ChrisCooper
Established Member
Talking about "Project Rio" (MMLs London to Manchester service during the WCML blockades) got me thinking about how many of the HST sets were in multiple liveries, and how since privatisation this has been something that has been fairly common with HSTs and hauled stock (and on occasion units).
The best I've seen is 4 liveries in one train. One was an MML set which had a Virgin Powercar at one end, an FGW "fag packed" powercar at the other (early during Rio a FGW set was hired in to help cover whilst the ex-Virgin sets were still being prepared and refurbished), and the trailers included old MML "bambie", new MML and Virgin.
The other one was 'one', a set containing Virgin, Anglia, Intercity and 'one' livery. I think it was AR01 which had it's DBSO vinyled in 'one' livery (incase the DVT could not be used for the launch), was mostly still in Intercity other than it's buffet which had been swapped for an Anglia one, and had a Virgin 90.
Of cource pre-privatisation it happened too, I remember the HSTs at one point carrying Blue-Grey, Executive and Swallow. It's been the fairly rapid changes of livery and reallocations that has caused the issue since privatisation.
When livery changes occur, 2 liveries on a train are very common, particularly hauled sets or HSTs where locos or powercars are painted seperate to the coaches, and swap around a lot. It's amusing how quick after a launch a set will get mixed up, usually within days of launch. Mostly though it's coaches in one livery, loco or powercars in another, wheras mixed coaching sets are a little rarer (as least in more recent times) as they tend to be pretty fixed formation.
Oviously railtours can throw up a variety of liveries, especially these days with many sets of ex TOC Mk2s running around in their old liveries.
The best I've seen is 4 liveries in one train. One was an MML set which had a Virgin Powercar at one end, an FGW "fag packed" powercar at the other (early during Rio a FGW set was hired in to help cover whilst the ex-Virgin sets were still being prepared and refurbished), and the trailers included old MML "bambie", new MML and Virgin.
The other one was 'one', a set containing Virgin, Anglia, Intercity and 'one' livery. I think it was AR01 which had it's DBSO vinyled in 'one' livery (incase the DVT could not be used for the launch), was mostly still in Intercity other than it's buffet which had been swapped for an Anglia one, and had a Virgin 90.
Of cource pre-privatisation it happened too, I remember the HSTs at one point carrying Blue-Grey, Executive and Swallow. It's been the fairly rapid changes of livery and reallocations that has caused the issue since privatisation.
When livery changes occur, 2 liveries on a train are very common, particularly hauled sets or HSTs where locos or powercars are painted seperate to the coaches, and swap around a lot. It's amusing how quick after a launch a set will get mixed up, usually within days of launch. Mostly though it's coaches in one livery, loco or powercars in another, wheras mixed coaching sets are a little rarer (as least in more recent times) as they tend to be pretty fixed formation.
Oviously railtours can throw up a variety of liveries, especially these days with many sets of ex TOC Mk2s running around in their old liveries.
But, in all fairness, they knew perfectly well that they'd need to do it.