Railfreight Design

[OneThirtyEight]

Interesting article on Railfreight from graphic design website It's Nice That;

"The New Look: Looking back at Roundel’s 1980s identity design for British Rail’s Railfreight"

http://www.itsnicethat.com/features/british-rail-railfreight-design-roundel-the-new-look-291116

 

[physics34]

Interesting article on Railfreight from graphic design website It's Nice That;

"The New Look: Looking back at Roundel’s 1980s identity design for British Rail’s Railfreight"

http://www.itsnicethat.com/features/british-rail-railfreight-design-roundel-the-new-look-291116

was a fantastic livery (as were the rest of the railfreight sectors, RES...and the later Railfreight Distribution style too).

None of them look out of place now.

It was always gonna be difficult though to keep the locos "sector" specific. It wasnt long before you'd find a Construction 56 on coal work!

 

[sprinterguy]

Thanks for posting this, a nice bit of nostalgia.

It certainly was a bold new identity, and very pleasing in the way that the overall design was adapted for each sub-sector, on everything from locomotives to stationery. Roundel Group got it spot on again when they went on to develop the Rail Express Systems livery a few years later.

 

[jopsuk]

I do like the idea that the light colours and bright logos were to try to help end the "dirty" mindset.

 

[DarloRich]

thanks for posting - all very interesting

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I had something to do with it way back - Railfreight wagons were never , ever externally cleaned in between heavy overhauls - (bar the silver VGA wagons for important customers like Guinness and Bulmers - which were regularly jet washed in depots)

Hence the grey wagon livery - though (my safety idea) - full yellow ends on vans to replicate loco front ends. All of course with sub sector branding....

 

[furnessvale]

I had something to do with it way back - Railfreight wagons were never , ever externally cleaned in between heavy overhauls - (bar the silver VGA wagons for important customers like Guinness and Bulmers - which were regularly jet washed in depots)

Hence the grey wagon livery - though (my safety idea) - full yellow ends on vans to replicate loco front ends. All of course with sub sector branding....

Did you get a W.A.S.P. for that?

I managed to win 3 during my early career on BR

 

[pdeaves]

Did you get a W.A.S.P. for that?

I managed to win 3 during my early career on BR

(a bit OT for this thread) When I was with BR I submitted a suggestion to On Winning Lines. The idea was turned down as impractical. Now all new trains have the feature! I suggested a chime so that blind people know which side the doors will open.

 

[59CosG95]

Did you get a W.A.S.P. for that?

I suppose ChiefPlanner was a bit of a Wild Child back in the day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsoLb-E7oy8

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I suppose ChiefPlanner was a bit of a Wild Child back in the day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsoLb-E7oy8

Nothing more than average student larks ......(but thank you for the thought)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Did you get a W.A.S.P. for that?

I managed to win 3 during my early career on BR

Course not - I gave up putting in staff suggestions as they were always knocked back , recall suggesting low liner wagons for the Isle of Grain container traffic , and even better , using surplus 33/1 = TC sets for a new service Clapham - Kensington Olympia - Watford Junction...


"no market said some jobsworth at Waterloo" - look at the WLL today for loadings....

 

[Helvellyn]

I think what was good about the Railfreight livery was that it was designed to work on any locomotive. Now the fact it didn't have to match coaching stock helped, but some of the BR liveries looked awkward on certain locomotives or stock.

The one missed opportunity (in my view) was the Railfreight General logo. It quickly dropped from use, yet the rectangular red and yellow blocks would, in my view, have made it a good sub-sector logo to be used for Freightliner. The red/yellow combination would have given a good association with the Railfreight Distribution (RfD) red diamonds too.

On that note I never quite liked the way RfD went off and changed their livry with the darker grey (and much larger) upper body panel and the addition of "Railfreight Distribution" titles on the lower bodyside.

 

[fowler9]

Good read that. I went to the Ripple Lane open day in 87 which I believe may have been the official launch.

 

[physics34]

I think what was good about the Railfreight livery was that it was designed to work on any locomotive. Now the fact it didn't have to match coaching stock helped, but some of the BR liveries looked awkward on certain locomotives or stock.

The one missed opportunity (in my view) was the Railfreight General logo. It quickly dropped from use, yet the rectangular red and yellow blocks would, in my view, have made it a good sub-sector logo to be used for Freightliner. The red/yellow combination would have given a good association with the Railfreight Distribution (RfD) red diamonds too.

On that note I never quite liked the way RfD went off and changed their livry with the darker grey (and much larger) upper body panel and the addition of "Railfreight Distribution" titles on the lower bodyside.

Always thought this lates RfD livery was stunning On 86s aswell!