This subject of locomotive liveries especially between the mid 1960s and early 1970s can get very complicated and as with all aspects on railway modelling it is always best to refer to photographs whenever possible.

The original livery for the diesels was black with a silver waistband strip but this was replaced by versions of green from 1956.

Diesels were originally numbered with a D prefix to a four digit number (electric locos had an E prefix) after the end of steam in 1968 the Prefixes were dropped. British Rail then introduced the now familiar Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) numbering system in 1973 that saw all the rolling stock renumbered and their records, such as maintenance etc., computorised.

The BR green livery both all over green and two tone green started to give way to the new corporate blue in 1966. Yellow front end warning panels also varied. Some locos had small yellow panels (SYP); others gained full yellow ends (FYE) both and either in green or blue.
Many green locos had the D painted out; others did not.
Early blue repaints kept the prefix whilst later ones did not have it. Some early blue locos later had the D painted out. Therefore from 1968 until the beginning of TOPS in 1973 locos were green or blue, with small yellow panels or full yellow ends and with or without the D prefix.

This means you can justify running plain green, two tone green locomotives running alongside blue Dxxxx numbered or even TOPS numbered locomotives especially with a little research to choose the respective numbers carefully.

00 Gauge

An example of the two tone green livery is this Hymek BoBo in the EFE Range with no yellow warning panel. 

Click here for other EFE Rail two tone green and blue diesels in their range>>








An example of the plain green livery with Small Yellow Front end is this Bachmann  Class 24 as D5149. 










This Bachmann Class 47 as D1500 produced as an Exclusive Limited Edition for KMRC as D1670 ‘Mamouth’ shows off its two tone green with Small Yellow Front end livery.

Click here for other Bachman green, two tone green and blue diesels in their range>>







A final green version is this Class 25/3 D7672 in two ton green with a Full Yellow Front end. 

Click here for other Heljan green, two tone green and blue diesels in their range>>






Our very own Exclusive KMRC Class 41 Warship D602 is a example of the less  common and early corporate blue livery with Small Yellow Front end.

The rest of our other Exclusive Class 41 Warships diesels in green and blue liveries  can be seen here>>








Another Heljan model this time a Class 27 in the standard corporate blue livery with Full yellow Front end and four digit number 5373 without the D prefix.

Click here for other Heljan green, two tone green and blue diesels in their range>>






An example of the standard corporate blue livery with Full yellow Front end and TOPS number is this Hornby Class31 as 31102.

She was renumbered from 5520 with her new TOPS number 31 102 in February 1974.

Click here for other Hornby green and blue diesels in their range>>






Return to Page Top

N Gauge

Check out the following for green and blue diesels in N Gauge:
for Dapol click here>>>
for EFE Rail click here>>>
for Graham Farish click here>>>

O Gauge Check out the following for green and blue diesels in 0 Gauge from Heljan and Dapol here>>>

 

Keep in Touch

We also publish regular project updates on our "Latest News" section here and also in our Weekly newsletter, if you are not  already signed up for the newsletter you can do so here.

What do you think?  Get in touch with your thoughts, suggestions for future post or suggestions for future models!

Return to Page Top