Overhauls and Repaints

[DD12]

One of the joys of Midland Red vehicles, was a frequent repaint - "every two years" - according to my memory, but this "clashes" with the major overhauls at 7 years old, when they were also repainted.
Does anyone know or remember if they were repainted at 2 years old, then at 4 and a half or 5years old, then at the 7 year overhaul ("looking brand-new" again) - or how WERE they timed ??

(Very many of the vehicles were scrapped between 11 and a half, and 12 years old, but also "plenty" of them received a major overhaul again at around 12 years old).

[AdamH]

I'm not quite old enough to remember this, but I have read that a new vehicle would receive a 7-year Certificate of Fitness (now replaced by the MOT). At the end of the 7-years it would require the certificate to be reissued so hence the major overhaul at this time. A reissued certificate would typically be for 5-years, hence vehicles being withdrawn on the run up to their 12th birthday.

[DD12]

Thanks Adam, my memory "agrees" with that; but what I have stuck in my mind is that when I first got interested, the company "religiously" did the repaints every two years - not every two and a half, or three years -
which would mean a repaint at 4 and 6 years old - and then AGAIN at the 7 year major overhaul, which would be daft !

There might be someone still alive who can clarify that for me !

[943KHA]

Adam H and DD12 are both correct, two yearly repaints appeared to be the norm in BET days, not so in NBC era when many of us can remember 'poppy pink' livery on D9's in Leicester in their final year or two. The COF principle that was 'agreed' for Midland Red (other operators had different agreements with the Traffic Commissioners / Ministry) was 7 years plus 5 years and then a succession of 2 or 1 yearly COF's depending on vehicle condition. 4943 (the bain of my life!) had a full works repaint around July 1971 but was then withdrawn from use at SD 12/71 ahead of its formal withdrawal in 07/72 when its 12 years would be up. I suspect that the reason for its early demise despite its lovely paint job was that nearside frame issues that were repaired at its 7th birthday were again evident and that 'enough was enough'!

[Severnside]

4943 the bain of your life?!

Perhaps this is a good place to appeal for any day-to-day maintenance and repair facts about the in-service life of 4943 and 4944, good and bad, and comparisons with D9s and Fleetlines, particularly from someone who worked on them while at Stafford. Although they have featured in various books, facts about their effectiveness as "piece of plant" seem difficult to come by.