BR Blue in the 1970s and 1980s

2017 | History & Politics

The 1970s were a decade of consolidation for British Rail as the company fought against the rise in the use of motor transport, both for passenger and freight purposes. Steam traction had finally been eradicated during the late 1960s and British Rail adopted a new image - a livery of all-over blue, with multiple units and coaching stock carrying blue and grey. During this time, British Rail also adopted the TOPS numbering system, whereby all locomotives were renumbered using a five-digit code and losing the earlier prefix numbers. The blue livery was applied to nearly every locomotive that was used on the network, from the humble shunter right through to the fast express electric locomotives. There were a few notable exceptions including No. 40106, which was the last locomotive to carry the green livery and was repainted to commemorate the fact. The new corporate image was designed to bring a fresh new image to British Rail, and combined with the introduction of the High Speed Train heralded a change in the companies fortunes. This collection of photographs shows British Rail during this difficult period and includes photographs from the 1970s through to the mid-1980s.

Andrew Cole (Author)