BLUE DIESEL DAYS

In 1964, reflecting the dawn of the new railway age as steam was supplanted by diesel traction, British Railways launched a brand-new corporate image. With a Class 47 and rake of coaches painted into a distinctive new blue livery and with a stark new logo – which became nicknamed the arrow of indecision – the railways were preparing for an era when the dirt associated with the steam railway would be a thing of the past. As one of the contemporary commentators, the late Brian Haresnape noted, ‘if the chosen shade proves suitable it will bring a welcome brightening-up to the railway scene of the future’. Although later derided, Rail Blue did prove to be an enduring colour scheme, surviving largely unchallenged until the Sectorisation of the railways in the mid-1980s, with some examples of its application lasting well into the 1990s. Whilst it is now easy to forget, Rail Blue existed alongside steam for more than four years; indeed, many of the specials which were operated in the run up to the final demise of steam traction in August 1968, often included coaching stock painted in this livery.

For contemporary enthusiasts the period of Rail Blue was often seen as an era of lost opportunities though, with the benefit of hindsight, the changes made at this time enabled the railways to face up to the challenge of fierce competition from road transport. This in turn allowed the national network to survive largely intact and have a meaningful role into the 21st century.

In this follow-up to the widely acclaimed Green Diesel Days, Paul Shannon portrays, through some 170 colour illustrations, the railways as they existed in the period from the mid-1960s through to the mid-1980s. The photographs, drawn from his own collection as well as those of other notable photographers, are largely unpublished and are supported by the author’s detailed and pertinent captions.

With nostalgia for the railway scene in the 1960s and 1970s growing apace, this is a good time to present this colourful portrait of the railways of Britain in the years prior to Sectorisation. The book will be of interest to modellers, railway historians, preservationists and all those whose passion for the railway was forged in the years immediately after the demise of main line steam.