Steam locomotive livery question

[Fugu]

I figure this is as good as any topic for my first post; I've had trouble finding an answer to this in English. 

 

What is the "livery" distinction between being monochromatic black versus having white footplates and red drive rods? Is it freight vs passenger? Or is is pre vs post war? 

Picture for attention since the D51 seems to exhibit this dichotomy most often.

 

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese-national-railways-D51-452-20111103.jpg

 

[cteno4]

Good question, it’s lurked in the back of my head for a long time!

 

jeff

[bikkuri bahn]

The red painted rods are purely decorative- added to preserved locomotives, there seems to be little use on working (revenue steam) back in the day.  Hard core fans dislike the embellishment.  The white lining seems more common back in JNR steam days, typically applied to locomotives on special duties such as pulling the emperor's train, last runs, etc.  Most steam locomotives when they were actively used were very drab.

[marknewton]

Hello, Fugu.

 

I have this book in my collection which features many photos taken in the 1930s that show locos with white edges on the footplates. They appear on engines of classes 8620, C10, C50, C51, C53 and C54, so mixed traffic and passenger engines. Post-WW2 you start seeing freight engines with white edges/stripes as well. The depots in Kyushu were apparently very keen on white stripes, as in one book I have almost all the engines there have them. And these were engines in regular service as opposed to special trains for the imperial household or last runs.

 

I've also got publications that have photos showing engines in service with the flutes of the coupling and connecting rods and slide bars painted red as well as green. The common factor here is that they're almost all engines that have been specially cleaned, painted and decorated for hauling the Imperial train. A few locos prepared for special commemorative trains at the end of regular steam operations also got the painted rods treatment.

 

 

All the best,

 

Mark.
 

[marknewton]

Green rods.

 

 

Green rods and slidebars.

 

 

 

Red rods and slidebars.

 

Red and Yellow rods.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[Fugu]

This is the most clear explanation I've seen so far