Photo' mystery.

Neptune50006 · Post by **Neptune50006** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 9:44 am

I have a book called "From the Footplate" by O.S.Nock and there is a photo' in it that has always baffled me a bit. If anyone else has a copy it's on the third page of colour photo's between pages 96 & 97. It shows rebuilt Bulleid pacific No. 34104 Bere Alston hauling a passenger train through the New Forest. The train is made up of 10 mk1 coaches. Four of them are maroon, one of them is green and five of them are blue/grey 1970s colours. I didn't think blue/grey coaches were about during the age of steam. Can anyone help solve this puzzle ?

johndibben · Post by **johndibben** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 10:07 am

Just .... the XP64 stock was about and blue/grey was around in 1966 .... I think and the Light Bullieds were withdrawn at about the same time .... I think.

That's without my 'book of words' in front of me

markw · Post by **markw** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 10:46 am

Blue/grey livery appeared from about 1966-7, following the positive public reaction to XP64 (although the "production" livery was modified slightly), and first appeared on the LMR electric lines, and quickly spread after that. This means that yes, some blue-grey mk1 stock did indeed run behind steam - in fact the so-called last ever steam train, the 15 guinea special, had a mixed rake of maroon and blue-grey stock. There are plenty of photographs of that period in various books showing the last Bournemouth line steam (mainly rebuilt Bullied pacifics) hauling rakes of coaches including green Bullieds, maroon mk1 and blue-grey mk 1 coaches.

Interestingly, even some pre-nationalisation coaches made it to blue and grey - a few LMS "Porthole" Stanier-type coaches, some Gresley and Thompson LNER buffets, and some sleepers were turned out for their last few years in the colour scheme - in fact the Gresley buffets lasted until the late 70's!

Just goes to show how important photographic records become as the years go by.

MartinH · Post by **MartinH** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 11:33 am

It's easy to think of there being a sudden swap between steam and maroon to diesel and blue/grey, but in fact there was a transition with the old and new liveries running together.

It's no different today really. I was walking across the Millennium bridge in London the other day and I noticed that the majority of 465s running into Charing Cross were still in Network Southeast livery. Compare this with my Connex activities for msts in which you won't see a single NSE vehicle - all repainted. I'll have to correct this when I upgrade the activity to build 4 of the route.

Martin

asalmon · Post by **asalmon** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 12:16 pm

I saw a first great western HST the other day, with most cariges in the new green livery, but one in the middle in the old pink. Looked quite untidy!

eddief · Post by **eddief** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 12:33 pm

asalmon wrote:I saw a first great western HST the other day, with most cariges in the new green livery, but one in the middle in the old pink. Looked quite untidy!

First Great Western are a funny group. Firstly they repainted there HST's into Ivory and Cream, but shortyly afterwards they changed their minds and decided to make the livery green/white and gold, then just after they had finished repainting everything into this new colour scheme First Group (the owenrs of First Great Western and First North western) decided all their stock should be the same livery so the HST's are been reapint again (don't know what will happen to the 47's however).

basildd · Post by **basildd** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 2:25 pm

Erm, isn't pink the new livery and green the old?

asalmon · Post by **asalmon** » Sun Jun 30, 2002 3:29 pm

Possibly, I was guessing which way round they were!

MichaelGreenhill · Post by **MichaelGreenhill** » Mon Jul 01, 2002 12:21 am

God, I hate that pink livery. Only got a couple of pics, but it looks BUTT UGLY. The green livery was much more pleasing.