WMTrains livery and station branding

[sd0733]

350103 and 372 also have the new branding. Saw 350239 at new street last night still with full London Midland branding!

 

[DJames]

153366, 153364 and 153334 all have WMR logos applied, as per photos on wmbusphotos.com.

 

[XCTurbostar]

350249 has a LNW sticker on it and 350254 is still LM including LM branding.

 

[sufian123]

350103 and 372 also have the new branding. Saw 350239 at new street last night still with full London Midland branding!

Hi are you saying they are in the new livery now?

 

[samuelmorris]

New branding just means the WMT stickers doesn't it?

 

[XCTurbostar]

Correct. There are currently 4 variants of 350 running around:
- London Midland livery with London Midland Stickers
- London Midland livery no brand stickers
- London Midland livery with London North Western Stickers
- London North Western livery

 

[DenmarkRail]

350 with new LNWR brands.

 

[Class172]

I have to admit the new logos of both brands don't look out of place on the LM livery; here's an easy solution for Abellio, don't bother with the new liveries, just slap stickers on everything.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I have to admit the new logos of both brands don't look out of place on the LM livery; here's an easy solution for Abellio, don't bother with the new liveries, just slap stickers on everything.

I would very much suggest doing that for LNR until they can come up with[1] a decent livery.

[1] I'm sure Ray Stenning is awaiting their call and would be able to do something decent for them if they opened their wallets adequately.

 

[Class313:)]

Why are so many modern liveries so damn awful

 

[387star]

How would you design a Thames link livery ? Incorporate the London skyline ? I guess first attempted that with urban lights . Very dull at the moment and great northern doesn't have a strong livery
Is Bedford to Bletchley London northwestern bit utilising West midlands railway units ? A bit like first great eastern using anglia railways units on the sudbury line years ago

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes, the Marston Vale still uses WMR units and will continue to do so until the 230s arrive, assuming they do.

(Very little has been said about any stock orders yet!)

 

[pt_mad]

I have to admit the new logos of both brands don't look out of place on the LM livery; here's an easy solution for Abellio, don't bother with the new liveries, just slap stickers on everything.

Seems like that actually could be a possibility given that no further sets have been completed in the full new livery?

From past experiences, do franchises usually leave it months after the launch until further sets are fully re livered after the first one?

They could potentially have just done a longer and slightly taller sticker/decal which not only covered the black with new logos, but covered the LM neon green stripe under the windows with another colour. Maybe with the darker LNR green, or a mixture of colours.

 

[XCTurbostar]

Better yet. Just rip the green window band London Midland sticker off and replace it with an orange one, new brand complete!

 

[sprinterguy]

Seems like that actually could be a possibility given that no further sets have been completed in the full new livery?

Oh ye of little faith. I still don't quite understand this assumption that a new operator will slap its livery across the whole fleet as a top priority right at the get go.

From past experiences, do franchises usually leave it months after the launch until further sets are fully re livered after the first one?

Yes. The first combined Northern franchise took a year to even get close to deciding on on a final livery for fleet rollout, and the current one didn't relivery their first unit until it had been for refurbishment. Wales and West weren't that quick on the draw, either, after experimenting on a single 158. And even for that most brand conscious of operators; after an initial flurry of relivering with a class 90 and mark 3 set for the West Coast, and an HST for Crosscountry; the original Virgin franchises also took yonks to roll out the livery across the fleet.

 

[pt_mad]

Oh ye of little faith. I still don't quite understand this assumption that a new operator will slap its livery across the whole fleet as a top priority right at the get go.

Yes. The first combined Northern franchise took a year to even get close to deciding on on a final livery for fleet rollout, and the current one didn't relivery their first unit until it had been for refurbishment. Wales and West weren't that quick on the draw, either, after experimenting on a single 158. And even for that most brand conscious of operators; after an initial flurry of relivering with a class 90 and mark 3 set for the West Coast, and an HST for Crosscountry; the original Virgin franchises also took yonks to roll out the livery across the fleet.

A poster further up the thread said they contacted LNR to complain about the new livery, and LNR replied by saying it was too late to change the design. I think the poster even copied and pasted the reply into this thread.

So this would surely indicate rollout was in stone and imminent?

 

[Bletchleyite]

A poster further up the thread said they contacted LNR to complain about the new livery, and LNR replied by saying it was too late to change the design. I think the poster even copied and pasted the reply into this thread.

So this would surely indicate rollout was in stone and imminent?

Or they meant that it was too late *for the launch unit*.

 

[samuelmorris]

I think the implication there is not that the livery is subject to change, but that it's common for new operators to take a long time to roll a new livery out across their fleet (in my experience that's definitely true - some 321s were still wearing First Great Eastern colours in Abellio's early days in 2012, after two subsequent liveries had already been and gone!)

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think the implication there is not that the livery is subject to change, but that it's common for new operators to take a long time to roll a new livery out across their fleet (in my experience that's definitely true - some 321s were still wearing First Great Eastern colours in Abellio's early days in 2012, after two subsequent liveries had already been and gone!)

Abellio don't seem that big on reliverying (or liveries generally) unlike some others. TBH, I find them very similar to their parent company (NS) - they are operationally quite well-skilled but don't really care a lot for image.

I think the fact that old Northern was bothered about image was purely an Alex Hynes thing.

 

[Class313:)]

I for one am strongly supporting keeping LM livery but just appying new branding, simply because it will avoid our eyes hurting every time we go to Birmingham (and to a lesser extent Euston and the WCML generally)

 

[Silverlinky]

The plan is for the /3's to receive full wrap at a rate of one every two weeks commencing shortly.
The mark 1's require corrosion repairs, mainly along the roofline before they get wrapped.
The mark 2's will not receive WM Livery as they will be departing these shores.
The mark 4's will also be wrapped when they arrive later next year.

All units are being applied with WM Branding when they are on depot exam.

 

[sufian123]

The plan is for the /3's to receive full wrap at a rate of one every two weeks commencing shortly.
The mark 1's require corrosion repairs, mainly along the roofline before they get wrapped.
The mark 2's will not receive WM Livery as they will be departing these shores.
The mark 4's will also be wrapped when they arrive later next year.

All units are being applied with WM Branding when they are on depot exam.

Where are 350/2s going?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Where are 350/2s going?

I don't think anyone knows yet.

Do you think they might bother to clean the flies off the gangway and repaint the peeling bits this time?

 

[sufian123]

I don't think anyone knows yet.

Do you think they might bother to clean the flies off the gangway and repaint the peeling bits this time?

Not sure. I didn’t even realise 350/2s were going to go. The rest will be getting the new livery?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not sure. I didn’t even realise 350/2s were going to go. The rest will be getting the new livery?

They aren't going yet, but they will be replaced by the new Aventras.

 

[E_Reeves]

Does anybody know where 350373 is today? I want to get out and see it for myself. Thanks!

 

[Silverlinky]

Does anybody know where 350373 is today? I want to get out and see it for myself. Thanks!

Operating between Birmingham and Euston today.....
1117 and 1617 at Birmingham, 1346 and 1847 at Euston......and all points between

 

[E_Reeves]

Operating between Birmingham and Euston today.....
1117 and 1617 at Birmingham, 1346 and 1847 at Euston......and all points between

So not working up the trent valley... Another day I suppose. Thanks for the reply anyway

 

[whhistle]

It surprises me how slow this is all happening.

It's surely fairly easy to do these days, although I can see London Midland leaving the units to go bad nearer the end of the franchise so I understand a lot of work would need to be done first.

But I'm sure other franchise changes removed names pretty much overnight.

 

[K.o.R]

How would you design a Thames link livery ? Incorporate the London skyline ?

So, First Capital Connect then?