B.R. Steam experimental blue livery.

[ODRAILS]

One Merchant Navy was decked out in 1948 in this darker blue with 3 red horizontal stripes in Bulleid style. It didn't last long like that - too colourful for the newly nationalised railway I expect.

Yup, East Asiatic Company. I am not sure why the experimental blue was dropped in favour of the lighter blue.

Wow, blue wheels too!  The other photos I've seen didn't show that so well.

[d-a-n]

Also 6023 has been restored in Caledonian blue livery currently so it makes a good choice for modern image modellers who want to run a steam special.

It might look good with a rake of blue grey Mk1s behind it, running as a fictional 1980s railtour...

[Hiawatha]

That blue MN with blue wheels looks spectacular

It's a pity that GraFar have chosen exactly 'East Asiatic Company' as their model in standard express blue with black wheels, which makes it unlikely that they will also produce this livery.

[N-Gauge-US]

Just joined after lurking for a while and thought that I could add to this thread.

It's not a Duchess - but there is a Dapol model of 60027 'Merlin', one of the four A4s that received the 'experimental' blue in June/July 1948. Sometimes this livery is called purple but it seems that it was an ultramarine blue, compared with the later express blue (as worn by Dapol 'Mallard' 2S-008-004) it was darker and with a red tinge and red lining.
Not the greatest photo but I think it shows the difference of the two liveries well enough.



'Merlin' was made for Modellbahn Union (which belongs to DM-Toys and is only available from them - I am not affiliated  ) as item MU3890011 (there is a second sticker with number JPS-008-002 beneath the MU one). I think 150 (or 200?) were produced.

Cheers,
Peter

Thanks for the lovely photo! That certainly is a beautiful loco Welcome to the forum! I hope you find it as helpful and rewarding a resource as I have!

Philip

[Hiawatha]

Thanks for the lovely photo! That certainly is a beautiful loco Welcome to the forum! I hope you find it as helpful and rewarding a resource as I have!

Thank you for the welcome! I have now tried to make a few photos that show the colours more correctly and have also added Garter blue and BR green for comparison. And for beautiful loco - isn't that true for every A4? I certainly can't get enough of them (next on the shopping list is 'Golden Eagle' in LNER apple green).

[Newportnobby]

That's as many as there were at the Great Gathering of A4s at York

[sachac7]

Apologies for reviving an old topic but it was one of the ones I saved when doing my research. During lock down of 2020 and early 2021, I set about recreating all 5 classes of loco that carried this livery. It quickly became one of my favourites and more information on the build can be found in Railway Modeller August 2022 vol 73 no 862