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Class 40 Diesel axle box colouring


Alister_G

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Hi,

 

Please can anyone tell me under what circumstances should the axle boxes of a pre-TOPS green Class 40 have the bearing caps on the axle boxes painted yellow?

 

I've got the Hornby model of D232 in Green with SYP, and trying to upgrade its looks a bit with some detailing, painting and weathering.

 

Looking at photos I've found, some Green 40s have the yellow caps, and some don't - is it a matter of what type of bearings were fitted, and if so, how can I find whether 232 had them or not?

 

Thanks very much,

 

Al

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It may have been a 'depot' thing.  Unless someone can give a definitive reason, it may be a case of looking at pictures and tabulating the results to see if there is any protocol to follow.  I warn you, you will start to see other differences that will nag you.  Sometimes 'ignorance is bliss'

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Hi Al,

 

Not a definitive answer by any means.... but usually if ex-works, on ceremonial duties (royal train) or as The Bigbee Liine has just posted, a depot thing.

 

Chances are that the yellow wouldn't show for very long though, the 40's weren't exactly known for being pristine :)

 

I guess the only way to know for certain is if someone here has a photo of her during the era/ year you're after or perhaps an extensive internet search....

 

 

40032 Garstang April 1967

 

40032 Stoke 1972

 

This may be what you are looking for:

 

40032 under wires.. no date

 

HTH

 

Cheers

Lee

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In around 1960, BR decided to move from oil lubrication of roller bearing axleboxes to grease. At the same time it instituted an experiment in the use of a particular spec of grease in addition to the then standard one.

 

All roller bearing axleboxes filled with grease were painted yellow, those axleboxes filled with the experimental grease had an additional horizontal red stripe painted on them. The experiment ceased in around 1963-4 with the adoption of the experimental grease universally. The red stripe was then deleted in theory.

 

Best to check a photo if you want to model a particular engine, many diesels continued to carry the red stripe until repainted into the blue livery and Britannias for example could have a tender with the red stripes but a trailing truck with oil filled axleboxes until withdrawal.

 

Oliver Cromwell was outshopped from Crewe in 1963 (?) with the red stripe deleted but if you believed its current incarnation it had them on withdrawal in 1968. Not so.

 

Preservationists tend to paint the red stripe on everything!

 

Regards

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That's great, thank you all for taking the time to reply.

 

It looks as though at the time that it carried SYP livery, then, it should have plain bearing caps.

 

Brilliant! Thanks very much.

 

Al.

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In around 1960, BR decided to move from oil lubrication of roller bearing axleboxes to grease. At the same time it instituted an experiment in the use of a particular spec of grease in addition to the then standard one.

 

All roller bearing axleboxes filled with grease were painted yellow, those axleboxes filled with the experimental grease had an additional horizontal red stripe painted on them. The experiment ceased in around 1963-4 with the adoption of the experimental grease universally. The red stripe was then deleted in theory.

 

Best to check a photo if you want to model a particular engine, many diesels continued to carry the red stripe until repainted into the blue livery and Britannias for example could have a tender with the red stripes but a trailing truck with oil filled axleboxes until withdrawal.

 

Oliver Cromwell was outshopped from Crewe in 1963 (?) with the red stripe deleted but if you believed its current incarnation it had them on withdrawal in 1968. Not so.

 

Preservationists tend to paint the red stripe on everything!

 

Regards

 

 

That red stripe theory does not seem to have applied in the mid-80s.

 

Here is 97407 at Crewe diesel depot on 22nd Feb 1986.

 

 

post-4474-0-79835800-1451749502_thumb.jpg

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