Happy 60th Anniversary to the BR Blue Livery and Double Arrow Logo
With the reorganisation of British Railways in the mid-1960s and the ending of steam operation on the mainline it was decided that a complete break with the past was needed.
After a period of experimentation with different livery designs in 1965 it was decided to standardise on a colour which became known as Rail Blue.
The colour chosen was a dark, greyish blue tone and was applied to all diesel and electric locomotives, with the exception of the ends, which were painted yellow to improve visibility and the under frames and buffer beams which were painted black.
Also introduced at the same time was the new British Rail Double Arrow logo designed by Gerry Barney which replaced the steam era Lion and Wheel emblem.
The majority of coaching and multiple unit rolling stock was painted in a blue and grey colour scheme.
The railway wanted to create a uniform corporate image across the entire network so any deviation from the standard Rail Blue livery was frowned upon by BR management.
At the end of the 1960s, British Railways adopted the Total Operations Processing System or TOPS for short.
This was computerised system that had been developed in the United States by the Southern Pacific Railway.
All types of locomotive and multiple units received a TOPS classification.
The locomotive fleet was classified into the different classes we know today. The previous names and the three or four digit numbers they previously carried were replaced by two digit class numbers.
For example the English Electric type ones became the Class 20s, the Brush type fours became Class 47s and the D400 series became the Class 50s.
Diesel and electric multiple units were given three digit Class numbers.
Rail Blue has become a popular choice of livery for the large number of preserved diesel and electric locomotives that can be found today, both on the mainline and on the many preserved lines around the country.
In the following clips we will look at some of these locomotives in this livery in action.
This video commemorates the 60th anniversary of the introduction of the British Railways blue livery and double arrow logo. It outlines the transition from steam to diesel and electric traction in the mid-1960s, including the standardisation of Rail Blue as the primary colour for locomotives and rolling stock. The new corporate identity replaced earlier symbols such as the Lion and Wheel emblem with the Double Arrow logo designed by Gerry Barney. The footage includes various railway assets, operators such as British Railways, Network South East, and Southern, and locations including Brookmans Park, Dungeness, London Euston, and others. Headcodes associated with services are also noted.
Fishplate has identified 23 locomotives in this video. We’ve also matched 7 headcodes and 3 operators . Create a free account to see where they appear, unlock timestamps and locations, and view the full breakdown.
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