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Northern painting old units?

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Gizmogle

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I swear I saw a newly painted Northern unit the other day! :shock:
I didn't catch the number, but it was a 156. Then yesterday I saw another, it was 156228. So they've painted at least 1! (Not sure why cause Northern trains are a mess anyway) Also, think they sent a Sprinter to Chester? Don't they usually send the 142s there?
 
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Max

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I think basically they've been given a backside by the DfT. They were in talks to end the franchise early, but they were convinced to stay. However, they need to get several things sorted, which includes standardising its fleet colour scheme. So we should be seeing quite a few more repaints in the coming months. I read somewhere that they are doing it internally at the depots for time and cost reasons.

In terms of unit allocation, Northern are fairly random to be honest, but the arrival of some 158s has freed up some 156s for other duties that would normally be filled by pacers and such like. But I saw a northern 142 heading out of Manchester Oxford Road yesterday for Preston at about 17:00 and it was the fullest I have ever seen a train - the people were literally packed in like sardines. I'm suprised it was even safe to let the train continue!
 
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The old Regional Railways Livery'ed 150's are currently being painted into northern livery, one of the 155's is in northern livery, plus they will soon be bringing painting instore to their depots to get the units painted faster, they are getting there act together!
 
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Gizmogle

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Northen getting their act together? Hmm...I don't think this is gonna last long.
Are they gonna be refurbishing any? Or just painting them? Cause living in Buxton, all we have are Northern sprinters. They're dirty, graffitied, the toilets are always smelly and out of order and the heating doesn't work properly. Shouldn't they be fixing that rather than just making them look good on the outside?
 
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Mushroom

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Gizmogle said:
I swear I saw a newly painted Northern unit the other day! :shock:
I didn't catch the number, but it was a 156. Then yesterday I saw another, it was 156228. So they've painted at least 1! (Not sure why cause Northern trains are a mess anyway) Also, think they sent a Sprinter to Chester? Don't they usually send the 142s there?
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As far as im aware there are 3 painted. Each in a different livery.

As for the sprinter to Chester. This not unusual, although it is mainly pacers, they are sometimes intersperced with 150's and on the 09:something from chester that runs to Blackpool north via Piccadilly its always a 156. On sundays currenty due to engneering they are diveting some services along the Manchester to Chester line. Last night I saw an ATW 175 and 158 flying through Altrincham towards Manchester
 
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Gizmogle

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I probably got the number wrong then, I only saw it from a distance. I'll have a proper look if I see it again
 
metrocammel

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Gizmogle said:
I swear I saw a newly painted Northern unit the other day! :shock:
I didn't catch the number, but it was a 156. Then yesterday I saw another, it was 156228. So they've painted at least 1! (Not sure why cause Northern trains are a mess anyway) Also, think they sent a Sprinter to Chester? Don't they usually send the 142s there?
Click to expand...

There has actually been a Northern liveried 156 for two years now (and the livery is looking it's age), this unit, 451, was painted for the new franchise, but I doubt you would have seen it as it was an ex-Northern Spirit (Neville Hill) based unit, so would be seldom seen at Buxton.
There are now 3 versions of the 156 livery. There are a grand total of 6 in the NR liveries at the moment, the latest application has a space for advertising in the middle- which on 460(?) advertises the Ravenglass & Eskdale.
There is (I think)a single 150 in Northern livery (3), which was an ex-Reggie Rail unit. This has been re-upholstered (along with all the other Reggie Rail units), but other than that, un- refurbished.
The 155, 155346 has been painted in another variation of the livery, and it has been internally refurbished, however with lino floors replacing the carpet, so it makes it feel cheaper. The new seat upholstery is nice though - though unfortunately with Northern there seems to be no standardisation through the company (even management on the West of the company say they rarely communicate with their Eastern counterparts), the seat upholstery on the 150's is basically the Provincial pattern, but with lilac dots, whereas the 155 has quite a classy moquette, plain purple with a dark blue stripe.
 
Donny Dave

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metrocammel said:
The latest application has a space for advertising in the middle- which on 460(?) advertises the Ravenglass & Eskdale.
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That's 156461 which was at Darlington for the Community Railfest. Another line being advertised is Leeds - Sheffield "Express", but I can't remember which 156 that is on.
 
1D53

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In total:

150: 145,228, 269, 270
155: 345, 346 (345 being done at the moment)
156: 425, 451, 460, 461, 464, 469
321: 901, 902 (901 being done at the moment)
 
37372

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Those colours are awful!
Speaking of Northern repainting units, I wonder if any 142's will be repainted? Seemed weird today getting off of a Merseyrail 142, at Mexborough, with Lincoln on the destination screen!
 
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Gizmogle said:
The blue with the gold star isn't too bad either.
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It would take virtually no effort or change for them to alter that livery into the new Northern livery. All they have to do is get rid of the gold star and add a purple stripe - easy peasy!
 
metrocammel

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Max said:
It would take virtually no effort or change for them to alter that livery into the new Northern livery. All they have to do is get rid of the gold star and add a purple stripe - easy peasy!
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Yep, but no 321's have ever had the North Western (gold star) livery, it was just two 322's that carried it (for the London - M'cr trains). One remains in it working the North Berwick branch services. (but will probably soon succumb to Barbie's paintwork). The new 321/9 livery looks like someone with a can of Purple (and lilac) paint has graffitied over the original 321/9 WY Metro livery. The red and the purple clash terribly. It is by far the worst Northern livery so far. Thank god they aren't repainting the WY Metro subsidied 155's in it.

37372 said:
Those colours are awful!
Speaking of Northern repainting units, I wonder if any 142's will be repainted? Seemed weird today getting off of a Merseyrail 142, at Mexborough, with Lincoln on the destination screen!
Click to expand...

No, (well not Merseyrail ones anyway) The Merseyrail units are subsidied by Merseytravel PTE, and have probably only ventured into Lincoln as a one off (due to stock shortage). Actually, if they use Merseyrail liveried units for a certain length of time away from the PTE area, Northern could get penalised. (as Merseyrail are paying towards that unit- and ideally want it working around Liverpool). Other 142's in obsolete liveries may get painted into NR, but the Arriva 142's have only comparativley recently been painted, the North Western ones are now looking a bit drab, but FNW didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to re-livery them either.

Gizmogle said:
That's the one I like
http://diesel.multiple.units.fotopic.net/p26726232.html
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Thats the "original" Northern livery. (it has since been abandoned due to the amount of white- which has MML have proved soon turns a funny brown colour- due to the iron deposits from the brakes)


Cheers,
James.
 
Mojo

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metrocammel said:
Thats the "original" Northern livery. (it has since been abandoned due to the amount of white- which has MML have proved soon turns a funny brown colour- due to the iron deposits from the brakes)
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156464 (photo taken Jly 2005) seems to have even more white than that one! Which livery have they actually chosen on?
 
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I would probably go as far to say that 321 is the worst livery around. I think I prefer Barbie and 'one'!!!
 
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metrocammel said:
No, (well not Merseyrail ones anyway) The Merseyrail units are subsidied by Merseytravel PTE, and have probably only ventured into Lincoln as a one off (due to stock shortage). Actually, if they use Merseyrail liveried units for a certain length of time away from the PTE area, Northern could get penalised. (as Merseyrail are paying towards that unit- and ideally want it working around Liverpool). Other 142's in obsolete liveries may get painted into NR, but the Arriva 142's have only comparativley recently been painted, the North Western ones are now looking a bit drab, but FNW didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to re-livery them either.
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The Merseyrail 142s seem to be quite common in Yorkshire now - I rode on one on the Harrogate line a few weeks back and I've seen at least 2 or 3 others on the line in the past few months. They are probably the worst of the 142s, with seats worse than most buses, and only just enough legroom for a shorta*se like me! I'd hate to imagine 3 average/tall people coping in the 3+2 seats.

Got to agree with others that the 321 livery is about the worst I've seen...talk about a bad clash of colours!
 
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Gizmogle

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I think that livery is actually alright. Think we got a couple in that livery down here in Buxton.
Thing they need to do now is makes the damn trains a little less....eurgh.
They're uncomfortable, smelly, graffitied, the toilets are always out of order and they always have the heating on cause they can't get it back on when they turn it off.
 
metrocammel

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Mojo said:
156464 (photo taken Jly 2005) seems to have even more white than that one! Which livery have they actually chosen on?
Click to expand...

Hey! Its my (2nd) local shack!! Good old Stalyvegas. - btw, are you sure that was taken over a year ago, as it only seems like two minutes ago when they put that shelter up (the blue one on the far right of the phot)

That livery does have an awful lot of white in it true, Im pretty sure it isn't that livery (or at least not as white-more of a browny colour) now! I copped another Northern unit today - 150228 - it's also a smart Northern livery. Much better than the excuse for a livery on the dusty-bin.
 
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