Jump to content

Steam locomotive livery question


Recommended Posts

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

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
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.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
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.

 

spacer.png

 

All the best,

 

Mark.
 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
marknewton

spacer.png

Green rods.

 

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

Green rods and slidebars.

 

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

Red rods and slidebars.

 

spacer.png

Red and Yellow rods.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

  • Like 6
Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...