Brush class 31 - green liveries

[47164]

Hi , did any class 31’s  make it from green to having a 5 digit tops number ? Prior to being painted br blue ? I am wondering particularly about the green locos which carried the br arrows ?

[Davexoc]

This came from a Rail Express 2004 article I saved;

 

Class 31 No. 31294.
The least known and certainly least photographed green TOPS loco, 31294 ran in traffic for maybe six weeks or so on the WR from February 15th, 1974, when it was re-numbered, to its entry into Doncaster Works on April 6th and subsequent emergence in rail blue. It remains my most sought after photo reference. The '31s' were mostly ER-based and this region was no slouch with blue paint. Most of the remaining green '31s' (the ones that had seen the longest spell without Works attention) were cleared out to the WR in the early '70s to replace withdrawn hydraulics. There is also the very distinct possibility that 31286 can be added to the list, of which more later.

 

[jonny777]

31294 was the only one, I believe. There is a photo of it somewhere, but it is not a particular good one - and it was only in that condition for a few weeks, 

 

There were plenty of green locos with FYE and double arrows, but very few ones with SYP and arrows. 

[jonny777]

D5557, D5561 belong to one of the variants, as these rain in green FYE but with four arrow symbols and four numbers behind the cab doors. 

 

Edited December 10, 2019 by jonny777

[Halvarras]

31294 was the only one to carry TOPS numbers on green, I saw it at Reading on 16/2/74. Its call to Doncaster for overhaul is now believed to have happened on 6/3/74, not 6/4/74, in which case it only ran in TOPS green condition for 2-3 weeks.

A photo of 5818 in green with BR arrows inside Doncaster which appeared in a spring/summer 1974 issue of Modern Railways (I think) has been taken as proof that it never ran in green numbered 31286.

Another green-with-arrows 31 which nearly made it to TOPS was 5668, still green in January 1974 - there's no evidence it received its TOPS number (31241) whilst still in in that livery.

[47164]

Many thanks everyone, that sorts me out for a short project with a spare airfix body shell.