156482 given a name

[northwichcat]

Unit 156482 was officially named 'Elizabeth Gaskell' by George Osborne at 12:00 on Friday. The unit then worked the 12:17 Manchester-Knutsford-Chester service, which was a fitting service considering Gaskell grew up in Knutsford before moving to Manchester and based the novel Cranford on Knutsford. Although, with only a few booked class 156 services each day on the Mid-Cheshire line I don't expect it to appear on Mid-Cheshire line services often.

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I hope George Osborne got asked for his ticket by the G4S people at Piccadilly.

 

[455driver]

450103 has an unofficial name, I gave it the name when it sat down on me for 20 minutes a few months ago!
Cant really say what it is on a family forum!

 

[GatwickDepress]

Great Northerners? So Northern are commemorating regular travellers between Moorgate and Welwyn Garden City?

It's excellent to see Gaskell commemorated, North and South is especially good for lovers of industrial-era social commentary, and great to see a train named - with a proper nameplate from the photograph. FCC take note!

I hope George Osborne got asked for his ticket by the G4S people at Piccadilly.

From the looks of his chin, he's smuggling a ping-pong ball around the country.

 

[455driver]

with a proper nameplate from the photograph.

Looks like a stick on one to me!

 

[GatwickDepress]

Looks like a stick on one to me!

And I came back from the opticians with 20/20 vision the other day... I feel like a right ninny now!

It's not anything that'll make me boil up with anoraky rage, but cast nameplates have that certain something stickers don't.

 

[455driver]

but cast nameplates have that certain something stickers don't.

On that we do agree!
A nameplate should be just that a plate*.

* not the sort of plate you have your Sunday dindin on but a proper cast metal plate!

 

[Katada]

I wonder why they decided to place it in what looks like such an awkward spot?

 

[Gaskell]

I wonder if someone could kindly help me? I wish to see this train and wonder how I can find out what services it operates?

Many thanks

 

[Strathclyder]

I wonder if someone could kindly help me? I wish to see this train and wonder how I can find out what services it operates?

Many thanks

It being a Northern unit, it could turn up anywhere.

 

[Ash Bridge]

I wonder if someone could kindly help me? I wish to see this train and wonder how I can find out what services it operates?

Many thanks

Not a lot of help to you really, but was on a Crewe-Manchester Picc service yesterday and as we arrived into Piccadilly at around 12.45 this particular Class 156 was just pulling away Southbound from platform 13. Preston-Hazel Grove service perhaps? Iam sure someone will correct me if wrong..

 

[Darren R]

Am I the only person who thinks naming a two-car DMU is a bit, well, silly? A locomotive yes I get that, but a crummy DMU? Quite a few of Northern's 156s carry, ahem, 'nameplates' - some names being more worthy than others!

Every time I see the 156 named after William Huskisson I wonder what he would have made of the honour. I can't help think there is something slightly insensitive about naming a train after the first person to be killed by a train!

 

[childwallblues]

Not a lot of help to you really, but was on a Crewe-Manchester Picc service yesterday and as we arrived into Piccadilly at around 12.45 this particular Class 156 was just pulling away Southbound from platform 13. Preston-Hazel Grove service perhaps? Iam sure someone will correct me if wrong..

It was I think on a Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport service. Being an Allerton unit they tend to stick to the North West although they do make occasional forays on to Heaton diagrams in the North East and Cumbria.
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Am I the only person who thinks naming a two-car DMU is a bit, well, silly? A locomotive yes I get that, but a crummy DMU? Quite a few of Northern's 156s carry, ahem, 'nameplates' - some names being more worthy than others!

Every time I see the 156 named after William Huskisson I wonder what he would have made of the honour. I can't help think there is something slightly insensitive about naming a train after the first person to be killed by a train!

The names do reflect famous persons from the North. William Huskisson, George Bradshaw, Timothy Hackworth, Gracie Fields, Driver John Axon GC to name some. There are some dodgy ones though.

 

[physics34]

On that we do agree!
A nameplate should be just that a plate*.

* not the sort of plate you have your Sunday dindin on but a proper cast metal plate!

A sticker is a insult. Cheap and nasty.

 

[asylumxl]

It's not anything that'll make me boil up with anoraky rage, but cast nameplates have that certain something stickers don't.

A third dimension?

 

[GatwickDepress]

A third dimension?

*giggle* Good response!

 

[asylumxl]

*giggle* Good response!

To be honest, it doesn't even need to be made of metal. They could get them 3D printed or similar. I don't know how much the vinyls cost, but 3D printing isn't exceptionally expensive nowadays.

 

[Parallel]

Am I the only person who thinks naming a two-car DMU is a bit, well, silly? A locomotive yes I get that, but a crummy DMU?

Arriva Trains Wales have a pacer named after Sir Tom Jones!

 

[tsr]

The most underwhelming name has to be "Croydon" on a vinyl sticker on a Class 319! I'm not sure if that unit has been re-liveried yet.

 

[GatwickDepress]

To be honest, it doesn't even need to be made of metal. They could get them 3D printed or similar. I don't know how much the vinyls cost, but 3D printing isn't exceptionally expensive nowadays.

I agree with that, recently an ex-school of mine purchased some 3D logos for the exterior building. They were cheap and currently seem to last well.

The most underwhelming name has to be "Croydon" on a vinyl sticker on a Class 319! I'm not sure if that unit has been re-liveried yet.

Ah, Croydon. That name is up there with such illustrious icons as King Arthur and the Flying Scotsman.

Arriva Trains Wales have a pacer named after Sir Tom Jones!

Northern Rail didn't even dignify my suggestion to name Pacers after famous Blackpool donkeys with an answer.

 

[northwichcat]

Northern Rail didn't even dignify my suggestion to name Pacers after famous Blackpool donkeys with an answer.

If Northern painted a donkey on a few of their Pacers then at least some people would smile when they see a Pacer pull in instead of a proper train if they rotated them between routes.