Class 90 rail freight distribution

[ianmacc]

Hi. When did the first class 90s receive rail freight distribution livery please? 

[Simon Bendall]

90037-050 were delivered new in RfD, 90037 and 90038 were painted in October 1989.

[ianmacc]

2 minutes ago, Simon Bendall said:

90037-050 were delivered new in RfD, 90037 and 90038 were painted in October 1989.

Thanks for that. I couldn’t remember. Bachmann make 90037. My layout is c1990 WCML traction depot so that’s my wallet £160 lighter!

[rodent279]

The earliest photo I have of a Railfreight grey 90 is this one, from July 1990:-

 

 

From memory, the batch from 90023 onwards were Railfreight sector as well, but were delivered in a modified version of Inter City livery, with dark roofs.

[ianmacc]

Whilst I’m in the company of class 90 aficionados, when did the first locomotive receive the Mainline livery ie unbranded intercity a la the Hornby railroad model? 
 

Ta

[nigb55009]

When new  90001 to 90025 were painted Inter City Swallow, 90026 to 90036 were Mainline livery 90037 to 90050 were Railfreight Distribution.

[ianmacc]

Brilliant thanks again 

[phil-b259]

4 hours ago, ianmacc said:

Hi. When did the first class 90s receive rail freight distribution livery please? 

 

which 'Railfreight Distrubution' livery do you mean?

 

By the time the locos started to emerge sectorisation was in full swing and many received the initial Railfreight Distribution livery (as oposed to InterCity, Mainline or Postal liveries) from new.

 

(Railfreight Distribution being an amalgamation of the previously semi- autonomous Freightliner organisation combined with the Speedlink wagon load network).

 

This first variant had the same two tone grey base as all the other railfreight sub sectors (e.g. coal, construction, metals, etc) - the only difference between the sub sectors being the symbol on the bodysides and the vertical coloured strip by the cab doors.

 

The second Railfreight Distribution' livery appeared in 1992 as the sector dumped the remaining Speedlink wagon load network and restructured itself to focus on Channel tunnel traffic and Freightliner work. This variant saw a change in shade of the two tone grey so it no longer matched the other freight sub sectors and featured the wording "Railfreight Distribution" being applied to the loco bodysides. The 'symbol' / graphic was however unchanged.

 

Not all locos received this livery - privisation happening before many of the 90s needed repainting - which is why most were still running about in the earlier RfD livery when the organisation got split up again and Freightliner hived off once more to be privatised as a separate entity.

[ianmacc]

Hi. The initial livery that was in common with the other sector liveries such as petroleum etc. Was just determining the suitability of the Bachmann 90037 in that initial livery before purchasing one. 

Edited January 30, 2021 by ianmacc
Pic

[rodent279]

3 hours ago, ianmacc said:

Whilst I’m in the company of class 90 aficionados, when did the first locomotive receive the Mainline livery ie unbranded intercity a la the Hornby railroad model? 
 

Ta

Here's 029 either on delivery to Willesden, or at least very new, in April 1989, unbranded IC livery. 026 would likely have been a couple of weeks earlier.

 

Edited January 31, 2021 by rodent279

[Simon Bendall]

2 hours ago, ianmacc said:

Whilst I’m in the company of class 90 aficionados, when did the first locomotive receive the Mainline livery ie unbranded intercity a la the Hornby railroad model? 

 

90026 was painted at Crewe Works in Feb 89.