Ex Northern!
Some Northern Trains Sprinters found their way into the fleets of other operators who crudely bodged a new livery. Above, First managed to afford some sticky-backed plastic below the windows, leaving an obvious 'N' above.
East Midland created a similar mess ...
... but with purples that almost matched. The 'N' is gold rather than white, BUT, is that a Central Trains nested 'C' logo? If so, why?
Very Variety!
With apologies for fraying memory, fraying more than usual in the hot weather, fbb is sure (hesitantly sure!) that the first Northern Livery was blue plus gold star ...
... which was impressively unimoressive. Then along came purple plus 'N' in gold ...
... followed by red with 'N' in grey.
The black squiggles are not an arty livery nicety, but shadows of the girder roof!
fbb can find no documentation for this variant ...
... which obviously did not find favour!
Then a very cluttered and messy squadge appeared ...
... with some units appearing to show a darker purple.
OK, it may haven been a "photographer's variation" as a result of lighting conditions. Or maybe the purple fades quickly in the blistering Northern sun? Or maybe it dissolves in the well documented Mancunian meteorological monsoons.
But now we are simplified blue and white ...
... including the aged sprinters.
Of course, Northern could go retro with dark chocolate and white for North Western routes ...
... as made available to QV! Over the Pennines, it would have to be North Eastern polished teak, simulated of course because of restrictions on the sale of real teak.
Oh, fbb forgot. He hoped retro livery was a very bad dream.
Soon we will all be Great British Railways and all with the same unattractive and cluttered livery.
Hmmm?
Maybe better on a class 700 (above)? But definitely cluttered in the 'artists impression' 800s.
Best forgotten on a Northern sprinter was this paint job.
As you can see clearly (?), it celebrated the visit of the "Tour de France" to Northern England. There was also a special livery for Rail 200.
We have whitevletterung, two blues, two reds, one white and a yellow nose. How about a majroty of bright blue, white window surround with a string red border?
Great Western celebrated Ginsters pasties ...
... a much more worthy cause.
Sprinters P P S!
fbb forgot! Network SouthEast began with a slightly washed-out mid blue around the windows ...
... but soon changed to a richer, darker blue that looked much better.
Narrow & Not Northern
But where?
Next West Midlands blog : Weds 15th July
20 Class 158s were sold to the State Railway of Thailand in 1990/1. 12 driving cars, 8 intermediate
ReplyDeleteStrictly speaking BREL built 20 new units to the class 158 design for Thailand, the only successful export for that design.
DeleteJust to help, comment by picture:
ReplyDelete1. TPE took over the Transpennine services of Arriva Trains Northern (RR North East) when Northern was created
2. The unit had moved to Central Trains shortly before it was split
3. This was the livery used by North Western Trains, later First North Western
4.Northern Spirit Transpennine livery
5. Northern Spirit livery for WYPTE 158s, 333s got similar but with golden N
6. Later WYPTE livery also applied to 144s
I like the current Northern livery. Simple and smart. Shame it's set to disappear in favour of GBR hideousness.
ReplyDelete