A final BR Blue Class 47 with alpha-numerics - 47076 'CITY OF TRURO' The next collection will be BR Blue pre-TOPS locos. We start with a What if... D1734 in very early 1966 BR Blue with small yellow panels. Why is this a What if..? Because D1734 never received Blue as it was involved in a serious accident in 1965 and cut up the same year.
Just before we lauch into the world of pre-TOPS BR Blue, here is a small project I have been working on after returning to run Peak Forest - the Blue Pullman. What if... BR had commissioned Kenneth Grange to design the Blue Pullman. Would the result have pre-dated the HST by over 12 years? Here is my take on a Kenneth Grange designed Blue Pullman, adhering to the original as much as using the HST as a base allows. M60092 and M60093 in original livery:
JT Class 87 has landed and I wanted to upload at least 2 specific locos - but someone beat me to 87006 in its Large Logo livery! So, I did the other contender for InterCity - 87012. This was the prototype livery for InterCity and subsequent repaints had one or two amendments. I decided there was another loco I could do - 87101 Stephenson. This is how it appeared about 1977. It looks right at home at Willesden TMD.
Continuing the Blue Pullman theme, there were a few livery variations and so the What if... Kenneth Grange versions multiply: Blue Pullman 1966 with small yellow panels. This incorporates Power Cars M60090 and M60091 What if... Blue Pullman 1968. Now with full yellow ends, which does no favours for the Power Cars M60092 and M60093. Notice the 'Midland' part of Midland Pullman has been dropped as the units were now on the Western Region.
The final legitimate livery - reversed BR Blue & Grey. By 1969, BR had adopted this livery for all Pullman services. It suited the units better than the previous version and was the same livery used by the prototype HST. Power Cars 60090 and 60091.
OK, you never asked for them, but here they are anyway. Want some kind of justification? WHAT IF... 1974 version of the Blue Pullman - now TOPS Class 251 units and Class 39 Power Cars. Fitted with new engines (not Paxman Valentas), they blazed the trail for the upcoming HSTs. 39003 and 39004 in BR Blue & Grey
Still in service in the mid-1980s, 39001 and 39002 (Class 251) have received the new InterCity livery.
Back to the day job - and we are up to pre-TOPS BR Blue locos. Two Class 47s, or rather, Brush Type 4's. 1514, an Eastern region loco, in what was probably the standard livery for a pre-TOPS BR Blue loco (apart from the red bufferbeams and headlights, which I can do nothing about): 1692 in an earlier version of BR Blue, with numbers and arrows in alternative locations:
A short story: A few days ago I was considering a new scenario involving D0280 'Falcon' on the GWML. The idea of putting Falcon and D0260 'Lion' head to head seemed intriguing and I set to work on it on TSW4 (I needed Formation Designer). I set Falcon into the game and then it was the turn of Lion. But I couldn't find Lion. It was not on my TSW4. That's not surprising, as a lot of my repaints start life on TSW3 to make them available to a majority. I'll just download it from the Hub then, since I know its on there. But I couldn't find it! It was not on the Hub! I ascertained that it was not on any of my TSW versions. Neither could I find my screenshots for it in my folders. But I knew I had some. They should have been in TSW3 screenshots as it was made on TSW3. Eventually I found 3 pics in my TSW4 screenshot folder. The loco was in a formation with an 8F and coaches, which is why I had TSW4 pics not TSW3. But where was the upload? It was gone! How, why, when - I do not know. So, I had to make it again, but this time, not from the NTP Class 47 with black headcodes, but with the WSR Class 47 with alpha-numerics. The result is still a compromise as the Lion body is different to the Class 47 and various bits cannot be painted, e.g, the bogies and underframe, but its as close as I'm going to get.
A few steamers to report. These are all BR liveried steam locos from the GWR stock of classes, but based on the existing Jubilee and Fowler 4F. First is GWR 'Modified Hall' Class 7904 'Fountains Hall' but without its nameplates. It is in BR lined Black livery
The GWR Collett Goods Class is rendered from the Fowler 4F. 3 liveries - first is BR Black (unlined) 3202 3205 is in BR unlined Green livery
That must be quite exhausting and annoying to redo the old BR logo again and again, I wish we’ll be able to save our decals so we can use them on other liveries. I must say these steamers look very nice Dave !
Thank you, it all adds a bit of variety. Yes, we could do with the ability to save decals we make. I've lost count of how many times I've built the BR Crest, but I am getting faster at it, about 6 hours now! I have the 8F to do for the Churchward 2-8-0s in BR livery next, oh and some coaches too...
A lot of different things going on all at once at the moment. I'm still progressing through all my uploads to add a reference code (PD7) for ease of search. Got up to page 40 of 58! (11 per page) Also been adding steam stuff for a scenario I'm planning - set in the early 1960s on the GWML, featuing Diesel Electrics among the Steam and Diesel Hydraulics. Since I've found I cannot upload any scenarios with Formations, I'm having to do this one in TSW3, without Formations. One more steamer to highlight - Modified Hall 6995 'Benthall Hall' in BR lined Green, without nameplates.
Back to the 'day job'. I'm still clearing my backlog of BR Diesels and we are up to the late 1960s / early 1970s, with BR Blue pre-TOPS locos. Following the Class 47s are 3 Class 40s, or EE Type 4s as they were at the time: 212 'Aureol' 253
EE Type 1 D8127 in 1968 BR Blue 20076 + 8104 (sorry, this one was forgotten in the earlier batch) c.1974
Finally, the Churchward 2-8-0s in BR livery. First is 2847 in BR Black And 3822 in BR Green (possibly a What if...)
A few miscellaneous items uploaded. D1500 in BR Blue with alpha-numerics. (Finally) I discovered that one of the German wagons was a CargoWaggon from the 1980s and actually suitable for BR (British Rail). I hate the amount of writing and labels in these wagons, but I'm happy about the result.
Another BR Green Jubilee, but this time with the Yellow cabside stripe, but different to the other one. This loco had a variation of the yellow stripe that did not cross the cabside lining and looked so much better for it. 45632 'Tonga' sans nameplates!
Last few BR Blue pre-TOPS locos (I think) EE Type 1s 8042 + 8064 8080 + 8095 with Token-equipped recesses
These look good Dave. I also had a look through my German wagons and only really spotted the car transporters as possible BR wagons. I presume I don't have these then. What route did they come with? Re disguising the writing, if that's what you meant, have you thought about making a really grimy version?
The wagon is from the Nahverkehr Dresden - Riesa Route and is the DRA Habbiins 344 wagon. The route seems to be built in to TSW3 and all I had to do was enable it in Steam. Regarding the suggestion to do a heavily weathered version to avoid the amount of lettering, that made me chuckle, as I am the kind of modeller to model all the lettering and then cover it up! Weathering is a mix of art and magic as far as I am concerned and I leave that to the experts.
Next historical era is the pre-TOPS Green livery with full yellow ends. This began to appear around 1967 and many BR Green locos were given the full yellow ends, which in many cases totally ruined any attempt by the original design teams to make the locos look something presentable. The full yellow end was of course more for functionality rather than aethetics, making the locos more visible to lineside staff. First up is the Class 40s - EE Type 4s 267 D309
It has taken me a while to finish the basic livery of the centre headcode Class 40s, as I was having a mental tussle with having to remake the BR crest yet again. But along with the crest for the Churchward 2-8-0s, I managed to do them both in 2 days! Here is 345, the first of the centre headcoded Type 4s. Apologies for the dominos, no alpha-numerics on the Class 40s.
EE Type 1s (Class 20s) were easier, what with the disc headcodes. D8014 on its own. These were probably the best looking class with the full yellow ends.
These look very good Dave. Well done. A nice selection of green BR diesels will go very nicely with the Peak Forest extra paths mod that I'm sure we will see late January. Should be able to make some great scenarios after that By the way do you have any idea whether there is any combination of MK1s and MK2s that will (a) live in harmony in a formation and (b) will work with livery editor? I have tried many combinations so far but the only thing that will display is WSR Mk1s with LMC or PBO Mk2s. (And of course it seems impossible to get a livery to display on the WSR Mk1s).
Look forward to a Peak Railway mod, that will be so interesting. I've had the same issue with MK1s and MK2s and WSR MK1s are definitely not paintable. That's why I had to do a MK2 buffet coach rather than a MK1. Still got a few Green locos to upload....
It's so weird, and annoying, that DTG have allowed this to happen. (I guess we'll have to buy the Athena pack to resolve it?).
There are a lot of things that are weird and annoying. I really would like to get my teeth into reliverying the Class 31, for example. Here's my latest WIP: These wagons have been reliveried in TSW3, but I cannot use them in TSW3, because they are for a German route and we have no Formation Designer in TSW3. I've transferred the wagon to TSW4 and TSW5. I cannot use them in TSW5 as they don't show in Formation Designer, Free Roam, or Scenario Planner. Only TSW4 gives me the ability to use them!
A second livery for the DRA Laaers wagon - 1970s and 1980s MAT TransAuto LTD Blue for importation of new cars
We move on to the final batch of the backlog - BR Green locos with small yellow panels. Not so many of these as I've already done a fair few of several classes, but I did want to renew the Brush Type 4s, this time with alpha-numeric headcodes. First up though - English Electric Type 4s: D306, which went on to become 40106 and never ran in service in BR Blue, keeping Green to the end - and on into preservation. D373 - sorry about the yellow handrails, a strange quirk of the Livery Editor!
D399, the final EE Type 4 (until the Class 50s appeared!) D261 - one of 7 disc-coded locos that were altered to centre - headcodes while based in Scotland. The small yellow panels were different too.
