BR Research Livery, when was it first seen

[18B]

Evening, 

 

Colour rail have a pic, Ref: 103722 of DB975081 at Eastleigh on 10/05/1971 in the Blue and Red research livery, I just wondered if that was right as it seems earlier tan I thought the livery first appeared?

 

Further info about the unit on Test Coach Hermes (traintesting.com)

 

TIA

 

Alex   

Edited December 29, 2021 by 18B

[Simon Bendall]

Yes that's right for departmental rolling stock, not until 1979 that it appeared on a 'loco' in the form of the Class 84 load bank.

[HGR]

Beware the blue/red livery was the 'blue era' livery for service vehicles, not just research dept. so could be any of the engineering departments under the DM&EE. It was the blue/grey coach livery with rail red substituting the rail grey panel to denote a service vehicle instead of revenue coaching stock. The first ones I'm aware of were BTU tool van conversions that came out of Cardiff Cathays in 1970 and were kicking around in South Wales. Fairly soon after, all-over yellow became the livery for 'plant' and CM&EE vehicles. BTU vehicles had a band of black diagonals on the yellow. The RTC continued to use the blue/red livery for their vehicles, until the 'executive' variant came out in the later '80s.

[hmrspaul]

2 hours ago, HGR said:

The first ones I'm aware of were BTU tool van conversions that came out of Cardiff Cathays in 1970 and were kicking around in South Wales. Fairly soon after, all-over yellow became the livery for 'plant' and CM&EE vehicles. BTU vehicles had a band of black diagonals on the yellow. The RTC continued to use the blue/red livery for their vehicles, until the 'executive' variant came out in the later '80s.

 

Thanks, I had never understood why this was in the red and blue livery, but as you say it is a BTU coach converted in 1970 and still kicking around in South Wales in 1978 https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/departmental975000/e48bc3f68

 

Paul

[keefer]

i remembered seeing the Breakdown vehicles in a pic from Dave F's thread and commenting about the RTC/Research coaches.

Can't find that link but they have their own thread!

As has already been mentioned, I'm surprised that these are red/blue - breakdown stock was always a ramshackle mix of liveries (although i was aware that not all red/blue stock was Research Dept. Others were Test Cars, DM&EE etc)

[HGT1972]

When the Canton staff and tool vans, DB975085/147, were first converted they retained blue and grey livery with the windows simply painted grey. The surprisingly small branding was quite crudely applied. Photos of them in action during 1973 confirm that, with the red/blue livery appearing from 1974. I think the other South Wales staff and tool vans were probably also in the modified blue/grey livery originally with a similar repaint following in 1974. They all looked rather smart in this livery, the Ebbw Junction pair always standing out from a passing train in those days. They all gained the later yellow livery from 1979.

 

Hywel