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Class 58 History | The Liveries

Identity & Appearance

Class 58 Liveries

From Railfreight Red Stripe to Trainload Coal, Mainline Blue, EWS maroon and a range of export liveries, the Class 58 fleet carried some of the most distinctive freight identities of the late British Rail and privatisation eras.

The Class 58s were not only significant in engineering terms, but also visually distinctive. Their liveries chart the story of British Rail sectorisation, shadow privatisation, EWS ownership and export work in the Netherlands, France and Spain. The sections below summarise the principal colour schemes carried by the class and highlight the main variations recorded within each group.

Class 58 in Railfreight Red Stripe livery

Railfreight Red Stripe

The original British Rail identity for the class

All 50 Class 58s emerged from Doncaster Works in Railfreight Red Stripe livery. It combined a grey bodyside, bright yellow cabs, a red solebar and a large white BR double-arrow on the bodyside, giving the new locomotives a distinct look that separated them from the earlier large-logo blue era.

The livery proved highly successful and soon spread well beyond the Class 58 fleet, being applied to a range of other diesel types including Classes 20, 26, 31, 37, 47 and 56. In practice, the red solebar was generally limited to locomotives whose design made that feature visually prominent, while other classes usually carried red bufferbeams only.

It quickly became the national visual identity of the Railfreight sector and captured exactly the modern, business-like image British Rail was aiming to create in the early 1980s.

Class 58 in Trainload Coal livery

Trainload Coal

The best-known late BR sector scheme carried by the class

In 1987 British Rail launched the Railfreight sub-sectors, each with its own branding and visual identity. The Roundel Design Group developed the triple-grey family of liveries together with the now-famous freight sector logos for Coal, Construction, Metals, Petroleum and Railfreight Distribution.

Although there was some initial thought that the Class 58 fleet might be split between Coal and Speedlink-related duties, every Class 58 was ultimately allocated to the Coal sector. This reflected both the class’s intended role on Merry-Go-Round coal traffic and the fact that coal-sector funding had helped underpin the original build programme.

Sector Identity

The Coal logo used black diamonds to represent coal, while the other sector graphics drew on visual shorthand such as building blocks, corrugated metal and fluid movement. Railfreight Distribution used the red-and-yellow diamond motif widely interpreted as representing the four corners of the UK.

Class 58 Application

One by one, all Class 58s were repainted into Coal sector livery, with 58049 becoming the last in December 1991. Some repainting work was even undertaken at Vic Berry’s yard in Leicester, a detail that remains one of the more unusual footnotes in the class’s livery history.

Image note: The existing sector logos image can be retained here if you prefer, either within this card or as a separate supporting image beneath it.

Class 58 in Mainline Freight blue livery

Mainline Freight

From transitional triple-grey to the full blue and silver corporate scheme

During the shadow privatisation period, the entire Class 58 fleet passed to Mainline Freight. This produced a short but interesting sequence of liveries, ranging from unbranded transitional grey examples through to the full Mainline blue and silver scheme.

Triple Grey Unbranded

In this interim form, the BR double arrows and Coal sub-sector markings were progressively removed while depot plaques were often retained. Most locomotives are thought to have passed through this condition at some stage, though firm allocations are difficult to prove because of its temporary nature.

Known examples: 58004, 58011, 58021, 58035, 58036 and 58049.

Mainline Triple Grey

This was effectively the same triple-grey base scheme, but with the blue-and-yellow Mainline rolling wheels logo across the engine-room doors. Depot plaques remained, while the BR double arrows had been removed.

Most, though not all, Class 58s carried this version. 58050 is believed never to have done so, having been selected to launch the later full blue and silver corporate image.

Known variation: 58035 briefly carried full Mainline branding while also retaining a cast BR double-arrow plate.

Mainline Blue & Silver

This full corporate livery used an executive dark grey roof, aircraft-blue body and cabs, a silver bodyside stripe and silver Mainline branding, with black solebars and blue front-end numbers on the yellow warning panels. Depot plaques and names, where fitted, were also adapted to the blue-and-silver appearance.

Known examples: 58002, 58005, 58008, 58014, 58021, 58023, 58032, 58036, 58038, 58042, 58046 and 58050.

Notable variation: 58013 was painted blue before full Mainline branding could be applied, leaving it as an unusual unbranded version. Later component swaps created the well-known broken silver-stripe appearance on some doors.

Class 58 in EWS maroon livery

EWS

Two principal maroon-era variants under English, Welsh & Scottish Railway

The EWS era brought the now-familiar maroon and gold corporate identity to a small portion of the Class 58 fleet. Two main forms were seen on the class: the earlier EW&S version and the later modified EWS version with revised lettering and the Three Beasties logo.

EW&S Original Design

This version used an all-over maroon body with a thick gold bodyside band placed centrally between the cabs. Large EW&S lettering and numbers were applied within the band, typically in Arial Black. Bufferbeams were black, a reflective yellow strip ran along the lower edge of the underframe, and the large radiator grilles were painted black.

Known examples: 58016, 58024, 58048 and 58049.

Notable variations: 58033 carried the prototype form with the gold band much higher on the bodyside, while 58024 uniquely combined the later Three Beasties logo with the earlier EW&S style lettering.

EWS Modified Design

This later form introduced new number and lettering styles and added the Three Beasties logo of lion, dragon and stag, with English Welsh & Scottish Railway beneath. Nameplates were positioned below the driver’s cab-side window, except for unusual cases such as 58049 where the naming arrangement differed.

Known examples: 58030, 58037, 58039, 58047 and 58050.

Known variation: 58037 was once recorded with mismatched bodyside doors producing the memorable “&WES” arrangement instead of “EW&S”.

Class 58 in ACTS livery

ACTS / Vos Logistics

The Dutch export liveries applied in the Netherlands

The original ACTS livery used a dark grey roof, blue body and cabs, and a yellow-orange band running the length of the locomotive and wrapping around the front. Large ACTS logos were positioned on the bodyside doors, radiator grilles were black, and the locomotives received visible front-end alterations including additional headlights and revised tail-light arrangements.

Later, 5814 introduced the dramatic Vos Logistics variation. This replaced the blue body with black, retained the yellow triangular front-end motif, and used a deep orange-red bodyside stripe. The large bodyside ACTS logos disappeared in favour of smaller logos on the cab sides, while identification numbers were repositioned and changed to white.

This black Vos Logistics version remains one of the most visually striking livery variations ever applied to a Class 58.

Class 58 export liveries in France

French Export Liveries

Seco Rail, Fertis and TSO

For export work in France, the Class 58 fleet gained three highly distinctive contractor liveries, each reflecting the branding of the company using the locomotives on infrastructure projects.

Seco Rail

The Seco scheme combined black, orange and yellow. Locomotives had black roofs, orange body and cabs, a narrow yellow band running the full length and full yellow front ends. Numbers were in black Gill Sans style and used a dash format such as 58-007. No known variations were recorded.

Fertis

Fertis locomotives used a mid-grey roof and underframe, very light grey or almost white bodysides and cabs, black bogies and tanks, and purple Gill Sans numbering. A large Fertis logo was placed across the bodyside doors, with smaller versions on the front and cab side.

TSO

The TSO livery used a white roof, yellow body and full yellow ends, with light-blue underframes and bufferbeams. Four locomotives carried it: 58033, 58047, 58049 and 58050. Large TSO logos appeared on the cab fronts and cab sides, while numbers again used the dash format and were repositioned to fit around the logos. No known variations were recorded.

Class 58 in GIF livery in Spain

GIF / Continental Rail

The Spanish infrastructure livery and its variations

The Spanish GIF livery used a light grey roof, sky or powder blue bodysides and cabs, yellow cab ends, a dark blue bodyside band with GIF in white, black underframes and the standard orange cantrail warning stripe. EWS Three Beasties logos were also retained on the secondman’s side, underlining EWS ownership during the export period.

Across the eight Class 58s that carried it, three principal variations were noted, largely centred on beading colours, radiator grille treatment and the size and placement of Continental Rail lettering.

58041 & 58043

The first pair sent to Spain in 2003, these locomotives had smaller Continental Rail wording and black front window beading. 58043 later gained large L37 numbering, a spotlight and wing mirrors once in Spain.

58025, 58029, 58030 & 58031

These 2004 Eastleigh-painted examples broadly matched the first pair, but used yellow front-window beading and larger Continental Rail lettering. 58031 left the UK without GIF lettering in the dark blue band.

58020 & 58024

Painted at Old Oak Common, these differed most noticeably in having black radiator grilles and powder-blue front cab window surrounds, meaning they did not present full yellow cab ends in the same way as the other GIF locomotives. Their front window frame beading was light blue.

Although these are commonly referred to as GIF liveries, the company was later incorporated into Continental Rail, which became the formal lessee of the locomotives.