SWR Repaints and Refurbishments

[brehowjevidowk]

Do we know if it’s out tommorow?

 

[Class455]

Obviously, there are variations on 5868 from its original livery, but the "golden spanners" are a nice touch beneath each cab-side window.

Didn’t the Southern 455’s win that award a few times? Pretty sure they won it in either 2019 or 2020

5868 Moved back to Wimbledon this afternoon, however (and I hate to feel nitpicky), I think the BR Blue has been carried up too high?

As built:

Class 455/8 EMU @ London Waterloo, 1983 [slide 8343]

Still apparently new, unit no 5824 is captured with car S77625 nearest the camera.

www.flickr.com

868 today:

Back to the 80s...

455868 has emerged from the Bournemouth paint shop and is on its way back to Wimbledon Park - 6th March 2024.

www.flickr.com

Still looks brilliant! Looking forward to seeing this around on the network. Wasn’t expecting to see both BR and SWR logos on it but it’s a nice touch.

Makes me wonder what a Southern 455 would’ve looked like in BR blue livery had they not been scrapped two years ago.

 

[Mike Machin]

It’s amazing how good blue and grey still looks now when it’s clean, which most trains are today compared to the days of BR.

Imagine how much money could have been saved had the incredibly well designed corporate identity not been tinkered around with and then ditched for the plethora of sector and privatisation liveries and designs over the last 40 years. Keeping the identity more or less intact with just the new operator’s name as we see here would have been quite sufficient.

 

[Doomotron]

It’s amazing how good blue and grey still looks now when it’s clean, which most trains are today compared to the days of BR.

It might suit the trains that wore it when they were new, but good luck getting it to look good on a 395 or Electrostar.

 

[Goldfish62]

It’s amazing how good blue and grey still looks now when it’s clean, which most trains are today compared to the days of BR.

Imagine how much money could have been saved had the incredibly well designed corporate identity not been tinkered around with and then ditched for the plethora of sector and privatisation liveries and designs over the last 40 years. Keeping the identity more or less intact with just the new operator’s name as we see here would have been quite sufficient.

I remember it well in the 1970s and 80s. What a drab, depressing livery it was. A sign of the times. Nice to paint a unit back in it for nostalgia, but that's as far as it goes.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I remember it well in the 1970s and 80s. What a drab, depressing livery it was. A sign of the times. Nice to paint a unit back in it for nostalgia, but that's as far as it goes.

Crikey, yes. When a silver-grey roof, or a white bodyside stripe, were the only livery variation to "monastral with everything".

 

[WarrenTManager]

Didn’t the Southern 455’s win that award a few times? Pretty sure they won it in either 2019 or 2020

Stew Lane won it 2019/2020.

 

[nctd2306]

I see our good friends at RTT have already updated 868's image with the new livery

 

[Sun Chariot]

I see our good friends at RTT have already updated 868's image with the new livery

Well done, Tom and team! I love it

 

[Deepgreen]

It might suit the trains that wore it when they were new, but good luck getting it to look good on a 395 or Electrostar.

However, it almost certainly would never be applied to those.

Crikey, yes. When a silver-grey roof, or a white bodyside stripe, were the only livery variation to "monastral with everything".

However, it was good to have a uniform livery for trains across the UK, rather than the ridiculous privatisation outcome of so many different ones, mostly vying for prizes for garishness and gimmicks, as well as dispensing with well-established passenger information indicators such as first class yellow stripes.

 

[Sun Chariot]

However, it was good to have a uniform livery for trains across the UK, rather than the ridiculous privatisation outcome of so many different ones, mostly vying for prizes for garishness and gimmicks

The current business model makes me cringe. Where more focus is given to the colour scheme, than to a comfortable and reliable customer-centric service provided at a fair price.
For me, the "golden age" was the sector branding of the mid-1980s.

 

[Goldfish62]

For me, the "golden age" was the sector branding of the mid-1980s.

Yes, incredibly modern and bright at the time, especially after a couple of decades of drab blue and grey.

 

[Doomotron]

However, it almost certainly would never be applied to those.

The point is that if BR Blue for whatever reason was reintroduced as a standard livery, it would look awful on a lot of modern stock. Similarly, if a new standard livery was introduced in twenty years or so it too would look awful on new trains.

 

[Goldfish62]

The point is that if BR Blue for whatever reason was reintroduced as a standard livery, it would look awful on a lot of modern stock. Similarly, if a new standard livery was introduced in twenty years or so it too would look awful on new trains.

And indeed why would reintroducing a 60-year old livery which looked quite dull back in the day anyway be a good idea? Look forwards, not backwards!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

And indeed why would reintroducing a 60-year old livery which looked quite dull back in the day anyway be a good idea? Look forwards, not backwards!

Agreed, it's a bit daft. To the average passenger who likely won't know that it's been returned to that livery for nostalgic purposes, it might well look as though the company didn't bother to repaint a train at the time of privatisation!

 

[Class15]

A few shots of 5868 at Vauxhall today.

 

[Deepgreen]

The point is that if BR Blue for whatever reason was reintroduced as a standard livery, it would look awful on a lot of modern stock. Similarly, if a new standard livery was introduced in twenty years or so it too would look awful on new trains.

I don't think anyone has said the old BR livery might be brought back! The old BR livery was of its time, and I can't see any reason why it would be reintroduced. I think it needs to be understood what the difference is between a 'heritage' livery and any potential new, network-wide liveries.

Agreed, it's a bit daft. To the average passenger who likely won't know that it's been returned to that livery for nostalgic purposes, it might well look as though the company didn't bother to repaint a train at the time of privatisation!

I don't think anyone would ever think that.

 

[joystick]

Looks so much better than the toy town colours.

 

[Deepgreen]

Looks so much better than the toy town colours.

Yes. I may be deemed old-fashioned but I think it would be good to return to a livery for a unified national railway network that, rather than being garish and cheap-looking, is elegant, inspires respect and puts passenger information first (first class, disabled access, catering, etc., returning to the tried and tested cantrail stripes of BR days, with extra denotations as required). I'm not advocating simply going back the BR regime per se, but a sensible livery which allows easily-visible adornments such as cantrail stripes without them being lost in a jumble of colours, etc. Of all the current liveries, GWR's is best for this, but they have utterly failed to capitalise on it, with the stupid almost invisible silver pencil stripes for first class, etc. - design above function, but it could be so different... London Buses demonstrates this concept, with all the vehicles having to be red, but with the individual companies' names shown, etc. The result is an instantly-recognisable vehicle which gives a cohesive network feeling.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I liken it more to that of the deregulated bus companies (TfL London buses excepted), where each geographic area's bus company has different "house colours" - and different travel pricing-structures.

With rail ticketing complexity - e.g. tickets only for use on a specific Train Operating Co. - then, if all TOCs painted in the same livery, the less-familiar travellers will find it even harder to distinguish which train their ticket can be used on.

Far easier to tell someone they must "catch the green & white one (Southern) but not the blue & white one" (South Western Railway).

 

[Mike Machin]

I know this is going off-topic, but before we're all nudged back on-track I think a unified passenger train livery for England would be good, as it's unlikely that Scotland or Wales will change as these services are devolved from the UK Government.
I think a livery that reflects the red and white of England would be good, in fact, just adopt the Greater Anglia livery nationwide!

 

[Towers]

There is one from 1938 kicking about still

Absolutely incredible, love stuff like this!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Absolutely incredible, love stuff like this!

I agree - 1930s vintage, it'll be getting taken to BBC's "The Repair Shop".

 

[Recessio]

There is one from 1938 kicking about still

I'm astonished that it's still functioning!

 

[Mag_seven]

Can we try to remain focussed on SWR Repaints and Refurbishments please.

thanks

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm astonished that it's still functioning!

It will be a little like triggers broom with things like seals and some internals. The main body will be original

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Geoff Marshall has posted a video about 455868.

 

[Deepgreen]

Today at Box Hill and Westhumble.

 

[Goldfish62]

Today at Box Hill and Westhumble.View attachment 154040

Great photo!

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Nice one. '68 is country end today, so better for any sun that might have appeared (photo wise), had we had any sun today!