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Yellow Stripe Black 5's


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Now you mention it, I can't remember seeing any either. I know it was mainly due to clearances under the 25kv wires which resulted in a yellow stripe, and maybe the Black 5s satisfied the safety criteria?

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Certainly not, no B5 ever carried the yellow warning stripe.

The 8f,s that carried the stripe (only 3 of them) had different top feeds so that's how they were given the yellow stripe.

The official document showing which classes and how the stripe was to be applied and the list did not include the B 5,s. The stripe was to show crews that the loco was banned south of Crewe under the overhead wires. B5,s continued to work south of Crewe post the 1st September date when the ban came into effect. The original list was G2, Jubilee, Re built Scots/Patriots/Jubilees, Duchesses and 4F,s.

The 3 8F,s were added later and a number of other locos had the stripe applied without being on the list and which had no chance of getting anywhere near Crewe such as a couple of A4,s shedded at St Rollox which was an Midland Region depot.

 

David

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The 3 8F,s were added later and a number of other locos had the stripe applied without being on the list and which had no chance of getting anywhere near Crewe such as a couple of A4,s shedded at St Rollox which was an Midland Region depot.

 

A couple of minor points there (sorry). While there may have been 3 8Fs on the list 'to be done', I've only seen evidence that 48773 ever had them applied. I'm presuming 48774/5 were the other 2 - 48775 definitely didn't get them. And St. Rollox (65B) was never a Midland Region depot!

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As Pete will confirm. Those ScR-based pacifics only received the stripes because they worked into the LMR (Carlisle) and could be conceivably find themselves 'borrowed' in theory for a Crewe turn whilst laying over at 12A.

 

The locos involved were 60027/31, 60041/52/100 60512/22/24/35. 12A based 72006 had the stripe applied in error.

 

That's pretty much it!

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A couple of minor points there (sorry). While there may have been 3 8Fs on the list 'to be done', I've only seen evidence that 48773 ever had them applied. I'm presuming 48774/5 were the other 2 - 48775 definitely didn't get them. And St. Rollox (65B) was never a Midland Region depot!

Confirming the above really. No Black Fives ever got the stripe as they were below the critical height, likewise 8Fs. But the last three of these in the numbers list - 8773 to 8775 - had enlarged top feeds from their Middle East service and so fouled the height restriction. As said, only 8773 got the stripe, for some reason, but here's the twist. In 1966, she received a Heavy Intermediate repair at Crewe, gaining a replacement boiler and standard top feed, so no longer infringed the restriction. She should then have had the stripe removed, but it wasn't, and remained on the loco until after withdrawal on 4th August 1968. So of the three locos, the only one to carry it didn't, in the end, actually need it.

 

But, when this loco was purchased for preservation, it was decided to run her from Rose Grove to Bridgnorth under her own steam, and on the appointed day - well after 11th August - the fire was lit, steam raised and crew in the cab when someone noticed the yellow stripe and stopped the job. Appeals pointing out that the stripe was no longer relevant fell on deaf ears, the fire was dropped, and that was that. 8773 eventually made the journey dead on own wheels with connecting rods off behind a diesel, stopping off at Tyseley for an open day en-route. Thus were the perils of a yellow stripe!

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... only 8773 got the stripe ...

 

In an earlier discussion on here about yellow stripes, you said "There was another 8F which acquired the stripe, undoubtedly in error. The 8F Locomotive society is investigating." Did you know if anything come out of that investigation?
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