Stations rebranded to Great British Railways design / Rail Alphabet 2 & 3

[Bletchleyite]

Amazing how much better it looks with a red stripe along the bottom.

(I know it's not a red stripe along the bottom but an artifact of the previous sign combined with the angle of the photograph)

 

[WatcherZero]

Slightly off topic as it started getting the new signs a few months back (still not completely changed over) but Wigan North Western is now receiving a coat of Avanti green to replace its Virgin Red.

 

[Trainfan2019]

Amazing how much better it looks with a red stripe along the bottom.

(I know it's not a red stripe along the bottom but an artifact of the previous sign combined with the angle of the photograph)

I still don't like the additions of a stripe, just pure black text on plain white background with the occasional double red arrows for me! Never occurred to me about the angle of the photo adding the red from the previous sign though. I took the photo in a rush and had to zoom in from a distance, hence the low quality.

 

[splashoutradio]

More signs found at Crewe...
View attachment 109323
View attachment 109324

There are signs like these sperodically popping up at Wigan and Warrington, too. Noticed they've also painted Warrington and are in the process of painting Wigan a dark blue colour. Is this GBRs new colour scheme, or are Avanti putting thier mark on things whilst they still can?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

More signs found at Crewe...
View attachment 109323
View attachment 109324

If that is a red strip underneath I see, it looks very smart. Like many users said it would do.

 

[the sniper]

I still don't like the additions of a stripe, just pure black text on plain white background with the occasional double red arrows for me! Never occurred to me about the angle of the photo adding the red from the previous sign though. I took the photo in a rush and had to zoom in from a distance, hence the low quality.

Bet you'd have loved BR sandwiches too, but with the crusts cut off!

 

[Mrwerdna1]

Does someone have a guess as to how long it will take until say 50% / 75% or eventually all of GBR stations (in England) are rebranded?

As to my personal reaction to the signage, it's not as smart as I would have hoped (I prefer the equally uniform but more stylish signage on Swiss railways for instance), but it's still a step forward towards standardisation and simplification. That said, generally speaking, it tends to look a lot better when properly implemented and rather shabby when hastily achieved through crooked vinyl stickers...

I'm a lot more worried about what may happen once train liveries start to get rebranded, though I suppose that won't be until a few years from now. Going by the station signage that was chosen, there's a possibility the LNER and South Western Railway liveries might give a good indication of where things are going. I don't mind either one, but I am slightly worried that the GWR and EMR liveries will get an unnecessary revamp, when they could both just as well be examples of "nostalgia gone right".

 

[HarryL]

Does someone have a guess as to how long it will take until say 50% / 75% or eventually all of GBR stations (in England) are rebranded?

Probably not until some point after GBR themselves are in place. The current applications are being done by individual TOCs when and if they want to, Network Rail haven't even properly stuck it to any of their stations yet outside of a few replacement signs at Euston.

 

[ABB125]

I do t know if this has been mentioned before, but the signs to platforms 5 and 6 at Rugby have been updated. You can still see the imprint of the old sign underneath the new vinyl. Quite why they it did p5/6, I don't know.

 

[Acton1991]

Travelled through Maidenhead today - my goodness what a mess! Mix of new GWR, First Great Western and plain white signage. It's in terrible need of a refresh.

 

[Goldfish62]

Travelled through Maidenhead today - my goodness what a mess! Mix of new GWR, First Great Western and plain white signage. It's in terrible need of a refresh.

GWR and FGW before it have never been good at standardising signage. It's always been messy.

 

[takno]

Travelled through Maidenhead today - my goodness what a mess! Mix of new GWR, First Great Western and plain white signage. It's in terrible need of a refresh.

Maidenhead station is a bit of a mess in a lot more ways than just the signage. Seems like GWR and TfL are in a bit of a battle to see who gets to neglect it most. The ticket office staff were pleasant and helpful though

 

[Non Multi]

Maidenhead station is a bit of a mess in a lot more ways than just the signage. Seems like GWR and TfL are in a bit of a battle to see who gets to neglect it most. The ticket office staff were pleasant and helpful though

It's a First Group (GWR) managed station. Green staff uniforms = GWR, blue uniforms = TfL. Presumably TfL ordered way too many social distancing stickers and gave the excess ones away.

 

[Acton1991]

It's a First Group (GWR) managed station. Green staff uniforms = GWR, blue uniforms = TfL. Presumably TfL ordered way too many social distancing stickers and gave the excess ones away.

The GWR managed stations on that portion of the line just look sad compared to the ones TfL have taken over and refreshed.

I do wonder what will happen come GBR - whether the reliefs at Slough/Maidenhead will get Elizabeth line branding and the mains staying with GBR.

 

[nlogax]

Travelled through Maidenhead today - my goodness what a mess! Mix of new GWR, First Great Western and plain white signage. It's in terrible need of a refresh.

Same at Hayes & Harlington, or at least it was before Christmas. Not clear to me how standardised this standardisation plan really is..

 

[Acton1991]

Same at Hayes & Harlington, or at least it was before Christmas. Not clear to me how standardised this standardisation plan really is..

H&H is now fully roundel'd as far as I can see - purple signage everywhere!

 

[JaJaWa]

New signs at Doncaster which are inexplicably in the new design but with the old font



Source: https://twitter.com/Elwick70/status/1492109021930737667?s=20&t=2Zwp8vLTqGRlG8dPJHZEXQ

 

[Bletchleyite]

There is literally no consistency at all, is there? That looks absolutely awful.

 

[ABB125]

New signs at Doncaster which are inexplicably in the new design but with the old font

View attachment 110028

Source: https://twitter.com/Elwick70/status/1492109021930737667?s=20&t=2Zwp8vLTqGRlG8dPJHZEXQ

Why is the b so small?
I think it would look ok if the b was normal size, the BR arrow was replaced with a train pictogram, and there was a coloured band along the top or bottom

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why is the b so small?
I think it would look ok if the b was normal size, the BR arrow was replaced with a train pictogram, and there was a coloured band along the top or bottom

And lose the horrid large arrow.

 

[birchesgreen]

Those kinds of arrows are very trendy now, all over the app space. Looks awful on my watch and phone too.

 

[Bertie the bus]

I think it would look ok if the b was normal size, the BR arrow was replaced with a train pictogram, and there was a coloured band along the top or bottom

I really don't think it needs either a double arrow or a train pictogram. If you are on a railway station and see a sign to a platform most people can work out for themselves what might depart from it without having a logo or picture of a train.

 

[ABB125]

I really don't think it needs either a double arrow or a train pictogram. If you are on a railway station and see a sign to a platform most people can work out for themselves what might depart from it without having a logo or picture of a train.

Fair point, I wouldn't object to i being removed. I'd keep the toilet pictogram though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I really don't think it needs either a double arrow or a train pictogram. If you are on a railway station and see a sign to a platform most people can work out for themselves what might depart from it without having a logo or picture of a train.

To be fair most English speakers also know what toilets are without a pictogram - they are more for the aid of non-English speakers and to be visible at a glance.

I agree however that the BR logo, much as it brings a bit of colour, is the wrong symbol, as it means "the railway as a whole" not "a train", and so the "space invader" train pictogram is better.

 

[physics34]

Looks very temporary. Lets hope it is.

 

[Trainfan2019]

Great sign at Doncaster apart from the small 'b'.

 

[Ibex]

I see Avanti have now started painting the station furniture and lamposts Avanti-blue at Rugby whilst simultaneously putting up GBR plain signage. Surely logic would have said the station should just be painted white or something given the supposed desire for uniform branding

 

[Non Multi]

I see Avanti have now started painting the station furniture and lamposts Avanti-blue at Rugby whilst simultaneously putting up GBR plain signage. Surely logic would have said the station should just be painted white or something given the supposed desire for uniform branding

It's not branding, it's unbranded wayfinding signage plus station name boards.

Would the railway look appealing in shades of white and light grey?

 

[physics34]

I see Avanti have now started painting the station furniture and lamposts Avanti-blue at Rugby whilst simultaneously putting up GBR plain signage. Surely logic would have said the station should just be painted white or something given the supposed desire for uniform branding

Yeh surprised by now an 'all stop' hasnt gone out to all toc's to stop rebranding and painting, especially with cost savings required ...or as you say, a neutral colour selected.

 

[the sniper]

Would the railway look appealing in shades of white and light grey?

For some reason, that kind of thing seemingly appeals greatly to some people here.