blue livery on the 24/25
Blue Livery on the Class 24/25's
Some Variations

This page is an attempt to illustrate and tabulate differences from the standard blue/yellow livery schemes carried by the Class 24/25's with particular reference to the placement of the numbers and emblems on the locomotives.

Two paint schemes were carried by the Class 24/25's:

    The original green livery applied to the locomotives when they were delivered from new (with the exception of D7660 - D7677).

    The blue livery applied from about 1967, as a result of BR's plans to update the look and image of its passenger rolling stock and locomotives.

The green liveried locomotives generally carried numbers at both ends (the Scottish tablet catcher locomotives excepted) with the steam era 'Lion & Wheel' emblem placed on each side next to the boiler room grill.

With the arrival of blue livery two styles of placement with regard to numbers and emblems took place;

    From 1967 to the summer of 1969 the numbers were placed on the bodysides inboard of the cab doors with the BR double arrow placed under each cab window.

    After August 1969 the numbers returned to the cabside and one BR double arrow emblem was placed centrally on each side.

    Modification occurred with the arrival of the TOPS renumbering when only one number was carried on each side, initially under the drivers side cab window. This standard was modified by Crewe & Glasgow as they moved the number to a location on the side inboard of the cab door.

The lists below are an attempt to recognise the variants from the above scheme, based on photographic evidence, which presumes that any dates recorded in the photograph captions are in fact correct. This list is of course incomplete and will be updated as new information comes to light.

(The standard for this project treats those locomotives with a centrally placed emblem and cab side numbers, with or without 'D' prefix and one or two numbers per side as the norm).

Numbers on bodyside (inboard of cab doors), emblems carried on cabside panel.
Because of the planned scheduled repairs for the diesel fleet the locomotives featuring this style of emblem/number placement tended to occur in blocks as can be seen in the numeric list below. This style seems to have been the standard between the summer of 1967 and no later than August 1969.

(Number, date seen, other information)

5022 - no date
5025 - ?/69 - without D prefix
5028 - 8/69
5034 - 8/69 & 8/70 - with D prefix
5049 - late 69 - without D prefix
24076 - 11/76 - awaiting breaking up at Swindon! (loco was renumbered March 1974)
5078 - 3/68 & 7/73 - with D prefix
5080 - c1967/68 - with D prefix, loco very ex-works (repainted by 1/72)
5084 - 7/73
5086 - 4/73 - with D prefix, by 7/73 no D & 6/75 as 24086
5099 - 7/68 - with d prefix
5102 - 9/69 - without D prefix. At Glasgow Works 8/71 for overhaul, repaint to normal livery?
5112 - ?/69 - without D prefix
5113 - 9/71 - 9/73 no D prefix
5146 - 3/68 - with D prefix (noted ex-Works at Derby)
5148 - 6/70
5158 - ?/69 - with D prefix
5159 - ?/73 - without D prefix
5161 - 6/69 - with D prefix
5162 - no date
5164 - 5/70 - without D prefix
5165 - 4/68 - with D prefix, loco very ex-works; also later without D prefix
5166 - 9/69 (also note date without D prefix, pre-1973)
5167 - no date - without D prefix at least by 4/70
5168 - 8/67 - with D prefix
5172 - no date - without D prefix, pre-1973
5195 - ?/69 - with D prefix
5223 - 6/69 - with D prefix. Noted ex-Works at Derby 8/71 with numbers on each cab and double arrow emblem on side.
5226 - 7/69 - with D prefix
5283 - 4/73
7562 - 6/73
7572 - ?/69
7642 - ?/69 - with D prefix

(In August 1969 5176 was noted ex-Works at Derby in full blue & yellow livery with numbers on each cab and the BR double arrow emblem on the side, so noted in September 1969 was 5173 ex-Works at the Derby Works Open Day. This change effectively ended the original style carried by the first blue liveried locomotives.)

When Derby starting delivering its last order of Class 25's (D7660 - D7677) all eventually received blue livery with the BR double arrow emblems under the cabside windows with D prefixed numbers on the locomotive sides inboard of the cab doors.

However Derby used D7660 & D7661 initially as guinea pigs with regard to the cab front livery and the number/emblem placement. Both were turned out in a non-standard shade of blue and received the small yellow warning panels on the cab fronts. From D7662 the standard blue paint was applied and the cab fronts received full yellow ends.

D7660 carried numbers under the secondman's cab window, the BR double arrow emblem was carried under the driver's side window. It is not known how long D7660 ran with this unique layout. D7661 is believed to have carried the then standard layout from delivery.


Photograph courtesy Tony Sayer
5086 at Bescot on April 23rd 1973. The locomotive has the shortened fuel & water tanks, both equipped with circular fuel gauges. Despite being April 1973 the 'D' number prefixes are still present. The locomotive would remain in this condition until August 1975 when it was received at Derby Works for overhaul.


Recently outshopped D5165 at Thornaby on April 28th 1968. The locomotive carries the short-lived livery which included two numbers on the bodyside with two emblems on the cabsides. The bodyside valencing is still in place as is the steam hose connections on the bufferbeam.

Photographer courtesy Tony Sayer.
5283 stands at Bescot on April 23rd 1973, a frequent visitor to the Birmingham area whilst allocated to the Nottingham Division (D16). The BR logos on each of the cabsides and the number at each end behind the cab doors suggests a repaint in late 1967/early 1968, was this livery applied whilst at the Brush Works, Loughborough?

By August 1969 Derby had changed the placement of the numbers and emblems, ending the style carried in the views above, although it would remain on some locomotives for several years to come.

Numbers on one end, emblems carried on locomotive side.
The Class 24s delivered new to Inverness were equipped with a tablet catcher recess under the driver's side cab window. This fitting did not allow the placement of the number on the cabside panel, thus from delivery these locomotives only carried two numbers, both placed under the secondman's cabside window. The transition from green to blue livery did not affect the placement of the numbers. It did alter the location of the emblem, the green liveried locomotives carried this inboard of the boiler room grill, the blue livery saw the new double arrow emblem placed in the center of each side.

Towards the end of the careers of these locomotives Glasgow started to apply the numbers on the bodysides.

Numbers on cabside, emblems carried on cab doors.
Possibly a unique feature to D5068 which carried the double arrow emblem on the cab doors, at one point the emblems were upside down.

Numbers on cabsides, small yellow ends with old 'Lion & Wheel' emblem
A qwerky livery variant most likely created by those that went through the Brush Works at Loughborough. The blue is slightly off (more a coaching stock blue):

5218 - 4/69 - with D prefix


Photograph courtesy Tony Sayer
D5218, St Pancras October 3rd 1970, blue livery with small yellow ends with the 'Lion & Wheel' emblem. D5218 most likely recieved this odd combination when it was repaired by Brush, Loughborough during 1966/67.


Photograph courtesy Grahame Wareham
D5218, Cricklewood April 1969.

Number on one cabside, BR emblem on other cabside
24112 & 24113

Photograph courtesy Tony Sayer.
By late 1974 the writing was on the wall for the Class 24s, with Classified repairs to the Class drawing to a close. Here is 24112 at Glasgow Works on September 26th 1974 udergoing bodywork repairs. The gangway doors have been sheeted over and the headcode discs centered on the cab front centerline.


Photograph courtesy Tony Sayer
24113 at Inverness on October 2nd 1974.

Full blue/yellow livery with 'Lion & Wheel' emblem
24021


Photograph courtesy Neil Phillips
24021 received the full blue & yellow livery but never carried the BR double-arrow symbol, retaining the 'Lion & Wheel' emblem to the end.

Full blue/yellow livery with number amd emblem on cabside panel
25222

Photograph courtesy Tony Sayer
Another rare one-off is seen here with 25222 at Derby Works on April 7th 1976 with the number & emblem both carried on the cabside panel. This may have only been carried on one cab.

Page added November 14th, 2004
Updated January 28th 2018

Return to Picture menu