GERARDTCC

On 12/02/2024 at 22:06, MidlandRed said:

Very interesting stuff - so it appears D5801 became green/fye/arrow emblems/new font numerals between 24/1/67 and 6/9/67. That’s some considerable time before it went to the WR (although BR Database doesn’t list it as being allocated there - I’m sure I’ve seen photos of it on WR duties). I’m glad Accurascale have got this in ER condition! 
 

Im also pleased to see my recording of D5662/5 and D5815 in green, syp and arrows back in 1967 is borne out by this info (repainted between Nov 66 and Jan 67). It’s always possible to doubt one’s level of accuracy 45 yrs ago!! 

D5801 and D5803 received full yellow ends with arrows and new font numbers on 14th March & 10th August 1967 respectively. Both received EE engines then too.

I did an article on this variation back in 2021, see here https://www.flickr.com/groups/1691087@N24/discuss/72157718635190272/

Hope this helps. Gerard

Late to this thread, take a look at this Chris Burton picture / caption. 

Yes Graham's list is correct. I posted the list on our Flickr group some time ago  https://www.flickr.com/groups/1691087@N24/discuss/72157718635190272/

 This version of green with arrows was only applied between 1/11/66 and 4/1/67 hence the small number of locos. Full yellow ends commenced with D5694 0n 6/1/67

The information you require, can be found here : https://www.flickr.com/groups/1691087@N24/discuss/72157718635190272/

Mister C who is not an RM Web member has asked me to post this : 

This has come to my attention and I can provide the answers from the book of arrivals and departures of trains at Bristol Temple Meads May 1973.

4O22 was 1150 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury parcels (there was also a 4O21 dep 0430)

6B07 was 1547 Paddington to Bristol Kingsland Road parcels, the loco ran onto Bath Road as 5B65 if conveying any enparts vans.

2V61 was 1005 Weymouth to Bristol which was a hauled train hence appearing in photographs.

The DMU Weymouth arrivals at Bristol were 0554 2V55, 1215 2V63, 1605 2V67, 1745 2V70.

1930 ex Weymouth was also hauled and was 2V72.

The only Westbury starters were 0630 2B10 and 1635 to Severn Beach 2B51 (all Severn Beach trains were 2B51).

Hauled trains to Weymouth were 0535 2O51 and 1600 2O60.

DMUs to Weymouth were 0808 2O53, 0905 Cardiff 2O56, 1208 2O58, 1745 2O61, 2008 2O62.

Other trains you may want to know about were 1240 Bristol-Yeovil parcels 4B15 returning as 4B16 1610 ex Yeovil and 1722 Portsmouth-Bristol parcels 4V30.

D5578 was repainted from the experimental blue into standard green with small yellow panels during a general overhaul at Doncaster completed on 17/9/64. Full yellow ends were applied at an Intermediate Heavy repair at Doncaster from which it was released on 4/4/67 when the existing green was touched up.

Norman Preedy's photo above was taken a few days before it re-entered Doncaster on 16/5/68, it emerged from a general overhaul painted in the first standard style of blue applied to 31s with cabside arrows and bodyside numbers on 18/6/68. It carried this until its next intermediate repair when it received the recognised version of blue with central bodyside arrows with which it appeared on 21/5/71. It received two more repaints in this style as 31160 on 8/2/75 and 13/10/79 before being repainted into railfreight livery on (according to my notes) 4/3/86. My records don't go much beyond that but it lasted until 1995.

D5579 lasted quite a bit longer in golden ochre and looked very tatty by the time it entered Doncaster for a repaint into standard green with small panels on a general overhaul which commenced on 13/1/66, emerging on 5/2/66.

It too received yellow ends in April '67 but retained its 1966 coat of green until 31/3/71 when it visited Doncaster for an intermediate repair (Its 1968 visit had seen a re-varnish in green.) It went straight into blue with central bodyside arrows being released on 28/4/71. Like 5578 it received two more repaints in this livery as 31161on 8/1/75 and 26/5/79, going railfreight on 6/10/85. It subsequently reverted to standard blue when converted to become 31400 which entered service on 13/5/88. Its last working was on 22/6/91 and it was condemned soon after.

Hope this helps.

The maximum number of Co-Bos at Crewe Works at any given date was 7  in September 1966 when 5704/5/9/10/11/14/17 were in attendance. 5703/13 were also stored at Barrow on this date. As mentioned above only D5707/8 carried green FYE and D5701 was blue. OHLW flashes (both front and side) , red circle coupling code symbols or lack of and slight variations in the yellow panels are among the distinguishing features. For some reason wrong IDs of Co-Bos are rife - perhaps nobody was that bothered back then.

Looking at the early Brush Type 2 arrivals on the WR (Pre TOPS), as Neil says 5809 was the only one to retain lion & wheel and block serif numbers. A large number of the others had gone through works in 1967 and received what some of us jokingly call 'electric green' - it always seemed a slightly different shade, but I'm sure it was an illusion. These all had new style numbers and central arrows and were given refreshes when passing through works again in the 1969/70 period, so these became some of the last survivors in green in 1973/4. The WR batch were 5617/68/90/92, 5803/12/14/18/23/24/26/27/28/42/43.

WR transfers in B1 , early blue with cabside arrows were 5528/30/35/36/39 which were all ex works on arrival and also 5684/6/7 and 5837. The early arrivals in standard blue with central arrows were 5554, 5655/82/85/88/89/95.  Interestingly this meant the WR received 16 in green and 16 in blue !

Regarding the change from cabside arrows to central bodyside arrows this occurred in Spring 1971. The nearest I can pinpoint it is by ex works dates. 5650 (31224) was repainted in B1 (my designation) meaning cabside arrows and numbers on bodyside on 17th April 1971. The first known in B2 (central emblem and cabside numbers) is 5835 (31302) which is famous for other reasons but came out of Doncaster on 21st April 1971.

This may give the impression that 5650 was the last to enter works for a classified repair and emerge in B1 livery, but this is not the case as a few locomotives received a refresh, rather than a repaint after this date on classifieds until the end of 1971. Examples are 5531, 5544 and 5550. The last two to re-emerge in B1 rather than receive a repaint into B2 were 5659 in October 71 and 5646 (later 31408) on 31/12/71. 

5646 was also the last Class 31 to receive B2 on 30/12/75. Hope all that makes sense.

Moving on to the tablet catcher loco with uncertain ID in David's picture, it is indeed 5675 as he noted. 5675 had this modified paint scheme applied during an unclassified repair which saw it released from Doncaster on 21/10/70. It only ran in this condition for a short time as it went in for a classified repair on 15/4/71, being released in B2 (see above) on 13/5/71. The Doncaster paintshop records for 1970 would be interesting to see, as far fewer Class 31 repaints were done that year than any other from 1964 onwards. It was also the year that 5557 & 5561 were released in green in the style of B1 locos.

Just found this thread, about 10 years too late !! Dates to blue are as follows

31125 22/8/68

31134 26/4/68

31137 11/4/70

31138 23/8/73

I'm after a picture of D5529 between 14/1/67 and when it went blue on 7/5/68 if anyone can help ! 

On 03/09/2016 at 18:13, Rivercider said:

A few random class 31s from around the network, I don't think have been seen before.

 

31205 at Kings Lynn, 3/10/81

 

31135 at Exeter St Davids 9/3/81

 

31270 at Gloucester Horton Road, 31/1/80

 

 

31xxx at Bedminster heading west on the Down Main, judging from the lack of cleanliness this was probably a Bath Road allocated loco, 11/2/80

 

And this is a long time Bath Road allocated loco, complete with dirt!

31210 stabled on the Column Road at Hallen Marsh while on local freight trip duty, 5/2/81

 

cheers 

 

 

 

 

The Bedminster loco is 31170 Kevin