Good liveries

[Bletchleyite]

I honestly like the Gatwick Express and it always stands out at Victoria Station compared to the dross of Southern and Southeastern around it

Personally I think that's a bit of a refugee from the 1970s and they looked far nicer in Stagecoach colours.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/2407_at_Moreton,_Dorset.JPG

 

[66Yorks]

Class 50 in Network South East colours, belting.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

 

[CC 72100]

Interesting that despite the new livery the old SNCF logo is used.

The livery isn't that recent, with the 'en voyage' livery dating from 2002. The new logo first appeared in 2005 and was slightly changed (as in I can't tell the difference!) in 2011.

Originally posted on Wikipedia (version Fr)
Cette livrée apparait en 2002. Elle est destinée en premier lieu au matériel moteur grandes lignes, puis est étendue aux TER et au matériel de traction de la banlieue parisienne.

A partir de 2010 certaines machines portant cette livrée ont dû être repeintes en gris à la suite d'un problème de droit à l'image des personnes apparaissant sur la bande de pelliculage. Finalement elle a pu être conservée en remplaçant les photographies de ces personnes.

This livery was first seen in 2002. It was initially applied to main line locomotives, then to TER trains and locomotives in the Paris suburban area.

In 2010 certain locomotives in the livery had to be repainted in grey owing to a rights issue surrounding the images of the the people on the band. Finally it was kept thanks to the photos of these people being replaced.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livrées_SNCF#Livr.C3.A9e_En_Voyage

Back to the UK - I must confess to really liking the XC livery. In fact I'd have said that at the moment, I quite like most of the liveries.

 

[duffers2324]

I liked the Strathclyde Orange and Black hence my avatar I think it is one of the classic liveries, also liked the GNER livery and one that hasent been mentioned yet is Central Trains I liked the use of Green and black on their trains...probably not a held opinion by all!

 

[D6975]

Loadhaul black/orange was quite effective, and very practical for freight engines that were likely to get dirty very quickly.
Large logo blue is still my favourite on a 37.
I too like the Scotrail 68 livery, very smart when with a matching rake of coaches.

 

[alexf380]

Another one that I always thought was quite classy was the Thameslink Navy and Gold livery;

 

[superalbs]

That one is nice other than the yellow panel, hasn't a clue where it's meant to be so it just kinda went everywhere.

 

[nidave]

Thameslink grey & blue:

Also Northern Electrics, Southern & First Dynamic Lines.

This reminds me so much of the NI Railways (Pictures are not mine)

thanks to https://www.flickr.com/photos/darlo2009/8132923153/

Thanks to https://www.flickr.com/photos/kpmarek/2313313324/

 

[plastictaffy]

Smart straight lines, and the roundel right in the middle is perfectly placed and is strangely assertive (if that makes sense).

It does make sense. It's sort of "comforting".

Mainline freight's airline blue was gorgeous. Just a shame there wasn't more of them about before the horrid EWS red and gold turned up.

 

[Techniquest]

I'm sure we've all been here before, but from me:

The second MML livery (not that teal mess!)
Virgin's original livery
Virgin's new livery (suits 390s well!)
FGW's Lightning livery
FGW's Revised 'Barbie'
Current FGW livery
Great Western Trains' green and white livery
Current ScotRail livery
Northern's current scheme (although the old one is a nice bit of memories)
The Porterbrook livery as was applied to 170397 and 170398 in 2007 (not the livery 87002 was in!)
Alphaline livery (both the Welsh and Wessex Trains versions)
Thames Trains
Central Trains
The blue and grey livery 350/1s came in when they first arrived (when it was Central Trains Birmingham to Northampton then Silverlink onwards to London)
Freightliner Powerhaul (really looks good on 90s)
Silverlink
LoadHaul (I just love the black and orange scheme!)
MainLine (but not as much as LoadHaul!)

I'm probably missing one or two, but they're all I can remember right now.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Class 50 in Network South East colours, belting.

^What he said!!!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

That one is nice other than the yellow panel, hasn't a clue where it's meant to be so it just kinda went everywhere.

The Yellow panel wouldn't have looked good any other way, I quite like it.

....The second MML livery (not that teal mess!)....

And you think the teal one is a mess??

 

[90sWereBetter]

SWT's liveries have all been pretty good in my opinion, the striped livery was smart on the 455s and slam-door stock. The Metro red livery makes the 455s look much younger than they are, and the express/outer suburban liveries are smart as well.

I liked Anglia Railways and First Great Eastern's liveries as well. Indeed, I actually also liked the full ONE livery (not the metallic blue one they experimented with on a 170 and a 321 iirc).

 

[Razor1967]

Had to be large logo livery.

Loved it on the Class 50 and 56.

Also made getting the numbers easier with my dodgy eyesight !!

 

[cjmillsnun]

SWT's liveries have all been pretty good in my opinion, the striped livery was smart on the 455s and slam-door stock. The Metro red livery makes the 455s look much younger than they are, and the express/outer suburban liveries are smart as well.

Yup, agree, and you can add EMT's to that.

Also like sectorisation liveries (NSE, RR, IC), Anglia Railways, MML (both), GNER, GWT Merlin, and the current VT (WC)

 

[Parallel]

I'm a fan of Wessex Trains' Alphaline livery too.

(not my photo)

I also like FGW's dynamic lines livery, and I like the regional touch to the local lines livery too.

 

[fowler9]

Large logo blue on the 50's, 37's and 47's. The dutch livery on all kinds of locos.

 

[Muzer]

I'm a fan of Wessex Trains' Alphaline livery too.

(not my photo)
<IMAGE SNIPPED>

I also like FGW's dynamic lines livery, and I like the regional touch to the local lines livery too.

I still remember in the early days of that franchise being taken over by FGW (before I was an enthusiast), all the Wessex Trains vinyls were being removed from the trains. But on one unit I saw, it'd been partially removed but they'd presumably given up halfway, so it read "sex Trains"

 

[Techniquest]

Hairyhandedfool, I struggle to see how you can't like the second MML livery. So much smarter than the first one was!

 

[sprinterguy]

Hairyhandedfool, I struggle to see how you can't like the second MML livery. So much smarter than the first one was!

Because it was bland and boring, while also looking "confused" at the same time, and not a touch on the original teal and tangerine scheme which had a touch of class about it. Hey, it would be boring if we all shared the same opinion.

Going back down the years, there’s so many railway liveries that I could consider appealing. I think it’s easiest if I break this down into rough chronological sections:

STEAM ERA
Caledonian Railway Blue
NER/LNER Apple Green
LNER Garter Blue
LMS/Midland Crimson Lake
British Railways Express Passenger blue & Carmine and cream coaching stock

SECTORISATION
BR “Large Logo” Blue, particularly on class 37/4s
Intercity Swallow
BR Provincial “Railbus” Light blue
Regional Railways, and by extension the very similar BR Provincial “Sprinter” Dark Blue/Light Blue/Light Grey it was derived from, as applied to classes 150/2, 155 and 156 when new
BR Provincial” “Skipper” Chocolate/Cream
West Yorkshire PTE Red/Cream – Specifically the earlier variant of this scheme, with a wider cream band, applied to classes 141, 144, 155, 158 and 307.
Tyne & Wear PTE Lemon Chrome/White/Blue – More so the Regional Railways variant, as far as its application to heavy rail (six class 142 Pacers) is concerned.
GMPTE/Regional Railways "Executive" Dark Grey/Red/White
Strathclyde PTE Orange/Black

RAILFREIGHT
Trainload Freight sub-sectors: Particularly the coal sector “black diamonds” logo. By extension, also the pre-privatisation “shadow” FOC Transrail. I did like “the Big T” back in the day.
Loadhaul Orange/Black
Mainline Freight Aircraft Blue
Rail Express Systems
Serco Railtest Grey/Red
EWS Red/Gold

PRIVATISATION – Initial franchises
At the “outbreak” of privatisation, in my opinion a lot of the fledgling train operators put a lot of detailed thought, and undoubtedly hired some very expensive consultants to ascertain, the image that they wanted to portray to the public. As such, this is a comparatively lengthy section when you consider the astonishingly short period of time that it covers. I personally feel that the constant merry-go-round of short franchises has somewhat lessened the operators’ interest and inclination to invest in the image that they portray, which in more recent years has given rise to a number of bland or cheap looking liveries.

National Express Scotrail Purple/Green/Orange/White
National Express Caledonian Sleeper Purple/Silver
Great North Eastern Railway Blue/Red
Virgin Trains Red/Black
Midland Mainline Teal and Tangerine
Great Western Trains Green and Ivory
Anglia Railways “Intercity” Turquoise & White
Northern Spirit Turquoise & Lime Green, and the Transpennine Express Plum & Gold
North West Trains “Gold Star”
Central Trains Green/Blue/Red
Valley Lines Green/White/Red
Railtrack Green and Blue

PRIVATISATION – Later franchises
However, despite my comments above, that is not to say that there haven’t been some decent liveries in more recent times.

Scotrail “Saltire”
Virgin Trains East Coast
Southern Green/White
Wrexham & Shropshire Silver/Grey
Arriva Trains Wales “Executive” Dark Blue
Grand Central Orange/Black

I can think of a few more that fall into the category of being inoffensive to the eye while not having a major impact, in my opinion: Amongst these I would include the current Stagecoach SWT and EMT schemes, London Midland and the original Chiltern Railways blue and white.

 

[hulabaloo]

I'd love for the Swallow to make a return for all IC routes (and a small "operated by" at the bottom of just one car). InterCity could still be such a strong brand for the railways.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Hairyhandedfool, I struggle to see how you can't like the second MML livery. So much smarter than the first one was!

I just think it just doesn't 'flow' down the train, it's all bits "colour" here and there with no real co-ordination, and that's before we get to the Meridians......

 

[Steve14]

Yup, agree, and you can add EMT's to that.

Also like sectorisation liveries (NSE, RR, IC), Anglia Railways, MML (both), GNER, GWT Merlin, and the current VT (WC)

I'd love for the Swallow to make a return for all IC routes (and a small "operated by" at the bottom of just one car). InterCity could still be such a strong brand for the railways.

I'd love to see that happen too

 

[backontrack]

The Yellow panel wouldn't have looked good any other way, I quite like it.

And you think the teal one is a mess??

That's a lovely livery.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
GatEx, GNER, SWT 450s all good too.

 

[southern442]

I quite liked this WAGN livery, which (AFAIAA) was only used on some 317s. Has some elements of LU and SWT in it...

317 663 at Liverpool St in 2006 by Peter Skuce

I always imagine that livery being applied to 455's if they were ever chosen for any sort of mainline use.

 

[Goldfish62]

Of current liveries my favourites are Southern, Virgin West Coast and Cross Country.

Others range from garish (SWT 455/456) through drab (SWT 450, FGW DMU latest) to downright dull and plain (Abellio Greater Anglia - whatever version of coloured doors and white, South Eastern - all versions, and just dull dull dull - GTR).

Of long-gone liveries I thought GW green and ivory, and GNER were among the best. Simple but classy.

 

[TheNewNo2]

I like the First Group Dynamic Lines livery. Otherwise London Midland is probably my favourite.

 

[LowLevel]

I liked the final MML livery on the 222s - made them stand out.

I was also quite keen on the Centro green version of the RR livery on the 323s.

156s looked quite good in the RR Express livery designed for the 158s that Central put them into.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That's a lovely livery.

New MML? I think it looks terrible. If the window band had been the full height of the windows it might have looked OK, though.