Trivia: Unit/loco that has worn the most liveries

[DasLunatic]

Looking at an old NSE training video featuring 321303 has allowed me to consider just how many times its livery has changed. If memory serves, it has worn:

-NSE livery
- Original FGE
- Modified FGE
- NXEA stripes
- GA white

Have any trains surpassed five liveries?

Promotional liveries count, but only if they are significantly different from their base livery

 

[J-2739]

150s? 155s?

 

[Monty]

Class 47s, literally have carried over 100 different liveries or variations of liveries in their long careers. The Railway Magazine used to do a feature about it. Come to think about it they did the Class 37 too but I think the 47s definately had more.

 

[43096]

Plenty of HST power cars have had 6 or more.

Take 43089 as an example: original blue, IC Executive, IC Swallow, Virgin red/grey, MML blue, NR yellow and EMT. So a total of 7.

 

[theblackwatch]

I'd probably go for 47832 - it must be out of gauge by now!

 

[507021]

If I remember correctly, units of the Class 508 fleet have been in the following different liveries.

- The experimental Arriva livery. (508123)
- British Rail blue/grey. (all)
- Capital of Culture advertising livery (508134).
- Connex.
- Merseyrail (2003 variant). (all 508/1s)
- Merseyrail (2014 variant). (all 508/1s)
- Merseytravel.
- Merseytravel revised.
- Silverlink.
- Southeastern.
- South Eastern Trains.
- The Beatles Story advertising livery (508111).

 

[ash39]

I suspect 90024 or 67010 are candidates for most liveries per year of lifespan.

90024 - delivered early 90's. IC swallow, RFD, GNER, ScotRail, Malcolm Raik
67010 - delivered 2000. EWS, Wrexham & Shropshire, Caledonian Sleeper, DB unbranded

 

[Strathclyder]

Class 303s carried more than their fair share over their 42 year career (1960-2002).

In order, the main liveries they carried were:

• Caledonian Railway Blue
• BR All-Over Blue
• BR Grey/Blue
• Strathclyde Transport Red/Black
• Greater Manchester PTE Orange/Brown
• Caledonian Railway Blue with yellow front-end (303048 only)
• Network Southeast (303999 (ex-303049) only)
• SPT Carmine & Cream (303019/021/023 & 087 only)

 

[TheEdge]

There must be 08s that carried a heap of liveries over the years.

 

[fgwrich]

I'd probably go for 47832 - it must be out of gauge by now!

That's exactly the loco I was thinking of. I don't think anything can even beat 832s fine range of liveries!

D1610
~ BR: Dual Green (Yellow warning panels)
~ BR: Dual Green (full yellow ends)
47*031
~ BR: Monastral Blue (Standard)
47*560
~ BR: Monastral Blue (Standard)
~ BR: InterCity (original)
47*832
~ BR: InterCity (Mainline (yellow front, small black numbers))
~ BR: InterCity (Mainline (yellow lower front, white numbers))
~ BR: InterCity (Mainline (yellow front, white numbers))
~ BR: INTERCITY (Swallow)
~ Post-BR: GW (green merlin livery)
~ Post-BR: FGW (green with gold band)
~ Post-BR: FMR (black)
~ Post-BR: Victa Westlink
~ Post-BR: DRS (Compass logo)
~ Post-BR: DRS (Stobart)
~ Post-BR: DRS (Northern Belle)
~ Post-BR: WCRC Maroon.

 

[Cowley]

That's exactly the loco I was thinking of. I don't think anything can even beat 832s fine range of liveries!

Absolutely agreed. 832 has carried the most surely?

 

[Class455]

Class 319/0's and 319/2's have worn more than 5 liveries. An example is 319 215. During its life so far, it's worn:
NSE
Connex South Central
Connex South Central's ad with all those paint splashes on it ( I vaguely remember this, it was around when I was a toddler)
Southern
VisitSwitzerland advertising livery
Thameslink White + Blue

 

[61653 HTAFC]

150s? 155s?

There may be a few 150s that have racked up several changes, but the surviving 7 155s have only had 3 different liveries from new (though 346 is likely to emerge in a 4th sooner or later):
Original WYPTE red & cream (broad stripe); revised WYPTE red & cream (narrow stripe); and Northern blue/purple/mauve with West Yorkshire vinyls.

 

[yorksrob]

I believe that one of the last CEP's in service would have worn SR Green, BR Blue, Blue/Grey, Jaffa Cake, NSE Toothpaste and Connex grey/yellow.

The only one of those I'm not sure about is the BR blue as I believe some units went straight from green to blue/grey (perhaps someone could confirm).

Some of the thumpers would have had a similar sartorial history, minus the Jaffa cake.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

The TL 319's carried a plethora of liveries throughout their lives although not all of them carried every livery

Original NSE "light blue", NSE "dark blue", Thameslink "Battleship grey", Southern Green, navy and cream stripe, Connexx yellow, "Creche splodge livery" and TSGN, not to mention some of the advertising liveries and "one-offs" like 319.001 in white with dark blue doors and 319.010 in blue with yellow doors. These are ones I can remember off the top of my head

 

[sd0733]

On the unit side 170399 as was must take some beating.

Pretty sure it's had:
Porterbrook
Anglia
Bright pink with green spots
Derwent valley line
Transpennine
Chiltern

Also now on its 3rd number. For an approx 15 year-old unit seems quite good!

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Suppose it would depend on wether you mean class as a whole or individual examples of a class. Think it would be a toss-up betwern 47 (too many to count) and HST (bowl of custard, rare black, IC exec, IC Swallow, IC no nose stripes, Merlin, Barbie, dynamic lines, GWR, VXC, GNER, NXEC, EC silver, EC Grey, VTEC 747, MML Teal, MML blue, EMT, NMT, hornby, Cotswold with 37 (numerous freight but hardly any pax liveries save IC mainline and Regional Railways) coming at a close third class wise. To find an individual traction unit with the most liveries i would probably suggest one of the 47/7s as 2T Green, blue, scotrail, NSE, RES, VXC, DRS, WCRC (and as bodysnatchers) VT thunderbird, FGW, GWR would also feature on this sub class at some point in their lives.

Disclaimer :- list by no.means exhaustive!