Lady In Red

Well, almost. It's a Penrhyn 'Lady' and she's wearing red oxide primer.



Himself and I have agreed on the final livery for Blanche II, our mongrel 'Backside' kit.

She's going to sport her current FR green livery.

But hasn't Blanche been green for virtually her whole career on the FR, I hear you ask?

Indeed, but there's green and green, or to be more precise, there's not always been the same amount of green on her.

As regular readers probably know, when we built our layout Dduallt and the rolling stock for it, 20 years ago, we set it in the year 1988 which was the last year the passing loop could be used.

At that time, like most of the other FR locos (with the notable exception of her sister Linda) Blanche was running with a black cab frontsheet.

When her 100th birthday was celebrated in 1993 she emerged from overhaul with a lined green cab front and has remained so since.

It was in this version of FR green livery that she worked for two spells in the early days of the WHR between Caernarfon and Dinas and again double-heading over the whole line this winter.

So it's a much more appropriate finish for Blanche II to appear on Bron Hebog with.