Class 120 Swindon 3-car DMUs
Liveries
Green with Whiskers
The first sets appeared in the light MU green, lined and with speed whiskers, although most were delivered in lined Loco (Brunswick) Green. All had a grey roof with a white cab dome, and red bufferbeam, and the inner ends, bogies and underframes were black. The image shows a set in original colours at Shrewsbury on 31/12/63. David Faircloth.
Green no whiskers
The 120s were a little unusual in that the nine later sets — those with the four character train indicator — were delivered without whiskers, the extra space that this took up apparently left no space for whiskers.
The image shows the 2.40pm to Ledbury arriving into Worcester station on 2 September 1961. Despite the vehicle being less that a year old, the paint seems to be peeling off around the headcode box. Michael Mensing.
Green with yellow panel
Yellow warning panels later replaced the whiskers, and the MU green sets would likely become Loco Green at the same time. The image shows a set at Bristol Temple Meads circa 65/66. David Faircloth.
Green with first class yellow stripe
Scottish sets later received a yellow first class stripe while still carrying green livery. Carrying this is Sc51787, taken at Dalmally heading for Oban on August 2nd, 1967. Graham Johnston.
Plain Blue with yellow panel
When corporate blue appeared there was some short lived variations before things settled down. While in general Scottish sets would stick with plain rail blue for some years, some English sets initially appear in plain blue with just a small yellow panel (which at least one ScR set had). The blue was more of a matt finish (applied by an airless spray method), with umber brown underframe, smaller 3" numbers and the logo on the cab doors. The English sets seemed to retain the white roof dome, the Scottish sets didn't. This is one of the Western sets, a 2-car seen north of Cowley Bridge Junction (Exeter) with the 5.10pm Exeter (St Davids) - Barnstaple Junction service, 7/5/67. Michael Mensing.
Blue / Grey with yellow cab doors
From minimum yellow to maximum yellow; at least one vehicle appeared with yellow cab doors, as the image shows. Taken at Swindon Works in Summer 1967, note also the set number painted on the solebar. This seems to read BL527, which probably means this is W50650. David Faircloth.
Rail Blue with full yellow end
The Scottish sets stayed in plain blue for some years, and the occasional LMR set too. A set heads to Ferryhill MPD from Aberdeen past Ferryhill SB in May 1975. Note the tablet catcher recess on the leading vehicle, which is one of the DMBF conversions. John McIntyre.
Blue Grey
By about 1970 most non-ScR sets were in standard blue/grey with full yellow ends, the ScR sets received this in the late 1970s. The image shows a set in standard Blue/Grey livery, this is 51782, originally a ScR vehicle and seen at Ayr depot after a spell on the Western Region. Bill Hamilton.
Blue Grey with ScotRail branding
When the Class returned to Scotland in 1986 after a while at least two vehicles, 53686 and 53732, received ScotRail branding on one side in place of the BR arrows. In the image 53732 is seen while part of Haymarket set 534 awaiting departure at Edinburgh Waverley with the 12:15 to Cardenden on 16/8/89. Graeme Phillips.
On other vehicles such as 53658 and 53699 the BR logo was removed, again on one side only, but no ScotRail branding added.
And...
Before delivery three vehicles were used to try experimental liveries. In October 1957 Swindon painted 50703 a light beige above the waistline, blue grey below. 50705 was light grey above the waistline, medium grey below. The other (propably 50704?) was in a pale milky green all over with a wide yellow line below the window (this image is probably the milky green vehicle, only part of the body can be seen). Vehicles 50706 - 8 were also noted at the same time, in the standard livery[1]. These three (50703-5) and a fourth, 50702, which seems to be in a red/black two-tone livery, were noted running through Pangbourne on 29 October for a private BTC inspection at Marylebone the next day.[2]
53708 was noted as being the last of the class to carry the yellow stripe for first class, at Sep/Oct 1985.
References
- ⋏ p309 November 1957 Railway Observer (Railway Correspondence and Travel Society)
- ⋏ "Motive Power Miscellany" p54 January 1958 Trains Illustrated (Ian Allan)