Islineclear3_1
Established Member
How about the Romsey Rocket ? 
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Fleet names that weren't widely adopted
- Thread starter Jayden99
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QSK19
Member
Strictly speaking yes; however given that the Connect service is operated exclusively by 360s and there are no 360s operating outside of EMR, some may refer to the fleet as “the Connect trains” (I have done on occasion). Had EMR stuck with Electrics, maybe the same would have caught on.
Cornish branch lines, surely. The things eked out the last years of their life on the Devon branches
Predator?
I do not know why they changed the fleet name from Zephyr to Adelante, but I assume it was for it to be consistent with the FGW (and possibly Hull Trains depending on when it happened) fleets.
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
I don't hear 185s being called "Pennine class" much, but FirstGroup certainly tried it for a good while before giving up.
12LDA28C
Established Member
I beg to differ. I hear some people refer to 165s as 'Turbos' even today, they even named a kid's nursery near Oxford station after them...
D365
Veteran Member
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Has ’Nova 3’ lasted long?
Sun Chariot
Established Member
The nursery that opened in 1992, just north of the station? "Timmy (or Tiny) Turbo" , wasn't it? That takes me back
In the 3 years I travelled the Chiltern and, later, 5 years along the Thanes Valley, I never once heard a passenger say: "I'm getting the Turbo to..."
So, to the OP's initial question, no I don’t think that the brand caught on with the general public at large.
I travelled them on the Exmouth branch and the Barnstaple branch in 1986. They were tortuous on those - my ears still get flashbacks! - so I dread to think what they were like on the Cornish branches.
They had gone by the time I re-visited Exeter and Plymouth areas in 1988.
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Was “South Western Turbo” for the 159s not a result of the original plan being to order actual class 16x Turbo sets? Presumably the branding was retained after the rolling stock order was switched?
Moving away from passenger stock for a moment, BR introduced the class 60s as “Steadfast”, including on training materials. Never stuck, Tugs seems more fun anyway!
Moving away from passenger stock for a moment, BR introduced the class 60s as “Steadfast”, including on training materials. Never stuck, Tugs seems more fun anyway!
Adrian1980uk
Member
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- 495
I'm from Norfolk so might be bias but I think the Lotus Esprit Turbo just pips it.Ah yes, the infamous Turbo sunglasses. Not sure what Turbo effect they gave mind!
Sticking Turbo on everything seemed to be a late 80s fad though - but I still feel that one of the greatest things to ever have that phrase adorned to it was the SAAB 900 Turbo!
Very few marketing names actually stick, the ic125 is the exception and the sprinters. I can't see Azuma actually sticking long into the future.
Ash Bridge
Established Member
You could well be right there, it’s possibly memory fade on my part but I seem to recall it being 87s in the illustrations. Need to search out the old publicity items now to confirm.
norbitonflyer
Established Member
Flying Scotsman syndrome - people confusing the name of a service with the branding of the rolling stock.
87s were certainly not exclusive to the AngloScottish services, but they did tend to apear in the publicity.
My first electric train to Glasgow was behind a class 82, and my first sighting of a class 87 was at Birmingham.
Electra was definitely just the 91s, and IIRC was a marketing link up with the Musical ‘Starlight Express’ where one of the key protagonists is a shiny new electric train called Electra; and not coincidentally an APT style train also in the mix breaks down.
Yep mid-late 80s was all about turbo - I even had a pair of turbo sunglasses!
Sun Chariot
Established Member
My teen coveted car.
By a quirk of irony, the owner of Saab Centre in Milton Keyes (where post #25 was serviced), was re-building an Esprit V8.
Quite funny really because even 1950s built class 20s had turbos!
Ashley Hill
Established Member
stevieinselby
Member
The problem with that was always going to be that the fleet consists of three entirely different and unrelated train types, so calling them all Nova was (ahem) never going to go.
But distinguishing them as Nova 1, Nova 2 and Nova 3 was equally doomed because it's hard to remember which ones are which.
Sun Chariot
Established Member
Cursed things!
12LDA28C
Established Member
The nursery that opened in 1992, just north of the station? "Timmy (or Tiny) Turbo" , wasn't it? That takes me back
Turbo Ted's nursery on Roger Dudman Way between the station and the Down sidings. I believe it's still there today.
12LDA28C
Established Member
That's a nickname rather than a manufacturer or operator brand name, but yes although most 50 followers call them 'Vacs' I believe.
(Sir) Richard Stilgoe, the principal lyricist for Starlight Express. is of course a lifelong rail buff, and apart from the overall theme of the musical itself, it is peppered with names and terms taken, sometimes obliquely, from the railway (and enthusiast) world. In a radio interview he described how the title itself was inspired by reading about the "Starlight Specials", cheap overnight services from Glasgow to London in the early 1960s, which employed interesting combinations of steam locomotives and thus were regularly featured in enthusiast magazines of his youth.
I actually got taken to the show in the 1990s (Victoria Theatre, London) as a birthday "event". Fearing it would be all rather silly, it turned out to be spectacular.
But EMR Connect has mostly been dropped again now in favour of Luton Airport Express. I don't think the association is there - although changing the name twice in two years probably means that is absolutely inevitable.
Before or after they were withdrawn from service?
sir_gummerz
Member
GWR still uses the turbo name on some of the information posters inside the trains. The welcome on board adds that say something along the lines of "we hope you enjoy traveling on out turbo train"
Never knew that, and I've lived in the South Western area almost continuously over the 159's period of operation (though admittedly not on a 159-operated route); I've always associated Turbo with 165/166 and nothing else.
Did they carry the Turbo branding throughout their period of NSE operation?
Ah yes, the infamous Turbo sunglasses. Not sure what Turbo effect they gave mind!
Sticking Turbo on everything seemed to be a late 80s fad though - but I still feel that one of the greatest things to ever have that phrase adorned to it was the SAAB 900 Turbo!
I remember "Turbo Loader" describing fast-loader software (when loading programs from cassette) on 80s home computers. Particularly popular in the mid-to-late 80s.
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Sun Chariot
Established Member
That's the one. Thanks.
That raises the whole of the civil engineer's wagon fleet names, after various water creatures, which I believe came originally from the GWR. The approach came from the onetime use of telegrams, which were charged by the word, so various codewords were useful.
