Following on from last year's thread at https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ere-a-step-up-from-their-predecessors.236097/ on examples of rolling stock that were a step up from their predecessors, I thought how about a similar thread on examples of train refurbishment or facelift/refresh schemes (past or present) that you think were a step up from the previous interiors of the same trains.
This can include examples from the national rail network, either from the BR era or post-privatisation, from any other UK rail networks such as the London Underground, or from abroad.
For a start I would say that GNER's Mallard Mark 4 refurbishment was a step up from the original Mark 4 interiors, especially in Standard Class. Likewise with Avanti West Coast's current Pendolino refurbishment programme.
On Virgin West Coast in pre-Pendolino days, the refurbished First Class saloons on their Mark 2F and Mark 3 Open Firsts were nicer than those of the 1980s BR Intercity refurbishment. I especially liked the VWC Mark 2F FOs with their more subdued lighting than under BR.
Some of VWC's Mark 3s then went to "One"/Greater Anglia and got one last refurbishment, which was OK but in First Class I preferred the VWC refurbishment to that of Greater Anglia as the seats no longer reclined after the GA refurbishment.
When the Mark 2Fs and Mark 3s (including the HSTs) had their first refurbishment under BR in the mid to late '80s they initially kept their original headrests and seating layouts but in due course they got thinner headrests in both classes and more unidirectional seating in Standard Class. I thought the 1980s interiors were an improvement on their original as-built interiors in terms of the colours used but I preferred their original headrests (and the original seating layout in Standard Class).
On the London Underground I would say that the C69/C77 Stock, Bakerloo Line 1972 Stock, Piccadilly Line 1973 Stock and the now withdrawn Victoria Line 1967 Stock was better after refurbishment. In all of these cases they had brighter interiors than before, and the C Stock had (and the 1973 Stock still has) windows next to the end emergency doors in each car so you can see all through the train, which is better for passenger security. Changing to all longitudinal seating on the C Stock and 1973 Stock may have been somewhat controversial (indeed the C Stock originally had all facing bays except at the ends of the cars) though it didn't bother me particularly. The 1967 and 1972 Stock kept some facing bays after refurbishment, though.
This can include examples from the national rail network, either from the BR era or post-privatisation, from any other UK rail networks such as the London Underground, or from abroad.
For a start I would say that GNER's Mallard Mark 4 refurbishment was a step up from the original Mark 4 interiors, especially in Standard Class. Likewise with Avanti West Coast's current Pendolino refurbishment programme.
On Virgin West Coast in pre-Pendolino days, the refurbished First Class saloons on their Mark 2F and Mark 3 Open Firsts were nicer than those of the 1980s BR Intercity refurbishment. I especially liked the VWC Mark 2F FOs with their more subdued lighting than under BR.
Some of VWC's Mark 3s then went to "One"/Greater Anglia and got one last refurbishment, which was OK but in First Class I preferred the VWC refurbishment to that of Greater Anglia as the seats no longer reclined after the GA refurbishment.
When the Mark 2Fs and Mark 3s (including the HSTs) had their first refurbishment under BR in the mid to late '80s they initially kept their original headrests and seating layouts but in due course they got thinner headrests in both classes and more unidirectional seating in Standard Class. I thought the 1980s interiors were an improvement on their original as-built interiors in terms of the colours used but I preferred their original headrests (and the original seating layout in Standard Class).
On the London Underground I would say that the C69/C77 Stock, Bakerloo Line 1972 Stock, Piccadilly Line 1973 Stock and the now withdrawn Victoria Line 1967 Stock was better after refurbishment. In all of these cases they had brighter interiors than before, and the C Stock had (and the 1973 Stock still has) windows next to the end emergency doors in each car so you can see all through the train, which is better for passenger security. Changing to all longitudinal seating on the C Stock and 1973 Stock may have been somewhat controversial (indeed the C Stock originally had all facing bays except at the ends of the cars) though it didn't bother me particularly. The 1967 and 1972 Stock kept some facing bays after refurbishment, though.
