1965 would see the first major changes to the fleet. With continued problems of availability, BR decided on a refurbishment programme for the loco's with Brush Electrical Equipment. The four year contract for this was handed to Brush Electrical Machines at Loughborough. D154 entered Works in February and emerged on 1st October. Externally the loco lost its split centre headcode panel in favour of the integral centre style. The loco also had a small four-sided grille added to the lower bodyside. All loco's in the D138 - D173 batch were fitted with the centre headcode panel, which D174 - D193 had at construction, and all 56 locos had the bottom grille added.
The above official Brush Electrical Machines photo shows eight of the class at various stages of the refurb. Left to right on the near row are D168, D182, D176 and an unidentified member which can only be D146, given the larger warning panel and lack of taillight grabrails, and the fact that this photo is taken very late in 1965. In the second row is another one of those with the larger yellow panels, probably D165, the remaining three are likely to be from D138, D141, D155, D169, D188 and D189, possibly D156 or D193.
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