Eagle
Established Member
Colourful doesn't always equal good-looking, of course *cough* One *cough*
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Train liveries: When Paint + Rail = Epic Fail
- Thread starter Sun Chariot
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Colourful doesn't always equal good-looking, of course *cough* One *cough*
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Sun Chariot
Established Member
Top work - you've dug up some corkers there. I saw the WMPTE 'Canary' 312 and Visit Scotland 'Mexican Bean' 104 in the flesh (as it were) and I liked them for their boldness.
Mind you, I also saw (and used) the Pilko Mk1 rake - that was wrong on so many levels...
No-one has mentioned the Police 37 and 47, nor 47803's yellow-and-splash-of-red as an Infrastructure livery.
In terms of mis-spelling, a dark recess of my mind thinks that I've seen a photo in the late '80s or early 90's, of the ScotRail branding as 'SoctRail'. Can anyone corroborate that?
Keep 'em coming, top stuff so far!
Mind you, I also saw (and used) the Pilko Mk1 rake - that was wrong on so many levels...
No-one has mentioned the Police 37 and 47, nor 47803's yellow-and-splash-of-red as an Infrastructure livery.
In terms of mis-spelling, a dark recess of my mind thinks that I've seen a photo in the late '80s or early 90's, of the ScotRail branding as 'SoctRail'. Can anyone corroborate that?
Keep 'em coming, top stuff so far!
starrymarkb
Established Member
IIRC here was also a vile "turd brown" West Midlands PTE DMU iirc...
Helvellyn
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I always thought it odd that the Class 309 and 421 units that gained Jaffa Cake colours quickly lost them in favour of NSE, yet I think the majority of the CEP fleet ended up being painted. I wonder if BR had a lot of the paint already purchased, and it was decided to use it up on the fleet in one area (Kent)?
I also understand that there were Outer and Inner suburban versions of the livery planned, based around blues and greens, but that it never made the light of day.
Now, back to topic. Some of these people might like, and were fairly widespread, but it comes back to does it suit all stock?: -
- Class 43 43038 with a unique front end scheme for some trial. (http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2664/3880955914_83a54541c9_z.jpg?zz=1)
- Class 47/4 47803 in 'Infrastructure' livery. (http://www.rodge.force9.com/railway/class47/images/47803.jpg)
- Class 31/1 31116 in 'Infrastructure' livery. (http://www.margam-depot.co.uk/images/class31/31116-riversidey-290495.jpg)
- Class 121 DMU 55033 in West Midlands PTE hues of blue livery. (http://www.miac.org.uk/images/55033bromsgrove.jpg)
- Class 303 EMU in GMPTE orange and brown. (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8455/7901265276_e230288310_z.jpg)
- Class 303 EMU in Strathclyde PTE orange and black. (http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3590/3624010763_66850e67ce_z.jpg?zz=1)
- Class 97 (Class 31) 97204 in BR Research colours. (http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3096/2569439569_b4ed8c5a76_z.jpg)
- Class 319 EMU shadow franchise 'Thameslink' livery (I quite liked it!). (http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2509/4029654046_872cc32937_z.jpg)
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nathanclass323
Member
Am I the only 'one' that liked the One livery?
edwin_m
Veteran Member
Didn't the Jaffacake livery coincide with the CEP refurbishment programme when they gained hopper windows, revised interior layout, reconditioned bogies etc? If so then the fleet was probably done during the refurbishment and would not have been due for repainting for some time afterwards.
BestWestern
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Ah yes, Thameslink allover grey, I'd just thought of that one. Surely it's hideous, isn't it?! The replacement yellow and dirty blue wasn't much better either.
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
Hybrid or transitional liveries are often a recipe for disaster... When FTPE took over the franchise and announced the order of the 185s, rather than repaint the 158s they simply added vinyls over the top of the NorthernSpirit 'Transpennine Express' livery (which wasn't the prettiest anyway!):
causton
Established Member
Hybrid or transitional liveries are often a recipe for disaster... When FTPE took over the franchise and announced the order of the 185s, rather than repaint the 158s they simply added vinyls over the top of the NorthernSpirit 'Transpennine Express' livery (which wasn't the prettiest anyway!):
I think that's one of the ugliest I have seen on this thread!
I've seen pics of refurbed CEPs with hopper windows in blue grey livery, so I'm guessing it came in some time in the mid 80s (which does fit with my childhood recollection).
eeeeeeeew, that's horrific. You win this thread IMHO
gordonthemoron
Established Member
about 9 years ago I got a Northern train from Leeds to Blackpool which had a weird (and tatty looking) blue livery with what I think was a huge gold star ontop. What was that about?
BestWestern
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That'd be First North Western, I think that went on 150s and 142s. Not nice. As for the Northern Spirit and TPE schemes, I rather liked them, but not the cheap and tatty blue vinyl First stuck over the top, as above. That one got even worse when they sent the units to FGW who didn't even bother to slap another one over the Transpennine bit, causing some confusion at times!
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
Well I dont care what any of you say -m all these liveries are wonderful comapred to the boring (especially for photography) BR Blue of the 1970s. I loved going to Immingham just to see the two-tone green Class 47s.
sprinterguy
Established Member
The North West Trains dark blue and gold star livery (Which was perpetuated by First after they took over the franchise) was also applied to their small fleet of 158s, which at the time that gordonthemoron refers to were finding their way across the Pennines working for both Transpennine Express (Which used two) and Northern: In the latter case on the York and Leeds to Blackpool runs, so it is probably one of these that he remembers. I really rather liked the North West Trains livery when it was in good nick. Quite classy, I thought.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Speak for yourself
: In my opinion, under privatisation the only other regional TOC livery that has come close to the high standard of the Northern Spirit identity was the original Nat Ex "Scotrail" livery. Mind you, I entirely agree that the blue vinyls applied by First TPE completely butchered the look and looked absolutely terrible.
61653 HTAFC
Veteran Member
The North Western Trains 'gold star' livery was also applied to 153s, 158s, 323s and even a couple of 322s (for the aborted London services). It rather suited the 158s in my opinion, but was less than brilliant on the riveted sides of 142s and 153s. Thankfully the 101s/305s round Manchester weren't subjected to it!
The green non-TPE version of Northern Spirit was nice on the 156s and even made the 142s look not-terrible, but it was never applied to anything else.
Also, I can't quite decide if this 309 in 'Manchester Airport' livery is brilliant or hideous... thoughts?
Royston Vasey
Established Member
60163
Member
A small point I've wanted to share for a while - the NR logo on the yellow 57s. Should it have taken up the whole side of the loco? or at least been a bit bigger?
Are you sure it's not the SYPTE one which Helvellyn had posted a link to?
I remember seeing that thing turn up at Hitchin - somehow it had ended up on the Hitchin - Huntingdon service. Time doesn't make it any better.
I agree with the posters who've said they liked the 'One' livery - I always thought that looked OK - the brand name was the problem there.
Another one I never really liked was MMLs teal and orange on HSTs - for some reason it looked fine on the 170s but wrong on the HSTs - the later Blue / Silver they used was much better.
And for transitional liveries, the NXEC white band on the GNER blue looked pretty awful - that GNER livery looked superb with the red band and gold lettering and the interim NX used just looked naff.
hairyhandedfool
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Hybrid or transitional liveries are often a recipe for disaster... When FTPE took over the franchise and announced the order of the 185s, rather than repaint the 158s they simply added vinyls over the top of the NorthernSpirit 'Transpennine Express' livery (which wasn't the prettiest anyway!):
And lets not forget what they did to the sole remaining Regional Railways 158.
Eagle
Established Member
Wow. That's... indescribable.
You know how in an archaeological dig you get a cross-section of all the layers from different periods of history? This is like that.
JB25
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I really liked the old BR Blue... The 456s looked a lot better in that Livery than they do in the Southern Green
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
Eh? Weren't the 456s all delivered in NSE livery? I don't recall ever seeing one in blue or blue and grey?
sprinterguy
Established Member
Very much so, as seen in the following photo while testing at York prior to delivery: http://www.therailwaycentre.com/Pages EMU/Recognition EMU/IllusEMU_456.html
Referring to the 455s perhaps?
I thought the 455's arrived in blue-grey ? (they certainly wouldn't have turned up in Southern Green !) 405's perhaps ? (aka SUB's).
sprinterguy
Established Member
I presumed that the "BR blue" reference was to the blue & grey scheme. And I also assume that the reference to "Southern green" is with regard to the current TOC livery.
RyanB
Member
It looks like the just got people to shout out random colours when designing that livery and cared little as to whether or not they looked any good.
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