KNOW YOUR… LIVERIES
PART 6: Early days on the Western region
Paul Chancellor casts an eye over the livery variations that could be found on the newly nationalised Western Region of British Railways.
We go straight in at the deep end with this view of ‘45XX’ No. 5569 outside Swindon A Shop, in May 1948. The edict had probably already been issued that only express passenger types should be painted green and just how long the Western Region persisted in outshopping tanks in green is not certain. Furthermore, the new policy on numbering was in place and so the use of ‘prefix’ letters was no longer required. However, the few Western engines that did acquire the ‘W’ letter had it applied under the cabside number as seen here. It appears that they never carried the letter alongside the numbers on the bufferbeams. No front numberplate or shed plate has yet been installed and the painted LA (Laira) is just visible behind the front bufferbeam.
P. HUGHES/COLOUR RAIL