Withdrawals were halted during the Second World War and twenty four (of the original 100) E4s were in service at the formation of British Railways in 1948.

The introduction of new light BR Standard locomotives, specifically the BR Standard Class 2 moguls, followed by diesel multiple units on many of the rural lines worked by the remaining E4s, led to rapid withdrawal of nearly all the remaining examples between 1954 and 1957 with a single E4, No.

[3] On introduction the T26 locomotives were painted in the standard GER livery of Ultramarine Blue over an undercoat of French Grey, with black smokebox and vermillion buffer beams and lining.

From 1915 locos were not given a top coat and ran in French Grey undercoat but with the boiler bands picked out in black.

This lasted until the early 1940s when unlined black with red buffer beams was introduced, and the surviving locos were to carry this livery until their withdrawal.