Livery schemes on the LU

[subway156]

The current color schemes with mostly red doors on tube and surface stock, is that to stay that way for the near future? Or is this it? The reason why I ask is because, my experience which is almost exclusively with the NY MTA is that their stainless steel bodies will not be changing. The new P-5 PATH cars at least have blue ends and doors which makes them look very slick! NY's current look is like that of an old toaster sitting out in the rain. They can't be bothered spending money on paint because of continual tagging. The main reason for mentioing it is because your trains, to me anyway, are BEAUTIFUL! The just look so sharp. And all those other inter-city lines with different liveries is also a stroke of genius because of marketing and variety. The Long Island RR doesn't impress that much either, but they do have painted areas on them. I feel that if your country, a leader in such transit can do it, why can't these cheeseballs do something cool? Our mass-transit system here is so messed up! And the inter-state system is limited to AMTRAK, which is funding by the government who only wants to unload it rather than support and expand it. Yes, I'm blathering on. But I just wanted people to know where I'm coming from because I think your system looks great. All the people I've conversed with on line, here and elsewhere have a definite, keen sense for what they have. And I can't wait to check out your system and country. My wife is very excited for us to go there but we must save to do so. I just tease myself looking at your system and where it goes. So much history and so many lines. Yeesh! I'm jealous.

 

[subway156]

......a few more images of different looks.

 

[jopsuk]

The new 09 stock (for the Victoria line) and S-Stock (for the District, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines) would appear to be being delivered in the red/white/blue livery, so I think it's safe to assume that it'll be hanging around for a while- the new "London Overground" stock is being painted in a variation- with yellow ends to comply with Network Rail regulations, and orange doors as that's the colour for Overground- as is the Croydon Tramlink- this is getting green ends and doors. All part of the "corpoate image" for London Transport.

On the mainlines, Stagecoach, First, National Express and Arriva currently favour painting their trains in variations of their bus liveries (except Arriva Cross Country). What would be nice, though, is a bit of stablility and certainty- some franchises currently have very patchy looking fleets- for instance, on the service I use to work, operated by a single stock type, there are five different liveries, four of them a part-painted, part vinyled over version of previous liveries. These are all looking rather tired, with missing patches of paint, poor colour matching etc.

The short franchises don't help. Still, I guess it is a bit better than everything being painted a uniform blue and grey, as BR once used... (I'll get stick for saying this).

 

[xc170]

I do like the moden LU livery it quite smart and clean, I didnt like the unpainted silver it just looked terrible, the plain all-over red was also nice!

Adam

 

[driver9000]

LT red will always be the classic 'underground' look the unpainted trains came about in a bid to reduce weight (approx 1ton per car) and to cut costs with aluminium being able to withstand the effects of the weather better than steel. Afew trials in the 1950s on R stock trains carried a red stripe along the waist but when the A60 stock entered service they carried no paint except for numbers and LT lettering. LU trains were only painted after the scourge of vandalism that affected the fleet in the 80s which after being cleaned off left the aluminium looking dull, the craze for vandalising trains originated in New York whose subway was also blighted by vandalised trains in the 80s. In the early 90s LUL trialled several versions of the red/white/blue combination and eventually settled on the current scheme you see today. The exceptions were the Waterloo & City line which retained NSE colours from its days under British Rail until refurbishment and the District lines D78 stock which remained unpainted until they were refurbished over the last few years. There are no longer any unpainted trains on LUL.

 

[ukrob]

LT red will always be the classic 'underground' look the unpainted trains came about in a bid to reduce weight (approx 1ton per car)

Have I read this right? You are saying that the paint on one carriage of a tube train weighs one ton?

 

[90019]

Have I read this right? You are saying that the paint on one carriage of a tube train weighs one ton?

I think it was the use of aluminium as well.

 

[subway156]

The new 09 stock (for the Victoria line) and S-Stock (for the District, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines) would appear to be being delivered in the red/white/blue livery, so I think it's safe to assume that it'll be hanging around for a while- the new "London Overground" stock is being painted in a variation- with yellow ends to comply with Network Rail regulations, and orange doors as that's the colour for Overground- as is the Croydon Tramlink- this is getting green ends and doors. All part of the "corpoate image" for London Transport.

On the mainlines, Stagecoach, First, National Express and Arriva currently favour painting their trains in variations of their bus liveries (except Arriva Cross Country). What would be nice, though, is a bit of stablility and certainty- some franchises currently have very patchy looking fleets- for instance, on the service I use to work, operated by a single stock type, there are five different liveries, four of them a part-painted, part vinyled over version of previous liveries. These are all looking rather tired, with missing patches of paint, poor colour matching etc.

The short franchises don't help. Still, I guess it is a bit better than everything being painted a uniform blue and grey, as BR once used... (I'll get stick for saying this).

Yes, I can imagine if they go through the process of complex exterior finishes, they they'd have to be diligent and maintain them. It never occurred to me that carriages would/could be finished off the way buses were. The wackiest thing I've seen are the lovely moquettes. I mean, the bus line in Scotland (and they some older units) was shocking to me. That sort of treatment has only been applied here in the last few years in buses. NYC MTA carriages all have fiberglass seating. Some of the units from the 70's and 80's are non-matching yellow and orange. Total yuk! The newest ones are a blue-gray which is soft on the eyes. The floors are black with small colors spears/smidges in them. They look like hospital tiles. One thing for certain, the moquette fabric appears indestructable.
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LT red will always be the classic 'underground' look the unpainted trains came about in a bid to reduce weight (approx 1ton per car) and to cut costs with aluminium being able to withstand the effects of the weather better than steel. Afew trials in the 1950s on R stock trains carried a red stripe along the waist but when the A60 stock entered service they carried no paint except for numbers and LT lettering. LU trains were only painted after the scourge of vandalism that affected the fleet in the 80s which after being cleaned off left the aluminium looking dull, the craze for vandalising trains originated in New York whose subway was also blighted by vandalised trains in the 80s. In the early 90s LUL trialled several versions of the red/white/blue combination and eventually settled on the current scheme you see today. The exceptions were the Waterloo & City line which retained NSE colours from its days under British Rail until refurbishment and the District lines D78 stock which remained unpainted until they were refurbished over the last few years. There are no longer any unpainted trains on LUL.

I agree that certain shaeds of red exude class and dignity. I can also understand that paint can weigh so much if it is treated with chemicals to make it stick and prevent rusting. The older NY rolling stock had some nice liveries. 2-tone lightg blue and gray, blue with orange trim, plain red, but some of the browns to simulated a wood finish were fuglee. Ouch to the eyes. Their dark, morbid greens always looked dirty too. I love the idea of yellow ends and orange doors for safety. They'd set of the plain look over metal. The Long Island has blue and white chevrons on their ends to be seen and they look cool. Okay, I'm rambling again. But this stuff intrigues me.

 

[whoosh]

This .pdf file has quite a bit of info on the decisions taken regarding unpainted aluminium bodies, and later painting into corporate colours: http://www.lurs.org.uk/documents/pdf%2008/april/FROM%20RED%20TO.pdf

The initial experiment with 'R' stock was also followed up by an experiment on a Routemaster bus (RM664), but wasn't successful, so thankfully the 'London Red Bus' remained an icon!
There's a photo of it about half way down this page

 

[driver9000]

ukrob, yes you did read it right, an LT film of the time explained the weight saving of not painting the train saved approx 1 ton in weight from the car. I remember seeing photographs of an R stock trailer in a half and half red/unpainted state for an exhibition to show the differences between the finishes.