31138 BR blue
Just 20 of the production build of 243 Brush Type 2s retained the disc headcode arrangement and cab roof-mounted horn enclosure making them externally very similar to the pilot scheme ‘Toffee Apples’, although without the distinctively-shaped power handle that gave the latter their nickname. Our chosen example is BR Blue 31138, an incredible survivor, which was the last unrefurbished ‘skinhead’ to remain in traffic. The former D5556 of October 1959 just fell short of its 30th birthday after being withdrawn from Crewe Diesel in February 1989. Even more incredibly, after having its front connecting doors sealed in the late 1970s, it retained the same basic appearance for its last 11 years in traffic, albeit with the addition of an orange cantrail stripe and departmental LMR branding in its final months. This period covered a diverse range of allocations to the Class 31 hotspots of Bescot, Cricklewood, Immingham and Stratford. Despite losing its front doors, like the majority of its colleagues it did keep the outer pair of indicator discs retaining that visual connection to the steam era train identification system. Typical on parcels, departmental workings and freight as well as a diverse range of passenger operations including DMU substitutions and the famous Table 18 services between Birmingham New Street and Norwich/East Anglia, it was finally cut up at MC Metals, Glasgow, in January 1990.