Last trains to be put into a non-GBR livery, and hence/also the last trains to be put into the GBR livery?

As a regular customer of SWR I rather like the current livery. It's really quite smart and simple and has the look of a modern electric railway. Basing a new design on colours that only accidentally came together due to a political act in 1707 seems daft to me. I've nothing against the union flag being used, as the basis of a logo, but that's all.

BTW there are still a few SWR dmus in Stagecoach colours. Do we have to have three meaninglessly different colour schemes on the same fleet?

I remember one past TOC manager saying that they would only turn a unit out in their new colours if the interior had been upgraded too, so customers could expect a genuinely new experience, not just a cosmetic external paint job.

Flange Squeal said:

SWR is nationalised and has a GBR liveried unit in its fleet, but a recently refurbished/repainted Class 159 emerged in SWR livery. I suspect possibly the plan/materials order predated the GBR livery rollout, and/or maybe they only really want newer stock to wear the GBR colours at this early stage rather than some 30+ year old diesel.

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This is a bit like the last C6 overhauls starting at the end of the SWT franchise, so the first units emerged in a revised SWT scheme before the rest got SWR livery. Now C6s are underway again and SWR livery is being applied.

I'd expect if possible a contract variation to switch the livery. This is supposedly one of the runours as to why the EMR 170 refurbs may pause after the 170/5s are done to allow the 170/2s and 170/4s to get GBR paint, but contract variations would be needed.

Even just switching to GBR dark blue as a base colour without branding for any unit needing paint would make sense.