ModernRailways
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Image hopefully attached with a train in LNER branding. Seems to be similar to what some had predicted.
Not my picture.
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LNER Livery
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Image hopefully attached with a train in LNER branding. Seems to be similar to what some had predicted.
Not my picture.
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GrimShady
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Liverys are important for public recognition. BR learned this lesson in the early 80s. Intercity, ScotRail and NSE all came from this realisation. While maintaining a reliable service still takes priority, paint schemes and design still play a big part and not to be underestimated.
Even when Class 91 was designed much attention went into livery and the front end design.
Even when Class 91 was designed much attention went into livery and the front end design.
GrimShady
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Anyone else think the livery would be better if the Virign Red was replaced with Apple Green or Caledonian Blue? No nostalgia reasons here, they just happen to be nice colours.
I was thinking something along the lines of the old Great Western Merlin livery with Apple Green or the Caley Blue and the the LNER brand in gold writing in place of the Merlin logo.
They should seriously consider dropping the stupid Azuma name.... it's crap and stinks of Virgin hipster bulls***!
I was thinking something along the lines of the old Great Western Merlin livery with Apple Green or the Caley Blue and the the LNER brand in gold writing in place of the Merlin logo.
They should seriously consider dropping the stupid Azuma name.... it's crap and stinks of Virgin hipster bulls***!
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K.o.R
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For some reason it reminds me of this:
Also, aren't they doing the doors in a colour? Or is the break in the stripe going to be enough?
Also, aren't they doing the doors in a colour? Or is the break in the stripe going to be enough?
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sprinterguy
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I fully concur!For some reason it reminds me of this:
The leading door at the first class end is not for passenger use (it leads into the kitchen), so does not need to be a contrasting colour.
I haven't seen a photo yet where the passenger doors are visible, but I assume they remain dark grey.
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K.o.R
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Ah of course. Might have been worth having the stripe go over it then as it still does contrast, just not in a great way.
61653 HTAFC
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Agree with this (both points) wholeheartedly. To me the red looks horribly tacky and garish, especially on a white background... and Azuma just makes me think of that company that used to recycle old mobile phones.
Anything is better than Azuma. It is not nice to pronounce and not English.. What does the GWR call them?
Any colour other than red. It still reminds me of the grinning bearded monkey. Is this the Government plan to hand it back in two years time?
I think each one should have a different colour stripe as Court airline used to paint their aircraft.
K.o.R
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Like the Tyne and Wear Metro cars used to have red, green and blue variants.
Photohunter71
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I'd opt for Caley blue, but that's just an opinion, no more no less. However I will agree about the name azuma, it sounds relatively too close to a company who buys your old mobile phones for next to zed all!
GrimShady
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I wonder if some bright spark could knock up something in photoshop?
Anyone up fr the challenge?
I think there was one in yellow also?
sprinterguy
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I appreciate that it's not the sleek corporate image that LNER will be going for, but there's a childlike part of my mind that idea appeals to. It would add some interest to an otherwise bland and uninspiring scheme.
Red, blue and green were the three standard identities applied as part of the 1995 - 2000 refurbishment. Prototype Metrocar 4001 was repainted back into the pre-1986 Metro yellow and white scheme around the time the Sunderland extension opened (I think) in 2002, and was very much a one off. There were always a host of advertising liveries going around, too.
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GWR calls then Intercity Express Trains. Or IETs for short.
I suspect the reason they have kept Azuma is because it may have been too late to change with Hitachi, as things had progressed so much before the changeover. Even the press launch had already taken place. Could be wrong though but I suspect that was the case.
Personally I'm in favour of what you indicated, just use the GWR name universally for all Hitachi IEPs, and call them IETs. In the same way HSTs are HSTs no matter who has them.
I somehow doubt that Hitachi particularly care, or can particularly control what they're called by the TOC.
The real reason that azuma was kept on (at least according to one of their brand people on twitter) was because azuma was a staff chosen name and they wanted to keep it
Makes me think of Montezuma's Revenge! More appropriate I think.
43096
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GWR staff are increasingly using "Super Hitachi Intercity Trains", or the acronym of.
GrimShady
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Helvellyn
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That and the fact that with so many units built, with VTEC designed interiors, you've got a lot of red in the brand. Same with staff uniforms. As much as Garter Blue or Apple Green would be a great base livery (especially the former with silver doors) it would be a lot of money spent on repainting the units.
K.o.R
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They were "red with yellow", "blue with yellow" and "green with yellow". Then more yellow when they changed the doors to be DDA-compliant. Quite smart when cleaned up properly.
I thought they were having red interiors, but all the ones I’ve seen so far have the awful DfT spec - stain showing, lacking comfort grey seats as on GWR. The stripe above the windows with the seat reservations is red though.
Exactly, as I said, Montezuma's Revenge. (diarrhea for anyone who doesn't know what Montezuma's Revenge is)
Its actually much simpler even than that - East Coast was intended to be silver with purple, but it was quickly found that the silver paint showed up every blemish and imperfection in the bodywork - particularly of the 91s. The grey maintained the branding scheme and was far more forgiving (as well as conveniently acting as a base coat for the next operator...
Someone suggested East Coast & Scottish Railway, or ECSR. I think that would have been the best choice, and would have allowed them to separate the current brand from the historical association and in particular the associated branding.
Their case wasn’t helped by the new GWR choosing to paint their stock green, albeit a different shade to the original. Clearly nobody in their right mind would advocate changing all the 91s and 125s from red when they’re already liveried that way, but the choice of name means that the debate will exist whether they like it or not.
Maybe the Hitachis, which hadn’t already been painted up, could have had a livery that was red, white and blue, which would not only combine the existing Virgin colours with the blue that a lot of people associate with the LNER (through Mallard) but also combine the colours of England and Scotland - double win? I don’t know.
James90012
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Smart enough livery, but the application leaves a lot to be desired. It looks very obviously to be stickers, particularly at the front end, and that will only get worse with weathering etc. Virgin's 'flowing silk' is also vinyl but the application is nowhere near as jarring.
HaggisBotherer
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In Scotland there can be issues with colour schemes and how certain colours are used together. Think Old Firm, extrapolate further and add two and two to make four. It's something that graphic design companies up here are acutely aware of.
Ah yes - Red, White and Blue would be very much Rangers-leaning wouldn’t it? Could be very divisive, it’s a fair point.
THC
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The old Glasgow Corporation buses were green, white and orange so it's all moot. In any case, as a Celtic fan, I couldn't care less if the trains I use when heading up to watch the Bhoys are red, white and blue, so long as we keep skelping the tribute act whenever we play.
THC
I always feel a stripe looks better on the lower half of the coach rather than halfway up or along the top half. By all means a black window band, but the red along the windows may have looked better if it went from the cab, down to the bottom half of the coaches, a few feet below the windows. Like how the dynamic lines ran along the bottom part of the coaches on FGW and ex TPE stock.
modernrail
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I don't mind it, but it won't suit any of the main stations it calls in with the possible exception of Leeds. That is a shame as stations are where they will be seen most. The Virgin livery was as bad. GNER looked really good, East Coast branding was pretty dreadful but always intended to be temporary.
As this is meant to become the permanent brand of the most iconic line in the country I would like to see something a bit better. Even running some green through the stripy bits might help to mirror the brilliant countryside it is running through.
I don't understand why Hitachi don't have a better solution for the blanked out windows, it really does look amateur - I am sure I have missed a post with the reasons somewhere. They let the aesthetics down badly.
As this is meant to become the permanent brand of the most iconic line in the country I would like to see something a bit better. Even running some green through the stripy bits might help to mirror the brilliant countryside it is running through.
I don't understand why Hitachi don't have a better solution for the blanked out windows, it really does look amateur - I am sure I have missed a post with the reasons somewhere. They let the aesthetics down badly.
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