In your opinion - which TOC has been the most experimental and why?

[Ianno87]

But why does the whole thing have to be branded uniformly?
If they really wanted to plaster their group naming over everything, the liveries could have had been something like:

Thameslink
operated by First (f)

Great Northern
operated by First (f)

Remember at the time there other operator on the ECML was GNER; so possible confusion between "Great Northern" and "Great North Eastern Railway"

 

[tbtc]

Did First Capital Connect still refer to it as the Thameslink route though, I can't remember now!

I think that they referred to the Thameslink route on their maps - I can only find something on Project Mapping (http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/FCC map 409.gif) which shows the Bedford - Sutton/ Brighton services as being the Thameslink routes (I presume that this is based on a genuine FCC map?).

There was some consternation in the railway press when they covered up the "Thameslink" part of a sign at City Thameslink station but this is going back a few years so I can't be certain whether this was an over-zealous employee removing as many references to the previous franchise (which would normally be standard practice whenever a new TOC begins) or a genuine corporate decision to try to change the name of the station.

However my memory is more like "First used the "Capital Connect" brand on their actual trains but still referred to "Thameslink" on maps/ timetables - I could be wrong, as it's going back a while!

But why does the whole thing have to be branded uniformly?
If they really wanted to plaster their group naming over everything, the liveries could have had been something like:

Thameslink
operated by First (f)

Great Northern
operated by First (f)

Well, yes, they could have, but then most franchises are branded uniformly - this isn't unique to FCC - there haven't been *many* TOCs that brand different routes like that (First Great Western Link was one, Northern Spirit had a separate livery for TransPennine services, but these are the exceptions rather than the rule).

 

[Recessio]

TSGN is one franchise, but has 3 seperate brands? Surely FCC could have had different names for their seperate routes? (Or, if they did as other posters have suggested, it should have been clearer!)

 

[jopsuk]

TSGN is one franchise, but has 3 seperate brands? Surely FCC could have had different names for their seperate routes? (Or, if they did as other posters have suggested, it should have been clearer!)

it has four brands.
Yes, FCC could have had separate brands. But they didn't want to

 

[gingerheid]

it has four brands.
Yes, FCC could have had separate brands. But they didn't want to

We should perhaps give First (FCC and FGW) an "experimental" point for their liveries. Nobody else has experimented with different versions of liveries that look like someone being ill out a window after a curry that was particularly heavy on the food colouring. And in the case of FGW nobody has experimented with so many liveries?

 

[Logan Carroll]

Bubble Cars on Chiltern was pretty mad.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Coming to this one a bit late and I admit to not having read all the posts.

Has anyone mentioned TPE re-visiting the traditional weekend Glasgow Blackpool through service?
Around 2010 I think, trains southbound on Friday and Saturdays mornings, northbound Saturday afternoon and Sunday, as portions of the regular Glasgow to Man Airport trains which were class 185s.

The Friday train was late morning and arrival at Preston the Airport set uncoupled and drew forward to attach to a set from Barrow to continue forward as six cars then form a an evening peak departure from Manchester. On arriving at Blackpool that portion attached to the next Blackpool - Airport to then provide another six car evening peak departure on its return trip.

I don't think they lasted long as it was realised the sets involved could earn more revenue doing two round trips on each day of the weekend to help cope with passenger numbers on the busy Airport - Edinburgh circuit.

 

[Carlisle]

Has anyone mentioned TPE re-visiting the traditional weekend Glasgow Blackpool through service?

It’s unlikely to have ever revolutionised travel patterns unless it was significantly cheaper than the competition given in normal times Blackpool has very good connections simply by utilising the footbridge or tunnel at Preston