TPExpress' new livery: Your thoughts:

[backontrack]

I like it, but what do you guys think? How well does it compare to these?

And what do you think of these if we end up with them?

I'm afraid that none of these pictures are mine.

 

[Fincra5]

To be honest I quite like it actually.

 

[backontrack]

One of those links is broken. The 'going back a bit' picture (no.4) can be seen here:

*******/1Wpvmh1

This site doesn't like bitly for some reason.
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To be honest I quite like it actually.

Same! I wasn't trying to sound disparaging about it. It works quite well.

 

[Domh245]

I quite like the metallic blue on the cab ends. As a side note, do we really need such a huge picture of the 350. I'd hate to be browsing on mobile and trying to load that!

 

[sprinterguy]

I'm old fashioned; I like stripes and blocks of colour. I thought the plum and reflective gold Northern Spirit Transpennine Express livery looked excellent and suited the 158s it was applied to very well (but was subsequently wrecked by Firsts' blue vinyls). The Provincial livery applied to the Trans-pennine mark 2s (and a single class 47 loco), which was subsequently easily adapted for the Regional Railways identity, was also very appealing.

My general opinion on First Group liveries is that each new style makes the one that went before seem better by comparison. Corporate "Barbie bus", as applied to a few 185s when they were new, looked fairly uninspiring on most rolling stock it was applied to, but was still better than the directionless mess that, to me, is represented by the "Dynamic lines" scheme that followed it. Having said that, the "oversized" Dynamic lines variant of the livery that is applied to the 350/4s looks somewhat better in comparison.

I'm not a fan of grey based liveries (which the new TPE scheme primarily is away from the cab ends), or overly complex arrangements only suitable for vinyl application, but the new livery does look a good sight better than standard Dynamic lines IMO.

 

[backontrack]

I'm old fashioned; I like stripes and blocks of colour. I thought the plum and reflective gold Northern Spirit Transpennine Express livery looked excellent and suited the 158s it was applied to very well (but was subsequently wrecked by Firsts' blue vinyls). The Provincial livery applied to the Trans-pennine mark 2s, and a single class 47 loco, which was subsequently easily adapted for the Regional Railways identity, was also very appealing.

My general opinion on First Group liveries is that each new style makes the one that went before seem better by comparison. Corporate "Barbie bus", as applied to a few 185s when they were new, looked fairly uninspiring on most rolling stock it was applied to, but was still better than the directionless mess that, to me, is represented by the "Dynamic lines" scheme that followed it. Having said that, the "oversized" Dynamic lines variant of the livery that is applied to the 350/4s looks somewhat better in comparison.

I'm not a fan of grey based liveries (which the new TPE scheme primarily is away from the cab ends), or overly complex arrangements only suitable for vinyl application, but the new livery does look a good sight better than Dynamic lines IMO.

I response, I don't think that the plum & gold livery works very well on the 185s. It seems like it would work much better on an HST or something. I think that Barbie looks best on the 156s, 158s, 170s and (formerly) 90s in Scotland.

 

[sprinterguy]

I response, I don't think that the plum & gold livery works very well on the 185s.

I suspect that you'd be right there, the application of Northern Spirit livery to the 333s proved that it didn't work as effectively on stock with mid-vehicle doors - it was much better suited to end door stock.

 

[backontrack]

I quite like the metallic blue on the cab ends. As a side note, do we really need such a huge picture of the 350. I'd hate to be browsing on mobile and trying to load that!

It's now been replaced with a new image.
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I suspect that you'd be right there, the application of Northern Spirit livery to the 333s proved that it didn't work as effectively on stock with mid-vehicle doors - it was much better suited to end door stock.

Personally, I liked the Northern Spirit 333 livery - a unique colour combination (red and yellow) and it worked well with the grey N and black window stripe. A shame that they aren't window stripes on more of today's stock.

 

[sprinterguy]

Personally, I liked the Northern Spirit 333 livery - a unique colour combination (red and yellow) and it worked well with the grey N and black window stripe.

I didn't think it was bad (the same scheme looked excellent on the solitary 158 that also carried it); it was certainly bright enough and very striking, but just looked a bit disjointed when broken up by the ribbon glazing and colour contrasting doors.

A shame that they aren't window stripes on more of today's stock.

I think that ribbon glazing has subsequently been found to lead to increased rates of corrosion in the corners of the window frames, and hence is no longer as popular as it was around the turn of the millennium.

 

[backontrack]

I see.

I'm surprised that the 158 livery is proving as popular as it is. I like the 158s fully in burgundy, but I'm not a fan of the tacky vinyl stripe below the windows. Something like this would have been much better - in gold and burgundy only.

 

[DarloRich]

where is the "not bothered it is only paint" option............

I quite like the new one, at least at the front end, but i don't really mind.

 

[Blamethrower]

where is the "not bothered it is only paint" option............

Is that your response when decorating rooms or choosing cars?

I wanted the option "They're all absolutely effing hideous and anyone promoting this as livery should be shot"

They got rid of the yellow ends and this is what they did with the rest of the train?

Awful, almost as awful as Virgins Mazuma mobile.com or whatever it is.

Pet peeve of mine, just stop making it all so busy. Choose 2 colours that contrast, add a black or a white and you're there.

ROSCOS clearly have deals with over-elaborate vinyl makers

 

[Bletchleyite]

I see.

I'm surprised that the 158 livery is proving as popular as it is. I like the 158s fully in burgundy, but I'm not a fan of the tacky vinyl stripe below the windows. Something like this would have been much better - in gold and burgundy only.

The original gold and burgundy TPE livery was quite nice. I suppose you could have done burgundy with gold doors.

 

[DarloRich]

Is that your response when decorating rooms or choosing cars?

I wanted the option "They're all absolutely effing hideous and anyone promoting this as livery should be shot"

They got rid of the yellow ends and this is what they did with the rest of the train?

Awful, almost as awful as Virgins Mazuma mobile.com or whatever it is.

Pet peeve of mine, just stop making it all so busy. Choose 2 colours that contrast, add a black or a white and you're there.

ROSCOS clearly have deals with over-elaborate vinyl makers

I don't own a car I do worry about painting my house but the difference is i control that descion. Here i am expressing an opinion that counts for nothing.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think that ribbon glazing has subsequently been found to lead to increased rates of corrosion in the corners of the window frames, and hence is no longer as popular as it was around the turn of the millennium.

You can of course get the same effect by adding a painted/vinyled charcoal window surround. The effect works quite well on the VTWC livery despite this being now 15 years old.

 

[sprinterguy]

I'm surprised that the 158 livery is proving as popular as it is. I like the 158s fully in burgundy, but I'm not a fan of the tacky vinyl stripe below the windows.

Aye, the First Group blue vinyls summarily trashed what had previously been, IMO, quite a classy livery. The adhesive they used also seemed to do a very good job of eating away at the varnish or paint finish by the time that they were peeled off when the units were sent to Central Trains, which looked a total mess (especially when white Central Trains 'Big C' vinyls were then slapped on the cab ends!).

 

[physics34]

would be better if the door colour didnt have to be DDA compliant and was part of the flow of the livery.

Those who know me on here wont be surprised at that... and once again i have to disclaim that no offence is intended!!!!

Not sure i rate the Northern SPirit - Transpennine BUrgundy and Gold livery that highly. I like simple colours and neat stripes. The "N" was ok though.

First colours were ok but just a bit over the top.

 

[backontrack]

where is the "not bothered it is only paint" option............

It's called not voting.

The original gold and burgundy TPE livery was quite nice. I suppose you could have done burgundy with gold doors.

Yeah, that could work really well.

I wanted the option "They're all absolutely effing hideous and anyone promoting this as livery should be shot"

Meh, I didn't like the Central Trains livery at all but that didn't drive me to homicide.

 

[3141]

I think liveries should follow the shape of what they're applied to, and there should be only a small number of colours.

The new TPE livery has lines slanting around in an unco-ordinated manner and crossing over the windows. It's a mess.

The so-called dynamic lines livery would be better without the wavy bits at the ends, but where the lines are more or less straight it produces a well-balanced appearance.

The problem is that transport managers get the idea that some kind of flashy livery is what people expect and think they have to provide them. They're aided and abetted in this by companies that design liveries. I'd have them all required to wear clothing to the same design as their livery at all times. That should make them stop and think!

 

[ainsworth74]

This site doesn't like bitly for some reason.

Its an anti-spam measure. Malicious spammers can hide dodgy links behind bitly links so they're blocked.

 

[NSE]

Personally it looks awful. I always quite liked the neon dynamic lines first variant. Not the one on FCC, the really swirly neon stuff, like FTPE had before.

 

[LLivery]

The new is very nice in my opinion. I've just noticed - is there no "operated by First Group" anywhere on them?

 

[Doctor Fegg]

My general opinion on First Group liveries is that each new style makes the one that went before seem better by comparison.

Oh, no. FirstGroup's very first corporate livery, FGW "fag packet", was quite the worst post-privatisation livery of any stripe, with its 1992-era gradient fills and, well, the general appearance of a fag packet. That it replaced the lovely, understated Merlin livery was even worse.

 

[Helvellyn]

Why not this retro livery, perhaps with yellow doors for the contrast (doesn't look as bad as that might sound - look at the refurbished SWT 159s).

 

[me123]

I think the original 185 livery worked really well and was my favourite, although I will say that the new livery is definitely striking, and I do very much like it.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The new is very nice in my opinion. I've just noticed - is there no "operated by First Group" anywhere on them?

Saw 185123 at Dewsbury the other day and noticed that "Operated by First(logo)" had been added in the centre of each car below the windows.

 

[samuelmorris]

I think the new livery looks far better on the concept art of the 802s than it does on the 185s, but that may partly be due to the fact that the livery doesn't work so well with the yellow front panel. I don't mind any of the TPE liveries really, they are a bit over-complex, I thought the 350/4 livery was absurd at first but it grew on me. To someone who most often uses rolling stock that's plain white with single coloured doors (e.g. C2C, AGA, GTR) it's refreshing to see a more 'interesting' livery.

 

[Blamethrower]

It's called not voting.



Yeah, that could work really well.



Meh, I didn't like the Central Trains livery at all but that didn't drive me to homicide.

Perhaps not homicide but someone needs to bang their heads together when they come up with ****e like that.

Like why did Virgin put a smile on the front of the pendos? Then you check the interior and it is clearly made for 4 year olds.

With that in mind, are liveries designed to make 4 yr old kids love trains? Or are they signed off by managers who think that their kids will like it? Or are these bosses lacking so much in aesthetic discernment that they will literally smear any ol **** over the trains.

There is genuinely not 1 livery that I like in the UK. Perhaps why we as brits are always struggling to find identity: trying to please the entire world rather than what makes passengers happy

 

[CosherB]

There is genuinely not 1 livery that I like in the UK. Perhaps why we as brits are always struggling to find identity: trying to please the entire world rather than what makes passengers happy

Not even one?! Maybe you should have a go at designing one yourself!

 

[rebmcr]

New livery might just be my favourte livery on anything. I'd love to see a HST mockup.