Great British Railways - First Train in New Livery

[Class 466]

Im hoping togetherness cuts bureaucracy and barriers... in fact last week a 377 had a fault at watford... they got a fitter to come from Hornsey to fix it rather than selhurst. Not sure that wouldve happened in privatised days

Both depots are GTR depots, so I think it would’ve happened prior to their nationalisation

 

[vuzzeho]

‘Great British Railways | LNER’

Might not like it, but solves that problem for you…

Not really up to me - it's apparently meant to become East Coast.

NEW	OLD
Great British Railways | Southern	Southern Railway
Great British Railways | South East	Southeastern
Great British Railways | Thameslink	Thameslink
Great British Railways | Great Northern	Great Northern
Great British Railways | Great Western	GWR
Great British Railways | South Western	South Western Railway
Great British Railways | Island Line	Island Line
Great British Railways | Chiltern	Chiltern Railway
Great British Railways | Anglia	Greater Anglia/C2C
Great British Railways | East Coast	LNER
Great British Railways | West Coast	Avanti West Coast
Great British Railways | West Midlands	West Midlands Railway
Great British Railways | North Western	LNWR
Great British Railways | North	Northern
Great British Railways | TransPennine	TransPennine Express
Great British Railways | East Midlands	East Midlands Railway
Great British Railways | CrossCountry	CrossCountry Trains
Great British Railways | High Speed	Southeastern High Speed/HS2
Great British Railways | Sleeper	GWR Sleeper Service

Monumental waste of time and money as the ToCs will more or less continue doing what they are doing now but with an additional layer of bureaucracy to navigate.

That's how it currently is, but it's worth remembering that we do not have GBR right now. DFTO is entirely separate from what GBR will be, and is more like a stepping stone than an indicator of what we're to expect. Come next year, TOCs as a concept will cease to exist, because GBR is more meant to be 'rail reform' than just 'rail nationalisation' (although that is a massive part of it). Part of it is, and always has been (since the previous government) a rebrand to a unified national identity to remove the perceived fragmentation of the industry.

East Coast (and West Coast for that matter) are not very helpful names for "normals" to understand where they go. East Coast serves nowhere on the east coast south of the Tyne, and West Coast nowhere on the coast at all in England (although you get a glimpse of it at Hest Bank, and it does serve the coast of North Wales).

I agree but at the same time, neither was Virgin Trains, or C2C, or even really LNER/LNWR. Milton Keynes Central is not the North West. East Coast and West Coast describe the lines they're on (as I'm very sure you know) which is probably a good enough regional signifier. Like you said, some TPE services do not go trans-Pennine. It's more just to have a mostly accurate and memorable regional signifier that won't be confusing at stations where they overlap (Northern and Great Northern would be confusing, but they never actually overlap. That said, I think when TfL gets the GNI services, GN should just be absorbed into the EC IBU.).

 

[Bletchleyite]

I agree but at the same time, neither was Virgin Trains, or C2C, or even really LNER/LNWR. Milton Keynes Central is not the North West. East Coast and West Coast describe the lines they're on (as I'm very sure you know) which is probably a good enough regional signifier. Like you said, some TPE services do not go trans-Pennine. It's more just to have a mostly accurate and memorable regional signifier that won't be confusing at stations where they overlap (Northern and Great Northern would be confusing, but they never actually overlap. That said, I think when TfL gets the GNI services, GN should just be absorbed into the EC IBU.).

North Western is probably the silliest one. The last time that was painted on a train it was actually serving the North West, though we did borrow a couple of 150s in First North Western blue for the Marston Vale at one point...

Are DaFT so worried about being accused of being London centric that they're scared of putting the word "London" on any of them?

 

[MotCO]

I agree but at the same time, neither was Virgin Trains, or C2C, or even really LNER/LNWR. Milton Keynes Central is not the North West. East Coast and West Coast describe the lines they're on (as I'm very sure you know) which is probably a good enough regional signifier. Like you said, some TPE services do not go trans-Pennine. It's more just to have a mostly accurate and memorable regional signifier that won't be confusing at stations where they overlap (Northern and Great Northern would be confusing, but they never actually overlap. That said, I think when TfL gets the GNI services, GN should just be absorbed into the EC IBU.).

Those names are probably better (and more representative) than some of the Overground names - Mildmay, Lioness etc.

 

[Transilien]

Those names are probably better (and more representative) than some of the Overground names - Mildmay, Lioness etc.

That’s true. My problem with the names and divisions is that they were created by the government with the idea of competing private companies, not one national monopoly. Why does the government think that keeping these arbitrary boundaries, that aren’t all that useful to a nationalised railway is the way to go (other than laziness of course).

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

So where are these Azumas then?

 

[saismee]

Sounds like a GA unit will be shown off quite soon.

 

[vuzzeho]

That’s true. My problem with the names and divisions is that they were created by the government with the idea of competing private companies, not one national monopoly. Why does the government think that keeping these arbitrary boundaries, that aren’t all that useful to a nationalised railway is the way to go (other than laziness of course).

The hope of the government (according to a talk I saw at RAIL Live last week by Andrew Haines) is for GBR, when set up, to change these boundaries and IBUs as suits them. The idea is that this is a starting point, not the final outcome.

 

[MotCO]

The hope of the government (according to a talk I saw at RAIL Live last week by Andrew Haines) is for GBR, when set up, to change these boundaries and IBUs as suits them. The idea is that this is a starting point, not the final outcome.

How easy is it to change the boundaries, though? Most divisions are based on the lines fanning out from London, so only divisions such as Northern or TPE could be revised.

 

[RUK]

From what I've read in a couple of places, there is a 720 tucked away at Ilford in GBR livery ready for the opening of Cambridge South.

Obviously the usual caveats apply around internet rumours!

Is it possible to work out which Class 720 it might be, based on which ones haven’t been out of the depot recently?

 

[vuzzeho]

How easy is it to change the boundaries, though? Most divisions are based on the lines fanning out from London, so only divisions such as Northern or TPE could be revised.

Guess that's on GBR to figure out, if they want to.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I agree but at the same time, neither was Virgin Trains, or C2C, or even really LNER/LNWR. Milton Keynes Central is not the North West. East Coast and West Coast describe the lines they're on (as I'm very sure you know) which is probably a good enough regional signifier.

The non-geographuic names dont mislead in the way LNWR, GnR etc do.
I'm well aware of the origins of the East Coast and West Coast names, but they have little relevance for those companies' major destinations like Birmingham, Leeds or Manchester.

 

[SEtrains]

Is it possible to work out which Class 720 it might be, based on which ones haven’t been out of the depot recently?

Thought to be 720501, according to Trainlogger.

 

[SECR 65]

Saw 387172 today, and hoped to ride on it for my return journey. Annoyingly, given the disruption this morning on the East Coastway, it wasn't on its booked diagram according to allocation websites - so I ended up with 387120.

 

[Russel]

Imdeed the GA livery is smart and wouldve been good enough as a national livery IMO

I did think that, tastefully add a bit of blue and it'd be good to go!

 

[720144]

Is it possible to work out which Class 720 it might be, based on which ones haven’t been out of the depot recently?

720501 and 144.

 

[JCO1406]

I saw this on TikTok earlier. I don’t know how real this is, so take it with a pinch of salt

 

[saismee]

I saw this on TikTok earlier. I don’t know how real this is, so take it with a pinch of salt

Fake or not it's exactly what we would expect. I think it looks quite nice, as long as it's kept clean.

 

[Bringback309s]

Will see at Cambridge South tomorrow if its real or not

 

[RUK]

Ah, so the first and the last of Greater Anglia’s (as was) Class 720s!

 

[Steddenm]

I saw this on TikTok earlier. I don’t know how real this is, so take it with a pinch of salt

There are two units in that image, and why does it look like the unit on the right looks like it has derailed at the back?

 

[Russel]

I saw this on TikTok earlier. I don’t know how real this is, so take it with a pinch of salt

I'd say with confidence that's real.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

There are two units in that image, and why does it look like the unit on the right looks like it has derailed at the back?

Probably some aliasing artefact with the JPEG image

 

[RUK]

There looks to be a lot of dark blue at the end of those Class 720s, which makes them look quite “heavy”, compared to the Class 701 and Class 387 we’ve seen before, where the diagonal stripes overlap with the cab door, whereas the stripes start behind the cab door on these Class 720s. It makes me think that the Class 720s would look better in the lighter Network SouthEast livery. On the Class 701 and 387, the double arrow logo and GBR are on the red bit, rather than on the dark blue bit in front of the red bit.

 

[Russel]

There looks to be a lot of dark blue at the end of those Class 720s, which makes them look quite “heavy”, compared to the Class 701 and Class 387 we’ve seen before, where the diagonal stripes overlap with the cab door, whereas the stripes start behind the cab door on these Class 720s. It makes me think that the Class 720s would look better in the lighter Network SouthEast livery. On the Class 701 and 387, the double arrow logo and GBR are on the red bit, rather than on the dark blue bit in front of the red bit.

The dark blue will have an advantage though for hiding dirt, that is my only complaint about the current GA livery, the white on the front is usually filthy.

 

[vuzzeho]

It's real. I've just seen another angle (attached). I have to say, I prefer the look on the 701 and 387, but it still looks rather smart. I guess the GBR fold is growing, and a new (sorta) IBU branding is starting with Anglia. Wonder when the c2c fleet will start to be done.

edit: Just saw a tweet (linked) claiming there's a 357 in GBR too.

Citizen Swift (@citizen_swift) on X

@ChimeWhistle Looks like there’s a. GBR 357 in there as well.

x.com

Looks like there’s a. GBR 357 in there as well.

 

[martin2345uk]

720s are 5 coaches right? Wonder how they will deal with the asymmetricality or just “meh that’ll do”…

 

[TreacleMiller]

As of today, 23rd May, the 387 and 701 are the only units in the GBR livery. That represents 2 business units, the (yet to exist) Southern (as part of the Thameslink IBU - to be established) and the currently existing South Western IBU. Repaints will be done as trains come in for standard repainting, or probably for some press events. The rollout is meant to be starting from this point on, though it'll probably be a while before it picks up pace.

RTT - I don't know, probably.

The first unit from the factory to be in the GBR livery will likely be the LNER/GBR East Coast Class 897 Serenzas. HS2 trains will be many years off!

897s are coming in existing LNER livery, internal and external. This has widely gone round internally from people who definitely will know.

Obviously easy to stick a wrap over the top externally but unlikely at this stage.

Brand name also staying as things stand.

GBR doesn't really exist as of now. Likely will be another government in one form or another by the roll out though....

 

[Russel]

897s are coming in existing LNER livery, internal and external. This has widely gone round internally from people who definitely will know.

Obviously easy to stick a wrap over the top externally but unlikely at this stage.

Brand name also staying as things stand.

GBR doesn't really exist as of now. Likely will be another government in one form or another by the roll out though....

Wouldn't they be delivered in plane white, devoid of any LNER branding?

Would make no sense to deliver it with branding just to peal it straight off to replace it with GBR vinyl.

GBR May not officially exist yet, but we're seeing trains in GBR livery start to appear.

 

[RUK]

The Class 357 is said to be 357 312, based on it not being in traffic for a few months. I wonder if it as a Class 357/3 will keep the “metro” branding stickers on its door glass and windows to indicate its 2+2 seat layout, as the Class 701 kept its “Arterio” branding?

The 720s look better in brighter lighting, with the blue not looking so dark. I think I prefer the GBR livery to the Greater Anglia livery, which I find a bit too plain, colour-wise.