Class 158 liveries

[rdlover777]

Hi all, im wondering if their are any sites that have a list of every livery worn by the class 158s from the date they were built up to today

thanks
Daniel

Edit, i have looked on google and wikipedia, they only show Regional Railways and currently liveries

 

[sprinterguy]

Not sure of an online list, but I've given it a go myself. Fleets listed geographically and chronologically for clarity:

British Rail

• Provincial "EXPRESS" (White/Black/Blue) (158701 - 872)*
• West Yorkshire PTE (Red/White) (158901 - 910)

*Units 158701-814 carried EXPRESS branding in a gap in the blue lining bands, whereas units 158815-872 carried "Regional Railways" insignia following the rebranding of the Provincial sector during 1991. Scottish units quickly had "EXPRESS" branding superseded by "Scotrail" insignia in place of "Regional Railways" in the early nineties.

Scotland

• National Express Scotrail "Swoosh" (White/Purple/Green/Orange) (158701 -736/738-741)
• First Scotrail (Blue/Pink/White) (158701-736/738-741)
• First group blue (158782/786/789)
• Scotrail Saltire (Blue/White) (158701-736/738-741, 782/786/789, 867-871)

Northern England

• Northern Spirit Transpennine Express (Plum/Gold) (158737, 742-744, 760-779/781, 158798-814)
• North West Trains (Blue/Gold) (158752-759)
• Northern Spirit WYPTE (Red/Grey) (158909)
• Arriva Trains Northern WYPTE (Red/Silver) (158901-910)
• Northern Rail (Blue/Purple) (158752-759, 784/787, 790-797, 815-817, 842-845, 848-851, 853, 855, 859-861, 872, 901-910)
• Tour de Yorkshire (Yellow/Black) (158849)
• Arriva Northern Refurbished (Blue/White) (Ultimately same as Northern Rail fleet list, plus 158782/786/789, 867-871)

Central England

• Central Trains (Green/Blue) (158780/782-797, 844-860)
• East Midlands Trains (White/Red/Orange) (158770/773/774/777/780/783/785/788/799/806/810/812/813/846/847/852/854, 856-858, 862-866)

Wales

• Wales & West Alphaline prototype (Silver/Blue/Orange) (158867)
• Wales & West Alphaline (Silver/Yellow/Blue) (158745/746)
• Wales & Borders (Silver/Blue) (158817-843)
• Western Mail (Silver/Grey/Red) (158842)
• Arriva Trains Wales (Turquoise/Cream)
• Arriva Trains Wales 'Executive' (Turquoise/Blue) (158818-841)
• Transport for Wales (Grey/Red) (Ultimately 158818-841)

West of England

• Wessex Trains (Silver/Maroon) (158745-749/751, 815/816, 855/856, 859-872)
• Ginsters Pasties (Black) (158819/821/827/841)
• First Great Western "Local Lines" (158745-751, 760-769, 771/776/778/798)
• Great Western Railway (Dark green) (Ultimately same as FGW "Local Lines" fleet listed above)
• Gunwharf Quay (Light blue promotional) (158798)
• Springboard (Light blue promotional) (158798)

South West

• South West Trains (White/Red/Orange) (158786/789, 880-889**)
• South Western Railway (Dark/Light Grey) (Ultimately 158880-889**)

**158880-889 were converted from 158737/742/743/744/772/775/779/781/802/808/814 respectively.

There might be some minor discrepancies in individual units on the fringes of the number ranges that wore Central Trains/Wessex Trains/Wales & Borders livery in the 1588xx series: These fleets were outside my area of expertise and there seemed to be some chopping and changing amongst them. More than happy to accept corrections.

I'm also unsure how many units received standard Arriva Trains Wales livery before the refurbishments commenced: I seem to recall a number of grubby Wales & Borders silver units going directly into the ATW 'Executive' scheme.

I've also omitted livery variations such as:

• "Central Trains" or "Alphaline" insignia on Provincial Express livery.
• South West Trains livery variations
• First Transpennine Express dark blue vinyls applied to lower bodysides of all Transpennine Express units and Regional Railways liveried 158750.
• Central Trains white "C" logos applied to cab ends of ex-TPE units.
• Northern Rail route pictorial vinyls

 

[Rhydgaled]

I'm also unsure how many units received standard Arriva Trains Wales livery before the refurbishments commenced

Not many if I recall correctly. Quite a few still were still silver (with blue doors) until refurbishment. As well as the 'standard' Arriva Trains Wales livery with light blue doors and cream ends (carried by 158821 and maybe one or two others) there were a few (including 158820 and 1588818, not sure if there were any more) without the cream ends (those had cream doors instead of light blue). The two styles of Arriva's early livery can be seen here. Evidence that all three liveries existed at the same time comes from doors from each livery sometimes getting muddled up and put on the wrong unit; I once saw a 158 that had door leafs in a mixture of colours, Wales & West blue, Arriva cream and Arriva light blue.

Zero Arriva class 158s were still carrying Central Trains livery with Arriva branding when the refurb started; did they all transfer away from the franchise when Arriva gained full control of the franchise or were some of them used for the early Arriva repaints?

The only livery I can think of that you've missed is the later Wessex Trains silver/pink with large graphics. As well as the addition of graphics, the doors changed colour from maroon to pink.

 

[Neptune]

158782/786/789 had First group plain blue with a thick white cantrail stripe when first transferred north. 867-871 May have had this livery too but I can’t remember.

The ex Central 158’s with ATW (844-854) had black Arriva branding on the CT livery. They were all transferred away to Northern or EMT before Arriva’s refurbishment started.

 

[sprinterguy]

158782/786/789 had First group plain blue with a thick white cantrail stripe when first transferred north. 867-871 May have had this livery too but I can’t remember.

Just 158782/786/789 I think, there's a photo here of 158789 freshly outshopped in the base scheme in October 2008 (http://www.scot-rail.co.uk/photo/scaled/2335/). The units did enter service in Scotland in the liveries of their former operators, and I can remember seeing at least one of the ex-South West Trains and a few of the ex-Wessex Trains units sat outside Haymarket depot a few months after arrival in Scotland in March 2008. In fact the ex-Wessex Trains units retained their old livery until late 2010:
http://www.scot-rail.co.uk/photo/scaled/6126/

Photo on this page of blue liveried 158786 leading Wessex liveried 158871 in June 2009:
http://www.scot-rail.co.uk/page/Class+158

Thanks for the info, as otherwise it's one livery that would have completely passed me by. I'll add it to the list.

 

[sprinterguy]

Not many if I recall correctly. Quite a few still were still silver (with blue doors) until refurbishment. As well as the 'standard' Arriva Trains Wales livery with light blue doors and cream ends (carried by 158821 and maybe one or two others) there were a few (including 158820 and 1588818, not sure if there were any more) without the cream ends (those had cream doors instead of light blue). The two styles of Arriva's early livery can be seen here. Evidence that all three liveries existed at the same time comes from doors from each livery sometimes getting muddled up and put on the wrong unit; I once saw a 158 that had door leafs in a mixture of colours, Wales & West blue, Arriva cream and Arriva light blue.

That's a good point, I remember the turquoise livery without the cream cab ends now that you've linked to a photo, it seems there were a few variations.

The only livery I can think of that you've missed is the later Wessex Trains silver/pink with large graphics. As well as the addition of graphics, the doors changed colour from maroon to pink.

Yeah, I just lumped those in with the standard Wessex scheme, similar to my approach to the Northern pictorial vinyls, as I was unsure of the individual units involved. I recall seeing 158861 "Spirit of the South West", ironically when it was operating in the North East.

 

[rdlover777]

thank you! this will help alot.


Have a Regional Railways/Scotrail Sector 158

 

[Alanko]

Don't forget the examples sold to Thailand!

 

[3141]

I've also omitted livery variations such as:

• "Central Trains" or "Alphaline" insignia on Provincial Express livery.
• South West Trains livery variations
• First Transpennine Express dark blue vinyls applied to lower bodysides of all Transpennine Express units and Regional Railways liveried 158750.
• Central Trains white "C" logos applied to cab ends of ex-TPE units.
• Northern Rail route pictorial vinyls

That was a magnificent list!

You could add to the livery variations the different versions of the South Western Railway livery - with the stripes or without.

 

[GlosRail]

There a wide section on here... http://www.hondawanderer.com/Class_158.htm

 

[stj]

There was a few that did the Manchester Airport to Scotland run with red inter-city seats just before Virgin took over.

 

[stj]

I think one had INTERCITY on the cab.

 

[dubscottie]

A variation on the Express liveried units in Scotland was that some of the earliest units delivered had ScotRail branding in the BR typeface with a BR logo the same size as the lettering.

This was replaced with the ScotRail in RR typeface that was applied to the rest of the ScotRail units around mid-late 1991.

 

[sprinterguy]

Don't forget the examples sold to Thailand!

I get vague with what goes on in Southern England, let alone in Thailand. Though they were delivered in a version of the Provincial "Express" scheme, and more recently seem to have gained a scheme peculiarly akin to First group "barbie" livery, so are comparatively straightforward - as far as I know!

There a wide section on here... http://www.hondawanderer.com/Class_158.htm

Martin's photos are often a great reference source.

 

[M60lad]

I'm surprised one other livery hasn't been mentioned that some 158s carried and that the "Flying Pasty" Ginsters livery that some of the Welsh 158s carried for a time, I remember seeing these regularly round Manchester at one time on "Alphaline" services to/from Wales.

 

[sprinterguy]

I'm surprised one other livery hasn't been mentioned that some 158s carried and that the "Flying Pasty" Ginsters livery that some of the Welsh 158s carried for a time, I remember seeing these regularly round Manchester at one time on "Alphaline" services to/from Wales.

Yes it has. It's in my original list. Hard to forget that one.

 

[pdeaves]

Yes it has. It's in my original list. Hard to forget that one.

Indeed, under 'West of England'.

 

[sprinterguy]

That was a magnificent list!

Cheers, it kept me occupied on yet another overcrowded Voyager.

Point duly noted on South Western Railway livery, I wasn't aware of that. Are there any 158s without the stripes, or is that just on 159s? Having subsequently had a squint at some photos of 158887/888/890 they all seem to have them.

Of course there's a strong argument that the 159s should be included as well, seeing as they were all 158s once one way or another, I only omitted them as the list was already getting quite lengthy as it stood.

 

[sprinterguy]

The only livery I can think of that you've missed is the later Wessex Trains silver/pink with large graphics. As well as the addition of graphics, the doors changed colour from maroon to pink.

Oh go on then, to expand on the Wessex Trains theme:

The first two units to carry the livery, 158745 and 746, had yellow cab sides and flashes by the inner end passenger doors, and the Wales & West intertwined lines logo in white over the passenger doors, being straightforward revinylings of the only two units to carry Wales & West livery.

No other units featured the yellow bodyside elements. The white intertwined lines logo continued to be applied to other units, including 158815/816, 863-872, but seems to have been progressively removed during 2004-05 at around the same time that the pictorial liveries came into vogue.

Speaking of which, from 2004 several units had pictorial liveries applied, which replaced the Alphaline "A" logo amidships with a body height photo vinyl, which also featured at the vehicle inner ends. Pictorial liveries that I am aware of:

158747: Richard Trevithick (200 years of the Penydarren locomotive, 2004)
158855: Exmoor Explorer
158860: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
158861: Spirit of the South West

There's a wealth of livery detail to be found in this photo album here:
https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/UKRailwayPics-2/Wessex-Trains/Wessex-Trains-class-158/

 

[anamyd]

What about those "spare" 158 vehicles, one of which I heard was at Long Marston...? Pretty sure they're still in Regional Railways livery

 

[Helvellyn]

Technically you can add Network South East livery for 158873-158894 - BREL wanted to charge NSE too much to make the necessary modifications to the last 22 units. So they were built to the Standard Class 158 specification, albeit in NSE livery and with the blue flashes moquette on the Standard Class seats but then converted at Rosyth Dockyard to the Class 159 specification - fitting of First Class, mid coach dividers and reading lamps, fitting of additional hopper ventilator windows (to a different design to the BREL as-built ones), removal of one toilet in the MSL and replacement with space to plug the trolley in and additional tip-up seats, modifications to lock the leading doors out of use (like on 442s), plus various other mods.

If you find photos of them on delivery runs from Litchurch Lane to Rosyth it can be seen that unmodified units did not carry unit numbers - these were only applied once they had been converted to the Class 159 specification. The units, however, never carried their 158 unit numbers in traffic.

 

[northernbelle]

Technically you can add Network South East livery for 158873-158894 - BREL wanted to charge NSE too much to make the necessary modifications to the last 22 units. So they were built to the Standard Class 158 specification, albeit in NSE livery and with the blue flashes moquette on the Standard Class seats but then converted at Rosyth Dockyard to the Class 159 specification - fitting of First Class, mid coach dividers and reading lamps, fitting of additional hopper ventilator windows (to a different design to the BREL as-built ones), removal of one toilet in the MSL and replacement with space to plug the trolley in and additional tip-up seats, modifications to lock the leading doors out of use (like on 442s), plus various other mods.

If you find photos of them on delivery runs from Litchurch Lane to Rosyth it can be seen that unmodified units did not carry unit numbers - these were only applied once they had been converted to the Class 159 specification. The units, however, never carried their 158 unit numbers in traffic.

The additional hopper windows were fitted later on - I think in very early SWT days. They are now being removed again for SWR - presumably because the Liebherr air conditioning can be relied upon.

I've seen a photograph of a 159 at York on its way to Rosyth for conversion - carrying a 158/8 unit number. 158875 springs to mind - just wish I could remember where I saw it!