WhiteRoseRambler Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I am looking to get a model of UoSA and note that of the two I have seen one (Hornby) has red nameplates and one (Bachmann) has black. I have scoured Flickr and Google and have found photos of the loco with both colour plates over a wide time period but I am looking for confirmation of what colour plates it had in the early to mid 80s. I see it was called Osprey during a period of political correctness in the 80s but am certain it was used on the Scarborough Spa Express in about 1985? where it was named Union of South Africa. Any help, gratefully received. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymucklebackit Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I have this photograph taken on the 16th of June 1990 at Craigentinny, it is bearing the "Osprey" plates with a red background. Craigentinny027 by Lowland Locomotives, on Flickr I will have a check through my photographs, must have dozens of 60009, just not rescanned them Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waverley West Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Hi Chris, I'm pretty sure UoSA carried red nameplates during the period you are modelling. It certainly carried red ones in the late 70s/early 80s and was then fitted with Osprey nameplates. I think it may have carried black plates earlier in the 70s and during at least some of its BR service. As I understand it, it was renamed Osprey in the 80s to protect the loco from harm during the period of anti-apartheid protests (i.e. human rights rather than political correctness) in the second half of the 80s/early 90s. Whether the views of the owner John Cameron on apartheid had any bearing I don't know. It carried the name Osprey until the early 90s. I'm sure someone on here will be able to provide you with the details but I'm pretty sure red nameplates are what you need. See http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/20600-new-Hornby-r2909-a4-60009-union-of-south-africa/ There are a couple of shots of her on the Lochty Private Railway with black plates which would have been taken earlier in the 70s. Here is a very poor quality photo I took of her taken at Kinghorn in the late 70s with red plates. I think she carried these plates until renaming but I'm not absolutely sure.. Hope that helps. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium keefer Posted February 4, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 4, 2015 Pics of 60009, April 1985 at Perth railfair, posted in Dave's 'Waverley West' layout thread: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/2978-waverley-west/?p=968834 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteRoseRambler Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 Thank you all very much. Looks like it will be a black plated loco (it's a lot cheaper than the red one I found) and a set of red plates from Fox/Shawplan then. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waverley West Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Chris - Check that the model you are buying has a Springbok on one side and the Union of SA crests on the cabsides. If not, Fox do these as well. I don't know exactly when they were fitted but you'll need them for your period. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOCJACOB Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Apologies for the quality but I can confirm this image was taken at Haymarket Open Day 7/81 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcolmy Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Number 9 arrived at Kidderminster SVR on 24/2/89 for overhaul. Photos in SVR News no. 92 show that it arrived without any nameplates. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcolmy Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 After overhaul at Bridgnorth, test trips starting on 8/2/90 were run on the SVR without nameplates. My recollection is that it subsequently returned to mainline use as Osprey rather than UoSA. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcolmy Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Number nine returned to the SVR in spring 1992 with the UoSA name on red backed nameplates. I don't believe it ever carried Osprey plates after that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteRoseRambler Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 During my research I have discovered that UoSA only visited Scarborough twice during the whole of the 1980s. Both times during August 1984 on the Scarborough Spa Express. No reason not to get one though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteRoseRambler Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 This website proved to be an invaluable resource http://scarboroughrailwaysociety.org.uk/steam-records.html It gives a list of all steam activity in Scarborough since 1968. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Marshall Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 These pictures are a bit too early - I took them September 18th 1976 in Edinburgh. The quality isn't great, but they might be useful? Regards, Roy Marshall Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagey Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Apologies but I'm a bit late into this thread. Pete Westwater and myself are responsible for Union of South Africa having red nameplates. Number 9 was bought from BR by John Cameron and throughout it's time at Lochty it had black plates. When it returned to the main line it was kept at Kirkcaldy for a year and then moved to Markinch. At this point I became involved with Lochty and No 9. In our regular Friday night meetings at Pete's house the subject came up of loco nameplate colours. After a long discussion we decided to approach John Cameron with the idea of painting the nameplates red. No. 9 was always a Scottish engine (which all had blue nameplates, Kings Cross engines that had red plates) so we thought we'd better run it past him! Cameron agreed to us painting the plates without any persuasion... hmmm. Before a railtour weekend the loco was always prepared and coaled during the day on the Friday and then kept in steam overnight before the railtour next day. I was regularly at Markinch overnight on the "nightshift" so we started painting the plates red on the Friday evening. This was sometime around May 1974. It wasn't easy to cover black with red and from memory it took three good coats to cover the black, I did the last coat on the plates about 4am as the sun came up before we prepared the loco for the BR crew arriving. I assume Cameron liked it because the nameplates have remained red ever since as far as I've seen. It was also me that painted the Markinch on the front bufferbeam - don't think John (Cameron) liked this too much - it wasn't too long before it was back to Haymarket... pretty sure this photo was taken just after I finished painting the nameplates.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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