Road tax disc what colours for what years?

[Clive Mortimore]

Hi All

 

I have a collection of road vehicles that I intend to plonk on my layout. Now to keep things in the correct time period I would like to add tax disc to each vehicle. My layout is based in the mid sixties.

 

What colour were 1965 and 1966 tax disc? Where can I find out what colour for what year?

Lorries seem to have two or three disc what were they and what colours? Why do some have three?

 

May be this thread could be used to cover all years as a reference for other modellers.

 

Thank you.

[49395]

Have a look here

 

http://www.britishtaxdiscs.co.uk/tax-disc-history.php

 

http://www.britishtaxdiscs.co.uk/gallery.php

 

Mike

[PhilJ W]

Three colours were used in sequence red, blue and green. If you have discs of any two different colours it would be possible to work out the sequence/years applicable. I used to work in a post office at that time but sorry I can't remember the details after 50 years. The purpose of the colour change was to make an out of date disc readily visible. 

[rodshaw]

Another way to find out is to type 'tax disc' followed by the year into Google and look at images. Looks like 1965 was blue and 1966 was an orangey-brown.

[PhilJ W]

Even easier, look for 'old tax discs' on e-bay.

EDIT '65 was blue.

[grandadbob]

When I started work in 1966 for a large coal, builders merchant and aggregate supplier our lorries had "B" & "C" licences as well as the normal road fund licence. As far as I remember the "B" licence allowed you to hire the lorry to others whilst I think the "C" was just for carriage of your own goods. There was also  an "A" licence which I think was for long distance hauliers.

Someone else may have a better memory than me though!

Regards,

Bob

 

PS I think the discs where white with just a large black letter A, B or C but again my memory is a  bit hazy.

[The Bigbee Line]

Clive,

 

If it's the model is for the 'east end' you can use a P4 Guiness label or a hand written 'Tax in Post' label.....

[Prometheus]

Or a P4 Players No. 6 packet cut to shape........

 

But you probably don't want these sorts of postings !

 

Tony

[Arthur]

The second disc was the operators licence, a light buff colour.

 

Tax discs;

 

 

 

'67 was green and '68 red, after which, the four colour sequence repeated.

 

In any one year you would see the colour for that year and that of the previous year, as the year progressed there would be a gradual transition from last years, to this years, colour.

 

Here's the Guy I built for the BCB project, set in 1976, it has the operators disc and a '75 green disc. I apply them with the end of a cocktail stick chopped off to give a disc of the right size. Dip in paint and apply, needs a practice or two but a very easy method.

 

[Clive Mortimore]

Cheers Phil, Rod, Mike, Bob and Arthur

 

Very useful.

 

Ernie and Tony, thanks for the tips, I have just spent £175 on a new blue circular piece of paper.

[Catkins]

Hi All

 

Lorries seem to have two or three disc what were they and what colours? Why do some have three?

 

May be this thread could be used to cover all years as a reference for other modellers.

 

Thank you.

Lorries have two, or three discs in the cab -

one is the tax disc for the motorised section

one is the operators disc, classifying what sort of work the operator can do (see below)

one is a tax/operators disc for the trailer where applicable. I drive a rigid truck without any way of coupling a trailer on, so it only needs two discs in the windscreen.

 

Current Operators Disc Classes -

1- Restricted own account, this is used for hauliers who ONLY haul their own products between their own sites and their customers. They can not transport any body else's goods or products for 'hire or reward'

2- Standard National, this is used by any general haulier who will only be operating in the UK, and not normally going abroad. These hauliers can transport anybody's products between different points, for 'hire or reward'

3- Standard International, this is the international version the same rules apply as for the Standard National disc.

[HillsideDepot]

It is similar for buses and coaches, with different coloured discs to denote the permited types of operation.

 

Standard International - green disc

Standard National - blue disc

[Arthur]

one is a tax/operators disc for the trailer where applicable.

 

 

Interesting, you're obviously still involved in haulage Catkins but that raises a question.

 

It's some years since my own HGV (that shows it was a while back!) driving days, but that suggests that everytime you swop trailers you would need to put the appropriate trailer disc in the cab. Is that right? I certainly don't remember doing that and I was on work requiring constant trailer swopping.

 

Of course, things may have changed. I'm trying to recall whether a trailer needed a separate licence back then or, if they did, were they fixed to the trailer?, which would simplify things. Having said that, I often pulled trailers owned and operated by other hauliers, how did/would that work? Seems to present a few practical problems.

 

Just curious.

 

Edit: this is the prototype for the BSC Guy, it has just two discs showing, maybe things have changed.

 

[Catkins]

Hi Arthur, yes I am in haulage (Chilled foods).

I would guess that on a 1960s era articulated / drawbar outfit, the 'trailer' disc would be for a trailer, any trailer not nessecarily the one being hauled at the time.

I know that now, the tractor units we use still have three disc holders in the cab, but only carry two discs, truck tax and O-Disc, and the trailers have a holder for a disc on the bottom left front corner of the trailer.

[Arthur]

Thanks Catkins, that makes sense.

[Clive Mortimore]

Thanks again everyone, very helpful.