New York style would be good, with some of the unintelligible announcements as well. As long as we don't get another southerner trying to pronounce station names again. I don't see the problem with Stand Clear of the Doors Please, I would have thought this was better for those people with hearing impediments than Doors Closing.
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Tyne and Wear Metro
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swt_passenger
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So back then, they presumably did have translator wagons for Metro cars - and the mainline connection at Benton Junction of course. Through braking isn't needed, they just add brake force wagons to the consist, as seen on recent LU S stock deliveries for example.
So it's really 'won't' rather than 'can't' - presumably the real reason is no-one is prepared to stump up for the adaptation of some additonal translators.
spoony
Member
My metro to work this morning had the new sign boards at either end of the carriage working, plus announcements at each station like the underground. After 2 stops it was grating on me. I believe they have to make the announcements due to Disability Discrimination?
Bit like the yellow doors, all due to DDA. They changed the Stand Clear of the Doors Please to Doors Closing as it is supposedly easier to understand/a clearer message for those with hearing impediments. Now in the years before it was changed, I wonder how many people with hearing problems had trouble with the original message.
The new announcements are again supposedly to help people with hearing problems and foreigners. I am neither, so never had a problem with the manual announcements (apart from the random mackem accents from time to time), but I guess there is a perceived need for it. Seems a bit odd to start to install them when they are all going for a refurb soon.
gordonthemoron
Established Member
what colour are metro trains now? and what colour will they be when they come back from Doncaster?
I believe that they were originally yellow to match the local buses, I doubt the buses are still yellow
I believe that they were originally yellow to match the local buses, I doubt the buses are still yellow
sprinterguy
Established Member
The standard livery is a red bodyside with a triangular yellow area around the cab ends, plus full yellow doors for a few years; prior to this the doors had a triangular yellow area below window level with the "M" logo on it.
There's plenty of variations though; a good few units have dark blue bodysides instead of red, and a few more have green.
There's also a good number of advertising liveries applied to selected units; I could probably list them all if I really put my mind to it.
Yes originally they were painted in Tyne and Wear PTE livery, with yellow lower bodysides and white around the windows, seperated by a thin blue stripe, which matched the Tyne and Wear PTE livery applied to the buses, and was similar to the "Busways" livery that was adopted for these buses a few years later. Prototype unit 4001 still carries this livery (but with the original deep red stripe instead of blue). The livery was gradually replaced by the current scheme from 1995 onwards, and nope, the buses definitely don't carry PTE colours anymore!
It's being kept very hush-hush what livery they will be coming back from Doncaster in, the only thing I've heard is that it'll be "different".
Think the original colours were cadmium yellow, cream and royal blue. The blue IIRC was a special shade for the Metro and buses. 4001 has the livery, except teh red stripe was the one used on Sunderland buses so is incorrect for the Metro. One unit is also going around with a North Eastern Railway livery.
Some of the adverts I remember are - Braathens (Norwegian) Airlines, the Great North Forest, one for a law/solicitors firm, the latest is one celebrating an anniversary of Newcastle Airport. There was a fotopic site with pics of them but can't remember the link now.
Some of the adverts I remember are - Braathens (Norwegian) Airlines, the Great North Forest, one for a law/solicitors firm, the latest is one celebrating an anniversary of Newcastle Airport. There was a fotopic site with pics of them but can't remember the link now.
sprinterguy
Established Member
That'll be 4027, it looked really good until they plastered the doors with big yellow stickers for the DDA regulations.
Anybody remember the Metrocar in full GNER colours? That was quite amusing to see.
If we're talking about the PTE Busways liveries, then it is right: Sunderland was green, Newcastle was red and South Shields was blue.
Newcastle was red because it was the natural adaptation of the Newcastle Corporation livery, which had a thin red stripe.
flymo
Established Member
There was a difference between the PTE livery and the post deregulation Busways era. Tyne and Wear P.T.E basically ceased to be on October 26, 1986 when deregulation happened. In the previous years in the run up to dereg many buses and trains (incl. Metro of course) operating in Tyne and Wear were painted in the yellow/white PTE livery. This included not only Tyne and Wear PTE, (it became Busways) but also United Automobile Services (It became Northumbria and now Arriva) and Northern General Transport (now Go Ahead) and the local train services on the Newcastle - Sunderland line, maybe other lines as well subject to diagrams, when the 143's were introduced.
After deregulation the PTE was renamed "PTE Buses" in the interim period complete with stickers on the side over the PTE logo, before Busways started. When Busways started there was a different colour scheme applied to the buses to denote their region. This was in the form of a thick coloured line down the side above the lower deck windows and on the bottom skirt panels. (Maybe a pinstripe below the lower deck windows as well - can't remember). Newcastle Busways (Slatyford) and City Busways (Byker) were maroon, not red, and as mentioned Shields was blue and Sunderland (both Hylton Rd & Fulwell depots) was green. The destination blinds also had a colour to match the livery. Never liked that bit but Eric Hutchison did and he was the boss so that was that...Even the wheels were painted in the particular colour, maroon/blue/green etc in keeping with the colour scheme of the area.
The PTE yellow/white scheme was varied over many years and at one stage included a yellow/cream scheme which was flipping awful. The bottom bit below the lower deck windows was yellow, the rest up was cream. Yuck.
I worked for the PTE, then Busways from '82-'94 and saw a few changes. Still miss the yellow buses though.
Loads of photos here http://www.nebptwpte.fpic.co.uk/ and here http://ian-hignett.fotopic.net/c151249.html and no doubt other places as well.
After deregulation the PTE was renamed "PTE Buses" in the interim period complete with stickers on the side over the PTE logo, before Busways started. When Busways started there was a different colour scheme applied to the buses to denote their region. This was in the form of a thick coloured line down the side above the lower deck windows and on the bottom skirt panels. (Maybe a pinstripe below the lower deck windows as well - can't remember). Newcastle Busways (Slatyford) and City Busways (Byker) were maroon, not red, and as mentioned Shields was blue and Sunderland (both Hylton Rd & Fulwell depots) was green. The destination blinds also had a colour to match the livery. Never liked that bit but Eric Hutchison did and he was the boss so that was that...Even the wheels were painted in the particular colour, maroon/blue/green etc in keeping with the colour scheme of the area.
The PTE yellow/white scheme was varied over many years and at one stage included a yellow/cream scheme which was flipping awful. The bottom bit below the lower deck windows was yellow, the rest up was cream. Yuck.
I worked for the PTE, then Busways from '82-'94 and saw a few changes. Still miss the yellow buses though.
Loads of photos here http://www.nebptwpte.fpic.co.uk/ and here http://ian-hignett.fotopic.net/c151249.html and no doubt other places as well.
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sprinterguy
Established Member
I miss the yellow buses too Flymo. 
Yes the Busways colours featured much broader bands of colour than the previous schemes, I was just referring to the fact that the Newcastle Busways maroon stripe was taken from the original much narrower pinstripe applied in the 70s, hence using the word "adapted". And I just refer to it as red for ease of use, as maroon is a "deep red" colour anyway.
Thanks for providing that interesting bit of info, and links to some photos, time to get nostalgic
Yes the Busways colours featured much broader bands of colour than the previous schemes, I was just referring to the fact that the Newcastle Busways maroon stripe was taken from the original much narrower pinstripe applied in the 70s, hence using the word "adapted". And I just refer to it as red for ease of use, as maroon is a "deep red" colour anyway.Thanks for providing that interesting bit of info, and links to some photos, time to get nostalgic
sprinterguy
Established Member
I always thought that 4001 and 4002 were delivered with red stripes because the PTE livery with the blue stripe had yet to catch on at the time, but had become better established once the production Metrocars came to be delivered, though I could be wrong.
flymo
Established Member
Hmmm. as much as I want to answer that one, I'm not sure I can. This photo shows 4002 on the test rack with what looks to be a blue stripe, although this photo
shows 4001 with what looks to be a maroon stripe. Maybe they were just testing the scheme to see which looked right.
Conclusion. sorry..Pass.
Think I remember reading somewhere that they increased the width of the band, so might have been changed from marron to blue around that time. Plus they took out the front end emergency doors at some stage, could have been at the same time? Wonder if they could have been used in some way to allow access between cars?
Just noticed them myself on Wednesday, and I DRIVE the things ! Always been OFF until I saw it changing ends at St James'
Wait until we set away the new announcements. They're automatic, and at the moment, the switches are set to inactive. One of the lads said the passengers are going to get sick of these quick and demand us to do the announcements again !
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Is there a set system for the manual announcements? The main stations I always hear announced are Central, Monument, Haymarket, Jesmond, South Gosforth, Heworth (to change onto a South Hylton/South Shields train) and Pelaw, apart from where a train is terminating.
Yeah. There is also a set "what to say" but most of us say what is relevant.
(And occasionally forget one or two stations...)
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Oh yeah. There'll be AUTOMATED announcements shortly. I gather from the drivers who HAVE heard 'em that the passengers aren't going to like them, but who knows ?
sprinterguy
Established Member
Holy cow, I've just come across this artist's impression (see attachment) of what the Metrocars are intended to look like when they return from Wabtec! They were right when they said it was going to be "different"! (Image grabbed from the skyscrapercity forum)
The two prototype cars were rebuilt, which is when the emergency doors were removed, in 1984 to bring them in line with the production cars, after all the production Metrocars had been delivered, so the blue stripe was already prevalent by then, plus some of the photos linked to by Flymo seem to show 4002 with a blue stripe in original condition. Must be a case that it was an experiment to see what looked better.
The two prototype cars were rebuilt, which is when the emergency doors were removed, in 1984 to bring them in line with the production cars, after all the production Metrocars had been delivered, so the blue stripe was already prevalent by then, plus some of the photos linked to by Flymo seem to show 4002 with a blue stripe in original condition. Must be a case that it was an experiment to see what looked better.
Attachments
gordonthemoron
Established Member
looks nice
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
That looks remarably reminiscent of the LOROL livery on the 378s!
Ploughman
Established Member
Is the road haulier the same one that shifted the trams built at York Carriage works before the place shut down?
I seem to remember them being moved in one piece as well.
I seem to remember them being moved in one piece as well.
Had a link to that pic, and it disappeared. Had pointed it out to my boss at work who said "Its on the net ?" Showed him, and he said "Well, it's a little different at the front, but basically, yes" When i went back to the pic it had disappeared from their site (Wonder if my boss had a hand in that ? He did note what the address was
Also I gather it stays half width drivers cab, which is disappointing. We had been after across the whole front.
As for the women drivers we've got maybe 9 or 10. They do all sound girly though don't they ? Maybe because none of them are Guardian readers !
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Actually I read in our newsletter thing something about the same loader they had used way back when, so you're probably right.
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From a passenger and spotter view, a full width cab would be terrible news! Although I do agree, there mustn't be much room for a driver and all the stuff. Just wondering do any of them still have the original seat moquette, the one with the pictures of the Metros and buses?
TrainBrain185
Member
Prototype 4001 represents the early Newcastle Corperation/Tyneside PTE livery which was originally yellow-cream and the dark red stripe. The production fleet 4003-4090 were yellow-white and blue stripe. 4027 is the NER train.
No. We've changed seats to a modified lorry driver hydraulic seat a few years back which can make you flamin' seasick at speed ! Much prefered the old flip up seats and it was comfortable to drive with the seat up too.
Actually, we haven't had those seats anywhere for a good while- forgot them. They were also in many buses too.
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Prototype 4001 represents the early Newcastle Corperation/Tyneside PTE livery which was originally yellow-cream and the dark red stripe. The production fleet 4003-4090 were yellow-white and blue stripe. 4027 is the NER train.
01 and 02 irritate we drivers with their slow door closing !
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