Blue/Grey DMUs

[Guest AlexTM]

Hi folks,

 

I have plenty of information and pics of 1st generation DMUs up to the point where BR started to experiment with refurbishment and the white/blue livery (including the trial class 101 with two different depths of blue stripe). Can anyone tell me, though, when the blue/grey livery became commonplace, especially on classes 101 and 108?

 

I never really got to see much in the way of multiple units until the autumn of 1979 when I discovered that the geography classroom of my new secondary school afforded a good view of the shuttling back and forth of 3-car 101s on the local train. From memory these were mostly blue/grey, with the occasional plain blue vehicle.

 

Just in case there was some regional variation on this my particular interest is in units around Norfolk and Suffolk, as I have recently developed an interest in the railways of East Anglia.

 

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[eastwestdivide]

Early 1980s generally, for those which had previously been blue or white/blue refurbished.

Some, like the Transpennine 124s, the Intercity 123s, and the Crosscountry 119/120s were blue/grey much earlier.

I'm sure someone will be along with chapter and verse shortly, or a link to a DMU liveries site. Railcar.co.uk used to have this kind of stuff, but they seem to be undergoing a refurbishment...

 

East Anglia gained a repainted green Cravens 105 later in the 80s, but not many Cravens went blue/grey, possibly none in that area

[Guest Max Stafford]

The first blue and grey DMUs I remember were in early 1979, but I stress that this was my first sighting. I think this scheme probably rolled out about late '77 or '78 after the shortcomings of the white and blue livery were discovered.

 

Dave

[Pennine MC]

Pretty sure it was 1978 for the first ones, which ties in with recollected sightings in '79 - the refurb programme was still going quite strong at the time.

 

East Anglia gained a repainted green Cravens 105 later in the 80s, but not many Cravens went blue/grey, possibly none in that area

 

Cravens were never refurbed, hence no blue and grey (other than the Scottish MBS cars which were only painted to match the 101/107 sets they were formed in)

[coachmann]

I'd have to check my photos to be sure, but I'm sure I saw blue & grey Class 108 DMU's circa 1979 in Rhyl as replacing the reversed 'refurbished' livery.

[andy stroud]

class 120's and 119's seem to have been blue and grey in the late 60's. This pic shows a blue and grey unit at Dursley, a branch which closed in 1970.

http://www.dursleyglos.org.uk/html/dursley/railway/dursley/dursley_dmu_mar1969_3.htm

[Pennine MC]

class 120's and 119's seem to have been blue and grey in the late 60's. This pic shows a blue and grey unit at Dursley, a branch which closed in 1970.

http://www.dursleygl...u_mar1969_3.htm

 

There's no dispute about that Andy, Cross Country and Inter City sets were always eligible for blue/grey even if the option wasnt always exercised. The OP specifically instances cls. 101 and 108, which are general purpose sets.

[62613]

IIRC the Trans-Pennine units going straight from green to blue & grey, as they were, of course, 'express' units.

[Guest stuartp]

101s, 108s and 110s (and 140 !) on the Leeds - Barnsley - Sheffield route were nearly all blue/grey by 1981, which was when I used to watch them from the school field. The only all blue one I recall seeing was the 104/105 (?) hybrid which was knocking about gassing guards and passengers alike in the early 90s.

[Pennine MC]

IIRC the Trans-Pennine units going straight from green to blue & grey, as they were, of course, 'express' units.

 

They did - despite the IA Combine listing them as '6 Trans-Pennine', design wise, really they were one of the 'Inter City' variants.

[Guest Phil]

i started work at Machynlleth in 1978 and recall a mix of blue and blue and white "refurbished" Met Camms and Derbys. I can't pinpoint the first MetCamm into blue and grey but sure it was either 1978 or 1979. Did the orange bulkheads and strip lights get put in during the blue and white period, or was it after they went blue and grey ?

[Dagworth]

East Anglia gained a repainted green Cravens 105 later in the 80s, but not many Cravens went blue/grey, possibly none in that area

 

E53359 and E54122 which also carried set no 30 in white digits on the secondmans windscreen. Painted about '87 at Stratford.

 

Photo here http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnmightycat/5558976317/sizes/l/in/photostream/

 

Andi

[Bob Reid]

i started work at Machynlleth in 1978 and recall a mix of blue and blue and white "refurbished" Met Camms and Derbys. I can't pinpoint the first MetCamm into blue and grey but sure it was either 1978 or 1979. Did the orange bulkheads and strip lights get put in during the blue and white period, or was it after they went blue and grey ?

 

Orange intermediate or transverse "partitions" (bulkheads are for ships not rolling stock) Light Beige? (I did once remember the proper name) for the cab to saloon, inner and end partitions and fluorescent lights - along with the external air duct / vent for the heater etc. were all started during the White / Blue phase..... That orange colour was ghastly. I used to hate ripping off the original gen-u-ine Formica Panels (nice thick stuff that took any amount of abuse) to replace it with the paper-thin easily scratched with a coin or the like replacement.....

 

Edit.... I should have added, they started off with great intents - all of the formica was re-done at the start - orange went on the partitions facing each other at the transverse corridors, beige on the other partition sides and bodysides, with brown plastic dimpled sheets glued along the length of the luggage racks, nice blue lino, and fluorescent lights of course. Somewhere along the line a "budget" refurbishment got introduced and many kept their original panels and only had the yuch orange fitted alongside it - Bet the design panel didn't approve of that mod - Bright orange and green!

[Guest AlexTM]

Hi folks,

 

Thanks for all the responses.

 

The books I have do mention the different treatment given to 'Inter-City' units. I vaguely remember some of the latter operating out of Glasgow Central on, I think, Ayrshire bound trains. Growing up north-east of Glasgow we were mostly limited to the endless sight of Met-Camms, however at one point in the early '80s we did get a brief spell where some odd combinations did appear (including a single unit attached to another train, and what I think was a 116); by this point everything I saw was blue/grey. These 'visitors' disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived. At the time I was mostly interested in collecting the numbers of the locos that passed through on the regular freights and on the three long-haul services each day, although only one of these stopped.

 

Again, many thanks as your responses have been quite interesting and helpful.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[Flying Pig]

There's a fascinating compilation of livery observations made between 1979 and 1982 on Kier Hardy's EM Gauge 70s site (choose "Prototype" on the menu and look for the article "DMU Liveries and Numbers"). Quite a few mixed sets to be seen.

[Simon Lee]

As an aside the cover of the 1966 Combined Volume and the book Britans New Railway features a painting of Rugby Flyover, thatr featured a lot at he time in articles on the WCML electrification.

 

Included in the painting is a BRCW Class 104 in Blue and Grey, I have often wondered if this was just artistic licence or an early proposal in the B/G era ? Presumably any such painting for publlc consumption would have to be approved by the BRB Design Panel?

 

Link to cover of book here :-

 

http://www.transportstore.com/book.cfm/9481/395/Britains_New_Railway_NOCK_OS

 

Regards

Simon

[Bomag]

Included in the painting is a BRCW Class 104 in Blue and Grey, I have often wondered if this was just artistic licence or an early proposal in the B/G era ? Presumably any such painting for publlc consumption would have to be approved by the BRB Design Panel?

 

Regards

Simon

 

If you zoom in to the picture it looks more like the painter has shown a reflection on the side of the 104 rather than painted it B/G. If you look to the right of the OHLE mast the right hand end looks like it is full blue. You would need a better scan to be certain either way.

[Flying Pig]

My copy of "Britain's New Railway" is without dust-jacket, but the picture is reproduced as the frontispiece and the DMU is definitely shown in blue and grey. It's an inaccurate representation as the grey appears to wrap round the inner end of the trailing car and comes right to the front of the side on the leading car. Coupled with errors in the shape of the unit (the sides are painted as covering the solebars as on Bulleid stock) it looks like the artist was a "normal" and misinterpreted a photo. I think the DMU is meant to be a Gloucester Class 100 btw, not a 104.

[Pennine MC]

My copy of "Britain's New Railway" is without dust-jacket, but the picture is reproduced as the frontispiece and the DMU is definitely shown in blue and grey. ... I think the DMU is meant to be a Gloucester Class 100 btw, not a 104.

 

I have the same pic in a Railway Colour Album (I think), it is blue/grey and I also think it looks more like a Gloucester.