323221 new livery

[Sprinter107]

Lets not forget they did a lot of Wolverhampton - Coventry work when introduced, known to some as the second Cross City Line. And of course, Bromsgrove has only been a recent addition

They also worked to Liverpool, Crewe and Northampton too when they were first built.

 

[william.martin]

Lets not forget they did a lot of Wolverhampton - Coventry work when introduced, known to some as the second Cross City Line. And of course, Bromsgrove has only been a recent addition

I can remember the days when they used to do Wolverhampton to Birmingham and Walsall until demand grew when they got replaced by 350s. The reason why the didn't simply double up the 323's on the route is because the cross city line was also growing (and 6 cars was to much for the amount of demand they were recieving on the stour valley.)

 

[RPI]

Seeing this livery reminds me of all the times I was disappointed in the early 90's, hoping for a 304 or 310 (or were they 312's?) Or some Tyseley lash up of DMU power cars and a 323 actually showed up!

But seeing this livery now does make me think back to simpler and happier times!

 

[gabrielhj07]

Agreed. It’s also notable that I’ve seen quite a few people impressed with LNER’s retro Intercity 225 livery. These old liveries were quite impactful without all the garish stuff we’ve had to suffer since.

I agree. My father once exclaimed “Wow! Is that new” at LNER’s new IC225 livery in Peterborough.

 

[crosscity]

Is there a sure fire way of knowing when it's out and about, and what it's working (other than standing at New St for an hour or two)?
As luck would have it, it arrived at more or less the same time as I did at New St.

Tue 20 Dec 2022 at 14:16. Class 323 EMU 323221 departs from Birmingham New Street with [2R35] the 13:46 Four Oaks-Redditch.

20Dec22. Birmingham New St. BR Class 323 emu 323221. [I221220A] by Ray Honke, on Flickr

 

[Techniquest]

Looks awesome With trains running today, going after this 323 is getting tempting!

 

[driverd]

I'm delighted to see an attempt at the livery... but as has otherwise been pointed out, its quite wrong.

Specifically, it's missing the white band between the green and blue, and the grey is off the colour used originally (should be lighter).

Good effort, Regional Railways livery was on I grew up with and had a strong affection for, so it's lovely to see it back, but just a shame they didn't quite nail it.

 

[_toommm_]

Is there a sure fire way of knowing when it's out and about, and what it's working (other than standing at New St for an hour or two)?

Asking on this thread on the day for the workings is probably your best bet, until LNWR/WMT agree to show their allocations on RTT:

Urgent TOPS Requests

Following feedback from various forum members, in order to allow limited resources of our volunteers to be prioritised in the most efficient manner, the popular TOPS Requests thread has been split into two separate threads, depending on the level of time-criticalness of the requests. This...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[newtownmgr]

I know you know I’m already well aware of that, but the point is if they haven’t chosen to take the ones due for Northern out of service for a repaint first (bearing in mind it’ll take a while to do them all) into Northern livery (as EMR did with 156s), instead preferring to do promotional “frother” stunts like this, then more fool them.

It’s not up to WMR to repaint them into Northern, it’s up to the leasing company/Northern to arrange. If they choose to do it whilst the units are still with WMR then I’m sure it will be done as & when the units start to be released.

 

[crosscity]

I'm delighted to see an attempt at the livery... but as has otherwise been pointed out, its quite wrong.

Specifically, it's missing the white band between the green and blue, and the grey is off the colour used originally (should be lighter).

Good effort, Regional Railways livery was on I grew up with and had a strong affection for, so it's lovely to see it back, but just a shame they didn't quite nail it.

I'm trying to think back thirty years, but I don't remember the yellow doors. I didn't take a photo of one until 2004, even though I used them frequently. There were definitely no yellow doors then.

It doesn't detract from the pleasure of seeing 323221 in the livery it's now in.

 

[penguin8967]

There were definitely no yellow doors then.

In the original livery the top half of the doors was yellow - this isn't possible now due to PRM regulations, hence the full yellow doors. (not my photo)

 

[prod_pep]

The above photo shows a repainted unit from the noughties. The original livery did not feature yellow doors, even partial (well, apart from the little pinstripe in the white section of the body).

 

[crosscity]

In the original livery the top half of the doors was yellow - this isn't possible now due to PRM regulations, hence the full yellow doors. (not my photo)

View attachment 125559

I took two photos in similar snowy circumstances three years apart 2004 and 2007. This attachment is from 2004:



... and this is the 2007 one:

08Feb07. Snow. Kings Norton. BR Class 323 EMU. [Pic_3183] by Ray Honke, on Flickr

Although I used them on the Crosscity Line since they started, I didn't have the presence of mind to take any photos of them as there were plenty of other things going on in my life.

It looks as though the new old livery is based on the later style. Would current PRM regulations have allowed non-yellow doors as per the original livery?

 

[driverd]

Getting very pedantic now, but the new (2022) livery appears to be a hybrid of the two liveries. Yellow doors (PRM requirement and unavoidable) as per the 2007 version, yellow pinstripe as per the 2004 edition (note on the 2007 picture the very fine yellow stripe running through the white section is absent).

In any case, it's great to see!

 

[XCTurbostar]

Lets just be glad that we have something!

 

[43102EMR]

Lets just be glad that we have something!

Agreed - far better than that awful WMR Lite livery!

 

[GoneSouth]

If we were going for an inauthentic livery how about WYPTE red, as a "what might've been"?

Now that one even looked good on a pacer

 

[LRV3004]

If we were going for an inauthentic livery how about WYPTE red, as a "what might've been"?

Wouldn't be the first time that WYPTE livery has been seen on the Cross City line!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Wouldn't be the first time that WYPTE livery has been seen on the Cross City line!

Was that 308s? I recall reading that a few of them had a brief stay of execution on the Cross City after the 333s started entering traffic.

 

[LRV3004]

Was that 308s? I recall reading that a few of them had a brief stay of execution on the Cross City after the 333s started entering traffic.

Yes! While I never saw one personally, a picture in the 1995 edition of the "Locomotives and multiple units" by Platform 5 showed a WYPTE 308 calling at Erdington!

 

[Sprinter107]

The red WYPTE 308s were used on all electric local routes in the West Midlands, along with NSE LTS line ones.

 

[Neptune]

Was that 308s? I recall reading that a few of them had a brief stay of execution on the Cross City after the 333s started entering traffic.

No they worked Cross City in WYPTE livery before transfer to West Yorkshire.