First to Last-Liveries

All Over Lined Brunswick Green

D1 - D10 were turned out in the atttractive lined Brunswick Green with red buffer beam, here shown to fine effect on preserved D4 GREAT GABLE (photo Mike Kerry). Derby built D11 - D30 followed suit, with Crewe doing the same with D68 - D107, thus all the box headcode Peaks carried this livery. Additionally, Derby-built centre split D31 - D49 and Crewe-built D108 - D130 definitely appeared as such. D131 probably did, but needs confirmation. Of the later Peaks, built at Derby with Brush traction motors (later class 46), D138 - D144 were definitely all over green. D145, released on the same day as D144, almost certainly was, and it is believed that D146, D147 and D148 were too. A photo, late in the production, of D150 shows it still with a green nose-end, but an adjacent boxed headcose example has the new small yellow panel, so D149 and D150 need confirmation.

Regardless, all locos are believed to have lost the fully green front end by the end of 1962.

Click here to see the list of all over Green loco's having small yellow panels applied

Green with small yellow panel (GSYP)

To alleviate problems of visibility to track maintenance gangs, BR decided that from 1962 locos would require a yellow panel added to the nose-end. On 16/12/61, brand new D132 emerged from Crewe Works, almost certainly the first Peak to be adorned as such, D131 is believed to have been all over green. Derby followed suit, but probably not until the release of D149 and D150 on 31/12/61, which needs confirmation. D151 17/1/62 definitely appeared GSYP. Following these, all new locos (D133 - D137, D58 - D67, D50 - D57 from Crewe and D152 - D193 from Derby) were GSYP, and the fleet already in service were all retro-painted by the end of 1962 at the latest.

Photo Ian Hammond collection. On 23/12/61 one-week-old D132 departs Cheltenham Spa for Bristol Temple Meads on 1V36 7 42am Bradford Forster Square - Bristol TM.

Green with larger yellow panel

During 1964, some members of what would become class 46, between D138 and D165 had a larger yellow panel applied to the front ends as seen here on D165 at Neasden CS having worked 1T28 Mansfield - Wembley excursion on 03/04/1965. Definitely known to have had these were D144, D145, D146, D147, D148, D162, D163, D164, D165. They appear to have been applied and removed at random times, with D165 carrying it through to refurb later in 1965, but having entered traffic with the smaller style panel.

photographer unknown.

Green with larger yellow panel

In 1964, D70 and D82, also received a larger yellow panel. D82 heads 4E30, a northbound van train, through Kentish Town in 1964. The loco would revert to the smaller yellow panel from 22/03/1966 after refurb. D70 was repainted with a small yellow panel in 1967.

photographer unknown.

Economy Green, Small Yellow Panel

In Spring 1966, Derby Works dispensed with the lining on the sides of its Peaks, turning them out in what is known as Economy Green. Thanks to Russ Saxton, we know that D1/3/5/9/10/12-14/16/25/33/36/42/46/

52/62/63/66/72/78/84/93/95/98/102/123/125/147/159/163/

166 and 172 carried this livery. 147, 159, 163, 166 and 172 had a slightly wider yellow panel that surrounded the taillights(see below).

D16 powers north through Cheltenham racecourse station on a diverted Sunday service, 1N24 0905 Bristol TM - Newcastle on 18/06/1967.

photo the late Bill Potter courtesy Tom Cullimore.

Economy Green, small yellow panel

When Loughborough was refurbishing the class 46s, those that appeared in Economy Green had a wider yellow nose panel than the other livery variants as shown here on D172.

Thanks to Phil Bullock for his observations on this livery difference.

Toton Blue, small yellow panel

Russ Saxton says in his excellent book "BR: FROM GREEN TO BLUE", "In the summer of 1966, Toton experimented with a quick-fix repaint into blue. Known as Toton Blue, (it) is the same shade as 'Rail Blue', but the small yellow panels give the illusion of a lighter shade, not helped by the matt finish." The loco's painted thus had no BR emblem, old or new, but maintained the original serif style cabside numbering. The majority appear to have been sent to Toton by Derby Works after Classified Repair without painting, possibly due to Paint Shop workload being heavy at this time.

D47/50/51/55/56/57/58/59/61/64/71/79/91/92/101/105/109/

113/114/116/133/135 were painted in this livery, and D83 almost certainly was, but the loco acquired full yellow ends very quickly, so evidence is required.

Here, D71 The Staffordshire Regiment(Prince of Wales's) is seen at Bristol Temple Meads with the 1N37 9 35am Kingswear - Bradford Forster Square "Devonian", probably early in 1967.

photographer unknown.

Toton Blue, full yellow ends

D83 at the head of 8X53 0500 Heaton - Coatbridge conveying withdrawn NER Tyneside electric EMU's on their final journey on 06/02/1968. Looking like a standard BR blue liveried loco, the lack of BR emblem, plus the numbers on the cabsides gives away that it is a "Toton Blue" loco, albeit with full yellow ends, the only loco to carry this particular colour scheme.

photo Keith Long.

Corporate BR Blue - Red Buffer Beam

On 20/10/1966, D173 appeared from its refurb at Loughborough in the new Corporate BR Blue Livery with full yellow nose-ends. The numbers were applied to the bodysides in a new alphabet- style lettering and the cabsides had the new BR Arrows emblem. All 46's emerging from Loughborough after this appeared in the New Livery. Four Gateshead based examples, D173, D184, D185 and D186 were given red buffer beams, reason unknown, but possibly as "dedicated" locos for the Newcastle - Liverpool diagrams? D71 also ended up with at least one red beam in 1969 after receiving a bogie swapped from a loco still in original livery. D25 followed suit in later 1969.

D173 hammering south on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire with what is believed to be 1V80 Newcastle - Bristol on 04/04/1969.

photo the late Bill Potter, courtesy Tom Cullimore.

Corporate BR Blue - Full Yellow Ends

On 21/10/1966 D4 GREAT GABLE was released to traffic after overhaul at Derby Works. The loco was in the new corporate BR Blue Livery with full Yellow Ends, although their is a distinct possibility that the repaint was done at Toton. D4 GREAT GABLE is seen at Toton TMD a few days later. The first class 45, and definitely done at Derby was D68, which emerged in February 1967, rest of the type following suit from July 1967. It took until 1973 to complete the fleet of 193 locos.

photographer unknown courtesy Mike Kerry.

Lined Green - Full Yellow Ends

From 21/10/1967 onwards, all locos repainted at Works visits appeared in the new Corporate Blue Livery. However, loco's that had been refurbished at Brush, Loughborough before that date did not receive repaints at their Light Overhauls at Derby in 1968 and five of these, including D154 pictured at Newport with a Newcastle - Cardiff working on 20/03/1971, found themselves, along with D6 and D26, with full yellow nose ends. The other 46's were D138, D155, D188 and 193. Note that D154, here, has a black buffer beam after being fitted with bogies from a BR Blue loco.. D163 also had this for a time, but in eco green and small yellow panel.

photo Jim Sparks.

Economy Green - Full Yellow Ends

From 21/10/1967 onwards, all locos repainted at Works visits appeared in the new Corporate Blue Livery. However, two class 46 loco's (D159 and D166) that had been refurbished at Brush, Loughborough in unlined economy green, before that date did not receive repaints at their Light Overhauls at Derby in 1968 and these, along with D1, D3, D10 and D25, received full yellow ends.

D1 is seen here at New England Yard, north of Peterborough, with a Toton - Whitemoor freight on 13/02/1971.

photo Terry Phillips courtesy Alex Lawson.

Toton Repaints - 1979/1980

The last locos of each class received their corporate blue livery in 1973(44 006), 1970(D119), and 1972(D165) respectively and this was the order until 1979 and 1980 when Toton decided to add some embellishments to their E exam repaints on 45 114(white roof, red buffer beam) and 45 110 and 121(white bodyside stripes and red buffer beam). 44 004 (lined green livery) and 44 008(white roof and lower body stripe, red buffer beam) were also done.

45 114 arrives at Chesterfield on 15/09/1979 working 1M79 1500 Sheffield - St Pancras to Nottingham.

photo Dale Green.