of Blue Grey livery to DMU vehicles did not always mean that the vehicles were refurbished. 

When BR came up with the plan to refurbish part of the DMU fleet, certain classes were deemed worthy of this, while others were not. The refurbs gained white livery with blue stripe until that livery fell from favour; in its place, Blue/Grey was selected and this was applied to anything newly refurbished, anything already refurbished and in white livery also unrefurbished vehicles from "worthy" classes. 

Unrefurbished vehicles that wore Blue/Grey could be found within classes 101, (and 102), 108, 115, 116, 118, 122 and 127. Additionally, Blue/Grey had been applied to Cross Country and Inter City DMU classes since the early days of blue diesels, classes 119, 120, 123, 124 and (belatedly) 126. 

There were, of course, exceptions and I can think of a few cases of vehicles from the "worthy" classes that emerged from repaint still in plain blue when sister vehicles were going blue/grey; odd vehicles of Class 115, also a Class 116 triple set that went from the Eastern Region to Tyseley around 1986.

Of the classes not selected for official refurbishment, penny numbers of Class 104 and 105 did get Blue/Grey; some that ran in Scotland, but also some 104s that ran in England.

 

I vaguely recall some comment in the railway press of the time implying that the Inter City Blue/Grey image had been devalued, illustrated with a humble 4-EPB unit in this livery...

[Halvarras]

Around June 1974 five Class 101 3-car sets were transferred all the way from Scotland to Laira, where they received set numbers P800-804. P800/1, appearing to be in good condition, went to work in the South West in plain blue livery. However P802-4 turned up in blue/grey, AFAIK the first Met-Cams to carry this livery and before the DMU refurbishment programme had started, so they still featured headcode panels. My assumption has always been that, before moving on to Laira, these three sets passed through Swindon Works where their low-density seating resulted in them being classified as cross-country units, and so repainted to match the indigenous Class 119/120s. But this is still only an assumption on my part! P800/1 also later received blue/grey but when refurbishment eventually caught up with them they were repainted into the white/blue stripe livery, which seemed a backward step!

Their stay in the South West only lasted a few months and they were Bristol units by 1975.

[EddieK]

Neil, yes, the first 101s to carry Blue/Grey. Just prior to their arrival, the Western only had three generic types of DMU: -

1. Inter-City  Class 123

2. Cross Country  Classes 119 and 120

3. Local services (supposedly) Classes 116, 117, 118, 121, 122. 

 

My theory is that the 101s did not fit with what they were used to on local services. They certainly did not give Inter-City standards of accommodation. Hence, use them as Cross Country units and so paint them Blue/Grey.

 

In the later 1970s, further 101s went to the WR and I believe they ran in plain blue.

[The Stationmaster]

On 02/12/2019 at 21:31, Metr0Land said:

 

Pic of Reading route learner here at Doncaster works late 1987

 

 

Typical Reading stores effort on replacement buffers    I wonder if the Fitters did it on purpose?

[dibber25]

On 12/12/2019 at 12:06, The Stationmaster said:

Typical Reading stores effort on replacement buffers    I wonder if the Fitters did it on purpose?

I remember seeing 117s with that arrangement, too. Could never understand why there were different shapes. (CJL)