Class 47s... a general workhorse.

I was never inspired by the class 47s. They seemed very ordinary but they have lasted well and have appeared in a good number of liveries over the years. Here are a few of them.

We begin with the Virgin Cross Country livery seen here on 47814 with a down train passing Taunton in the late 1990s. 

Loco 47452 stands at Rhyl in the "blue" years when it was a case of 'if it moved, paint it blue'. 

After privatisation some of the 47s went to the freight sector. Here 47786 "Roy Castle OBE" stands in the up loop at Darlington station with a test train. 

Fragonset had a few class 47s and here one of them, 47703, is seen approaching Cogload Junction east of Taunton with an up train in the late 1990s. 

Freightliner's 47292 passes Clifton up loop on the WCMIL with an up freight as it begins the southbound climb to Shap Summit.

In its original (heavily stained) two tone green livery D1503 passes through York station light engine. Note the mail bags, water crane and centre platform which have all gone from this view today. The platform is still in use but has been shortened. It now stops at the end of the overall roof off to the right of this picture. 

A fairly short lived livery I think. This is 47972 in Research Dept livery stabled at Carlisle station. 

Taunton again with 47847 in Inter City livery while serving Virgin Cross Country on a down west of England train in the late 1990s.

Not even sure this was a class 47, it might be a class 57, but it is in Porterbrook purple livery with an up train approaching Whiteball Tunnel on the Devon/ Somerset border in the late 1990s.

47348 in Railfreight Distribution grey passes Rugeley Trent Valley with an up container train. This picture appeared in the Railway Observer at that time. 

Beautifully turned out 47741 in RES colours, the livery of the postal service. The loco is standing at Carlisle station.