SWT livery colours

[GodAtum]

I'm curious, why do SWT have different colored livery for different trains (ie, blue for 450, white for 444 and red for 455)?

 

[transmanche]

I'm curious, why do SWT have different colored livery for different trains (ie, blue for 450, white for 444 and red for 455)?

Red = metro/inner suburban. Blue = outer suburban. White = Regional express/Intercity. (Although there are exceptions.)

 

[swt_passenger]

This is basically why the 458s are changing to blue from white now. When they were first ordered, the later colour allocations hadn't really been confirmed.

Of course the 158s are all in the same long distance livery, it wouldn't be practical to have a subset for some of their services that should logically run in the blue colour scheme.

 

[telstarbox]

They correspond with the three East Midlands Trains liveries (photos from Wikipedia):

Intercity (Meridians and HSTs)

Regional (158s)

Local (153s and 156s)

 

[JB25]

What is SWTs main colour, Blue?

 

[transmanche]

What is SWTs main colour, Blue?

It depends where you are!

The white livery is closest to (parent company) Stagecoach's bus livery and is the one used on their 'flagship' services - so probably counts as the 'main' livery.

 

[GodAtum]

Wouldnt it be easier for passengers to only have 1 color for a TOC?

 

[SeanG]

I think it helps for average joe to differentiate his train.
He wouldn't necessary know the difference between a 455 and a 444 but knows the difference between white for (say) Weymouth and red for (say) Shepperton

 

[Lockwood]

That would stop them whining about having to get "one of those blue trains" to Portsmouth

 

[swt_passenger]

They correspond with the three East Midlands Trains liveries (photos from Wikipedia):

I'd have said EMT only have two basic liveries. The Meridian/HST and 158 liveries have detail changes only. If they count as different liveries, then so do SWT's 158/9 DMUs and 444/458 EMUs

There's no equivalent to the SWT 'red' version.

 

[JB25]

Why does that EMT posted above appear to have some sort of snow plough?

 

[cjmillsnun]

I'd have said EMT only have two basic liveries. The Meridian/HST and 158 liveries have detail changes only. If they count as different liveries, then so do SWT's 158/9 DMUs and 444/458 EMUs

There's no equivalent to the SWT 'red' version.

Doesn't work so well on EMT. The HST power cars are blue, but the coaches white. Otherwise yes I'd agree with you, they only have the 2 basic schemes.

 

[transmanche]

Doesn't work so well on EMT. The HST power cars are blue, but the coaches white. Otherwise yes I'd agree with you, they only have the 2 basic schemes.

Well the blue on the HST power car is really just a much larger version of the blue 'bulge' on side of the 158s (see upthread) and 222s. It's just a variation on a theme...

 

[user15681]

It is largely beneficial in terms of branding. Recently saw SWT on Twitter refer to a service as 'the white train'. It's helpful for those that aren't so clued up about travelling. Although I don't know if that was the sole reason for the separate colours.

 

[plastictaffy]

They should all be one colour. There used to be one or two locomotives painted in this really nice blue colour. They could paint them all in it, and call it, ooh, I dunno, British Railway Blue??

 

[starrymarkb]

Doesn't work so well on EMT. The HST power cars are blue, but the coaches white. Otherwise yes I'd agree with you, they only have the 2 basic schemes.

That's because EMT realised how long a White Powercar would stay white for. It took FGW a few repaints before management worked that one out before too many Powercars were done. National Express EC didn't work it out!

And for the BR Blue mob? I can't think of anything more drab and dull...

 

[transmanche]

They should all be one colour.

Why..?

 

[jopsuk]

Well the blue on the HST power car is really just a much larger version of the blue 'bulge' on side of the 158s (see upthread) and 222s. It's just a variation on a theme...

Also, when SWT had a 73, that was blue.

 

[Oswyntail]

They should all be one colour. There used to be one or two locomotives painted in this really nice blue colour. They could paint them all in it, and call it, ooh, I dunno, British Railway Blue??

Great idea - let's revert to possibly the dullest livery the world has ever known :roll:
Of course, it would be best for the customer if this idea were rolled out across the network, having trains easily recognisable for the type of service rather than having TOC colour schemes. Cheaper, too.

 

[Monty]

BR corporate blue was ****e anyway, bring back BR green and maroon coaching stock I say!

 

[Goldfish62]

BR corporate blue was ****e anyway, bring back BR green and maroon coaching stock I say!

I agree - BR Blue was awful.

InterCity livery was a true classic and would have stood the test of time, just as DB IC/ICE and SNCF TGV (blue/silver, not the awful new one) have.

 

[tbtc]

I think its a really good colour scheme - clearly part of the same brand but with enough to differentiate the specific types of train. A bit like the later-day BR scheme where ScotRail was "InterCity but with a blue stripe" and Regional Railways was similar but two-tone blue.

Stagecoach have a similar approach to buses, where driver trainers are predominantly red buses but with the blue "swoosh" at the front, London buses were predominantly red but with the blue "swoosh" at the rear.

The only "surprise" is that the Supertram livery is the "outer suburban" blue (rather than "inner suburban" red) - not that people in Sheffield ever argue about "blues" and "reds" of course...

 

[455driver]

BR corporate blue was ****e anyway, bring back BR green and maroon coaching stock I say!

Careful Sonny boy careful!

 

[Harbon 1]

Why does that EMT posted above appear to have some sort of snow plough?

Because that 153 has a miniature snow plough fitted

I'm a big fan of the stagecoach livery on trains, and I do like the idea of changing the main colour for different style services. I suppose the Cass 43 power cars would look a bit odd all in white, so maybe that's why they're blue, as it's the carriages the passengers will be looking at

 

[Taunton]

The Stagecoach colours, for SWT, EMT, and their buses, were designed by a guy called Ray Stenning, who runs a design company called Best Impressions. They have a real market niche on bus and train livery design, and have done many up and down the country. Incidentally, Ray has always been a considerable bus and train enthusiast.

http://www.best-impressions.co.uk/

 

[starrymarkb]

Also it was SWT mainline livery that came first around 1998 on the 442s, Stagecoach's beachball logo debuted (around here at least) during the Fuel Crisis of 2000 (when it appeared on rear stickers marked IIRC "FUEL SAVER") - first buses in the now current livery appeared in 2001.

Ray Stenning also did London Midland/Southern,

 

[jopsuk]

I'm quite surprised. No-one's called for the return of NSE livery- you lot are slipping! Anyway, NSE livery. And the whole NSE concept. Bring it back (with a suitable contrast door approach)

 

[cjmillsnun]

I'm quite surprised. No-one's called for the return of NSE livery- you lot are slipping! Anyway, NSE livery. And the whole NSE concept. Bring it back (with a suitable contrast door approach)

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I would actually support NSE coming back, along with red lamp posts and toothpaste livery.

 

[capital12]

Also it was SWT mainline livery that came first around 1998 on the 442s, Stagecoach's beachball logo debuted (around here at least) during the Fuel Crisis of 2000 (when it appeared on rear stickers marked IIRC "FUEL SAVER") - first buses in the now current livery appeared in 2001.

Ray Stenning also did London Midland/Southern,

I'm pretty sure Ray only did the recent version of Southern that is carried on the Coastway 313s. I'm not sure he did the original version that is carried by Electrostars etc.

 

[Electrostar]

Didn't the 458s have a slightly different swoosh to the 442s, 444s and 450s? I recall them taking a high curve rather than a low curve if that makes sense. I don't think the swoosh extended over the roof either.

I've got to say the shade of blue on the 450s is the most attractive on the network. It sparkles.