When delivered, vehicles carried the BR multiple unit green with cream lining (3/8 inch black edging to lower lining). Whiskers were not being carried when delivered on the first vehicles but later added. Power cars carried the standard BR coach roundel, however the power cars in the first batch of sets delivered carried the BR steam loco crest (lion over the wheel). The coach roundel crest always had the lion facing the cab end of the vehicle. To achieve this required the use of two crests, one with the lion facing the right, the other left. The right facing ones were done away with around 1960 so all subsequent ones faced left, no matter which side of a they were fixed.

Around two-three years after delivery, vehicles were allocated their first works overhaul receiving the BR loco green livery with cream lining and later half yellow warning panels replaced the whiskers. Blue made its appearance in the late 1960s, first applied by an airless spray, which gave it an egg shell type finish, with umber brown underframe and bogies and half yellow panels. This was quite a rare livery for this class, applied to very few vehicles before the standard blue gloss blue was adopted with black underframe and bogies and full yellow ends. 

Standard blue livery. Duffield, 16th February 1980. Graham Turner www.railblue.com

Most vehicles remained in this rail blue livery until withdrawal, with blue / grey only applied to sets that worked on the Scottish Region and set EXP DM352 (see below).

104 367 at Glasgow Queen Street 30/4/85 John Horne

Livery Variations

White cab roofs were painted onto Buxton allocated vehicles (the odd non-Buxton vehicles were also treated) in 1957 in an attempt to keep the cab interiors cool during the summer, the white paint reflecting the heat. The white roofs appeared throughout the green livery period and during the mid 1970s. They again made an appearance during the early '80s with some vehicles also gaining black windscreen surrounds.

Buxton Peter, Lincolnshire & East Yorkshire Transport Review

A 'one-off' livery was applied to M53424 + M53434 after its transfer from Buxton to Eastfield. Both vehicles were painted from blue & grey into a white and crimson livery (being dubbed the Mexican Bean!). It was also emblazened with tourist board markings and an extra large Scotty Dog, black window surrounds and whiskers.

Mexican Bean set 104 325 seen in Eastfield depot, 30th April 1986. Neil Cannon.

Network South East livery was applied to ten vehicles during late '88/early '89, these being 53429/437/455/470/477/479/539/540, 59163/206

The conversion of 50446/50521 to 78601/78851 saw it carry blue and grey livery, with a thick black stripe painted below the windscreens of each driving cab and EXP DM 352 (in black) applied below each driver's windscreen, under the black stripe.

White Stripes

The thirteen Newton Heath 3-car sets dedicated to Manchester to Blackpool services had suspension modifications during the late '70s to improve their ride qualities. Upon modification vehicles had a white stripe added just below the windows running the full length of the vehicle side but not "wrapping round" to the vehicle ends.

50454 and 50528 carried the Blackpool white stripe livery in preservation, they are seen here on the Llangollen Railway. Carl Turner

Misc

Taken at Bridlington, possibly in the late '70s, the vehicle on the right appears to be a Class 104 and decorated with flowers! Steve Davies / John Vaughan Collection.