Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Apart from the LT roundel which despite being confined to the home counties, is pretty well identifiable throughout the country.
I would say it is easily in the top ten recognisable brands worldwide.
Apart from the LT roundel which despite being confined to the home counties, is pretty well identifiable throughout the country.
And of course Swiss trains run around with "FFS" on the side of them, an abbreviation I've always thought would be better suited to CrossCountry.I don't think they were aware of brands in those days! Another example of unfortunate initials was the narrow gauge Weston Clevedon & Portishead Railway which was the subject of a few sniggers (WC & P). There's also the very scenic Centrovalli line from Switzerland to Italy which is operated by a company with the Italian initials FART.
True. I'd put the National Bus logo as 3rd, not 2nd.Apart from the LT roundel which despite being confined to the home counties, is pretty well identifiable throughout the country.
And of course Swiss trains run around with "FFS" on the side of them, an abbreviation I've always thought would be better suited to CrossCountry.
Urban myth I'm afraid!Not rail related, but when the energy company Powergen set up an Italian subsidiary they called it.......
Powergen Italia
whinch caused a lot of sniggering amongst English speakers
The buses around Stoke-on-Trent used to raise a chuckle, being an abbreviation of Potteries Motor Transport.And of course Swiss trains run around with "FFS" on the side of them, an abbreviation I've always thought would be better suited to CrossCountry.
The buses around Stoke-on-Trent used to raise a chuckle, being an abbreviation of Potteries Motor Transport.
I always found their livery options a bit odd too - having started off with the copy cat SWT livery on the 317/6s to the rather bland Purple livery on the 317/3s. Still, it did bring us the original nickname of the Purple People EaterWAGN always reminded me of wagon, as in cattle.
Not a great image to have when thinking of passenger comfort, but still better than a Merseyrail 142.
I’ve always thought that ‘Nova’ from TransPennine is an epic fail, given that it translates as ‘No go’ in some common languages.
And of course Swiss trains run around with "FFS" on the side of them, an abbreviation I've always thought would be better suited to CrossCountry.
In Manchester they took over GMB North. They did used to be called First Greater Manchester. It may have got shortened after they sold depots to Stagecoach, reducing the number of routes which didn't go in to Manchester itself.The mind boggles as to why for many years management thought First(f) PMT was a good branding, rather than First(f) Potteries. They didn't even universally do that, because Manchester was just Manchester, not GMT.
Well they don’t, do they?Southeastern’s “make a connection” circa 2008, it implied none of their services went directly where you wanted to go.
PMT(f)It was branded GreaterManchester(f). That was the general style they used in the late 90s. I don't know what they did in the Potteries at that stage.
YesThanks. Was it styled PMT before First acquired it, e.g. in National Bus Company days?
The PMT name was on buses (as initials rather than "Potteries Motor Transport") long before FirstGroup took over.Thanks. Was it styled PMT before First acquired it, e.g. in National Bus Company days?
Indeed, the abbreviated PMT name has been in use since NBC days.The PMT name was on buses (as initials rather than "Potteries Motor Transport") long before FirstGroup took over.
I always preferred the Badgerline name to the obviously dreamt up by a committee "First". Always liked the cartoon badger on the rear windows of the Yorkshire Rider vehicles. Speaking of which, that's a name that really ought to be revived, as they generally seemed a decent outfit until the corporate-ism came in. Though the classic livery would look a bit dated now, so would perhaps benefit from a modern reinterpretation.Indeed, the abbreviated PMT name has been in use since NBC days.
We've actually gone full circle in some areas, with First Bus's Western Super Mare operation having returned back to the pre-First era Badgerline name and brand, complete with cartoon Badger.
Speaking of the above named company. The cartoon Badger used across the Western National, Badgerline, Eastern National & Thamesway companies always raised a smile, particularly if your vehicle was old and a bit of a stinker, when they dubiously gained the nickname Skunkbus (both in terms of vehicle condition and the cartoon badger!).
Given First's current taste for more localised versions of it's corporate liveries, I'm surprised Yorkshire Rider hasn't made a return yet. Badgerline seems to work quite well, effectively using the Badgerline colours upon the current First Bus "Urban" template. Though at least First seems to be going back to more localised feel across it's operations (thankfully not to the go-ahead style of everything being different), whereas Stagecoach seem hell bent on sweeping away localised operations for corporate blandness.I always preferred the Badgerline name to the obviously dreamt up by a committee "First". Always liked the cartoon badger on the rear windows of the Yorkshire Rider vehicles. Speaking of which, that's a name that really ought to be revived, as they generally seemed a decent outfit until the corporate-ism came in. Though the classic livery would look a bit dated now, so would perhaps benefit from a modern reinterpretation.
Or, with GBR, the other way around…This thread should be retitled... "the railway's most awful, ugly things which the 2023 GBR rebrand will destroy forever"
I always preferred the Badgerline name to the obviously dreamt up by a committee "First". Always liked the cartoon badger on the rear windows of the Yorkshire Rider vehicles. Speaking of which, that's a name that really ought to be revived, as they generally seemed a decent outfit until the corporate-ism came in. Though the classic livery would look a bit dated now, so would perhaps benefit from a modern reinterpretation.
Can't stand the new Stagecoach livery with the blue, green and white. Looks awful. The older blue, orange and red beach ball livery is very smart imho.
Schoolteacher I knew once took a class ski-ing to the Italian-speaking Swiss Alps in this district, and said the kids were in fits of laughter whenever a train (or associated bus) turned up with this emblazoned on the front. Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi; Railway and Bus line of the Ticino Region. Operating both sides of the border, it's FART in Switzerland and SSIF (a different legal company) in Italy.There's also the very scenic Centrovalli line from Switzerland to Italy which is operated by a company with the Italian initials FART.