31447 BR blue
Recognising the calls for a mid 1980s plain blue Class 31/4 is 31447, converted from 31295 in July 1984. This had been an early exile to the Western Region in 1973 while still carrying its original (D)5828 number and BR green livery. However, unlike most of its colleagues it found itself back in East Anglia after just a couple of years before it was transferred to Toton in October 1984, its last allocation before receiving the call to Doncaster Works for its Heavy General Overhaul and conversion as part of the second series of ETH-fitted machines. Notably, like 31160 and 31296 this locomotive was outshopped from refurbishment with the headlight in the ‘offset’ position (under the driver’s window) and was only the second Class 31 to be so configured. On release it became a stalwart of the Immingham passenger fleet mostly dedicated to Trans-Pennine, Settle & Carlisle and Norwich-Birmingham services, all of which had seen an increase in loco-hauled diagrams after the withdrawal of life-expired multiple units. Following the introduction of new Class 156 ‘Super Sprinter’ units in 1988, it moved to Tinsley that August where it became more common on freight and departmental workings. Having had its livery tweaked with the orange cantrail stripe in 1987, it gained the general grey scheme in June 1989 which was modified into ‘Dutch’ just over a year later. By this point it had been renumbered 31547 after its ETH equipment was isolated. It was stored at Toton from July 1994 and officially retired in September 1996. It was cut up by TJ Thomson, Stockton, in November 2002.