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Trivia: the train with the most liveries (NO coaches!)

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frankmoh

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I'd probably think it was the Class 319, with 11. 13 if you count the Class 799 Flex and GWR's testing of the Class 769.

Edit: I mean trains that can work on their own. Multiple units or locos, not coaches.
 
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hexagon789

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Sadly I mean powered trains as opposed to coaches. That being said you would probably be right, especially if you include all the Mk1-derived MUs.
Class 47? Some individual locos carried nearly 20 different liveries, let alone the class as a whole.
 
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Back of a cigarette packet calculations; class 142 and 150/1 equals the 319 with 13, 150/2 15, class 37 at least 17 but probably more as I couldn't recall some of the latest ones. Same applies to class 47 but I make at least 27, and that's without minor variations!
 

The exile

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Class 47? Some individual locos carried nearly 20 different liveries, let alone the class as a whole.
The Feb 2005 issue of Railway Magazine contains part 8 (!) of the class 47/57 livery history. Admittedly this went down to a very anal level of detail (including position of numbers etc), but it reached photo (and therefore livery variant) no 253.
Off the top of my head I can think of the following pretty distinctive variants (so no "slightly bigger numbers" or "one buffer painted pink for 1 day" type thing)
1. 2-tone green
2. standard BR blue
3. Large logo blue
4. Scotrail express
5. Original IC
6. IC Swallow (may count as too similar to 5)
7. Trans-Pennine (47 475)
8. Railfreight grey (with all the different sub sector markings)
9. Departmental ("Dutch")
10. NSE original
11. NSE revised
12. Parcels Red
13. RES
14. "Red stripe railfreight" (red buffer beam on 47s IIRC)
15. 1977 Silver Jubilee
16. EWS
17. Virgin
18. GW Merlin
19. FGW
20. Anglia
21. One
22. XP64 (original and repro)
23. Cotswold
24. Police
25. Fragonset
26. Freightliner
27. DRS Old
28. DRS New
29. An attempt at LNER Green (47 522)
30. GW 150 green
31. West Coast
32. Colas
33. Pullman (Umber and Cream)
34. Royal Train
35. GBRf
36. Maroon (47 973)
37. Porterbrook
38. Technical Services Pink and grey
39. Bright Yellow (47 803?)
and no doubt many more I've forgotten or suppressed. I was trying to find my photo of the chimaera - the one that ran around in Grey but with a IC-liveried cab (or vice versa) but it's currently eluding me.

150s may run them close.
 
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hexagon789

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The Feb 2005 issue of Railway Magazine contains part 8 (!) of the class 47/57 livery history. Admittedly this went down to a very anal level of detail (including position of numbers etc), but it reached photo (and therefore livery variant) no 253.
Still I think it illustrates the point well enough! ;)
 

py_megapixel

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Pendolinos have had a huge number over the years.

To start with, we have seen three TOC standard liveries or perhaps four: the original Virgin one (with either the original striped doors or the newer plain grey doors; whether you count that as two liveries or one I have no idea), the 'flowing silk' Virgin one and of course Avanti. Also there was a time when lots of them were just running around in plain white so that's arguably up to five already.

But then both operators have seemed quite enthusiastic about special one-off liveries. Off the top of my head: special Pride liveries from both Virgin and Avanti; the Alstom livery; the COP26 livery; and, most recently, the "together we roll" livery. And there have certainly been more, I just can't remember what they are.
 

MadMac

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Perhaps not quite in the “spirit“ of the original question, but Here is a three car DMU with three different classes and liveries!
 

Failed Unit

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When you look at the150/1 it is probably easy to forget some.

1. Provincial (light blue top)
2. Provincial (sprinter)
3. Centro
4. Network North West
5. First North West (blue with stars)
6 silverlink.
7. Northern (that could have a few versions)
8. First Great Western
9. Current London Midland.

Which is less then I would have expected them you look at trains like the 156 which have moved around (same is true with 170s)

1. Sprinter
2. Regional Express (central trains)
3. Regional Railways green stripes
4. Original Strathclyde PTA
5. new Strathclyde PTa
6. Scotrail - national express
7. Scotrail - First
8. Scotrail - current.
9. North Western
10. Northern Spirit
11. Northern v1
12. Northern v2
13 Northern current.
14 central trains
15 East Midlands railway
16. One
17. Greater Anglia

The 142s will have lots because of all the PTA liveries. The 158s and170s because of the number of operators that have use them.
 
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does anyone know what livery the Nigerian HSTs will get?
Some power cars are plain white, some white with a red band.
When you look at the150/1 it is probably easy to forget some.

1. Provincial (light blue top)
2. Provincial (sprinter)
3. Centro
4. Network North West
5. First North West (blue with stars)
6 silverlink.
7. Northern (that could have a few versions)
8. First Great Western
9. Current London Midland.

Which is less then I would have expected them you look at trains like the 156 which have moved around (same is true with 170s)

1. Sprinter
2. Regional Express (central trains)
3. Regional Railways green stripes
4. Original Strathclyde PTA
5. new Strathclyde PTa
6. Scotrail - national express
7. Scotrail - First
8. Scotrail - current.
9. North Western
10. Northern Spirit
11. Northern v1
12. Northern v2
13 Northern current.
14 central trains
15 East Midlands railway
16. One
17. Greater Anglia

The 142s will have lots because of all the PTA liveries. The 158s and170s because of the number of operators that have use them.
150/1 didn't receive Network North West livery, it was only on a handful of 150/2, however they did receive the Greater Manchester PTE livery of two-tone grey.
To add to the list is newer Centro (green and blue rather than green and beige with stripes as per the original), Network West Midlands and Northern Trains blue and white (taking the Northern mentioned as Northern Rail purple and blue). And finally Regional Railways, worn only by 150146 for a few years in the early 90s.
 

Failed Unit

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Thanks. It was the 2 tone grey I was thinking of on the newton heath based units. I remember on appearing in Lincoln pre-privatisation on a Lincoln - Leamington Spa service instead of a centro. When you think of the 142. Because of the various PTEs they had a lot even before privatisation.
 

The exile

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When you look at the150/1 it is probably easy to forget some.

1. Provincial (light blue top)
2. Provincial (sprinter)
3. Centro
4. Network North West
5. First North West (blue with stars)
6 silverlink.
7. Northern (that could have a few versions)
8. First Great Western
9. Current London Midland.

Which is less then I would have expected them you look at trains like the 156 which have moved around (same is true with 170s)

1. Sprinter
2. Regional Express (central trains)
3. Regional Railways green stripes
4. Original Strathclyde PTA
5. new Strathclyde PTa
6. Scotrail - national express
7. Scotrail - First
8. Scotrail - current.
9. North Western
10. Northern Spirit
11. Northern v1
12. Northern v2
13 Northern current.
14 central trains
15 East Midlands railway
16. One
17. Greater Anglia

The 142s will have lots because of all the PTA liveries. The 158s and170s because of the number of operators that have use them.
150/2 will presumably beat the 150/1 hands down, though. And anyway - the class is 150 so both count (+ the NMT!)
 

43096

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150/2 will presumably beat the 150/1 hands down, though. And anyway - the class is 150 so both count (+ the NMT!)
What does the NMT have to do with 150s?! The NMT is a former HST set.
 
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