What livery should SWR use going forward?

[pigs bay]

Yes, I like SWR Grey more than Blue on the 450s without a doubt, but I do rather like the 444s in White, even if they are filthy.

In reply to this thread, I would like to see the BR blue/grey livery brought back with just an endorsement on the side of the company that is operating the trains

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

In reply to this thread, I would like to see the BR blue/grey livery brought back with just an endorsement on the side of the company that is operating the trains

Well if your wishes come true and the DfT reinstate a nasty dated livery from the 80s, I’m sure an update will be provided in the Great British Railways thread as soon as it happens.

 

[Lockwood]

I'd say a nice bolder blue, with a red and white stripe would be good.
You could put a logo on the side and an operator name. "Solent and Wessex", "Sussex Coast", that kind of thing.

 

[Doomotron]

I'd say a nice bolder blue, with a red and white stripe would be good.

The GB News express.

 

[XAM2175]

I have to confess that the Stagecoach-era three-fleets liveries have really grown on me - and I say that as a great fan of many nasty dated '80s liveries.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

I have to confess that the Stagecoach-era three-fleets liveries have really grown on me - and I say that as a great fan of many nasty dated '80s liveries.

Agree with this, the current SWR livery saddens me as it is so dreary compared to the SWT/EMT version.

I would love to see the former Stagecoach livery become the permanent livery for SWR with the dreary grey ditched in favour of it, a bit like the old "FirstGroup Barbie pink-royal blue" has been adapted and became Hull Trains' own.

But the SWR livery may just do fine for now with no need for changing as GBR is in the horizon, well, if it is?

It would be great if GBR takes inspiration from the Stagecoach livery with the Union flag - it could look like a mix of Aquafresh toothpaste & Network South East minus the Stagecoach orange! The 3 coloured coded Stagecoach system could be adopted by GBR like white for intercity etc.

 

[Mikey C]

SWT blue was a great livery, so much cheerier on a dull winter's day that the dull shade SWR use...

 

[PTR 444]

It would be great if GBR takes inspiration from the Stagecoach livery with the Union flag - it could look like a mix of Aquafresh toothpaste & Network South East minus the Stagecoach orange! The 3 coloured coded Stagecoach system could be adopted by GBR like white for intercity etc.

I’ve had a similar idea in mind for some time. It would be fitting with the GB theme to have all trains on the National network painted either in red, white or blue. Coincidentally the same as how SWT organised their liveries for different service types.

When I have time I might do some mock-ups of these in Photoshop.

 

[nw1]

Well if your wishes come true and the DfT reinstate a nasty dated livery from the 80s, I’m sure an update will be provided in the Great British Railways thread as soon as it happens.

Not nasty or dated for those of us around then!

And to be fair it was introduced in the 60s, so it was already well-bedded-in by the early 80s. I guess the 70s was the archetypal decade for blue-and-grey, though as I didn't use the railways then, my memories of it are indeed from the 80s.

But echoing other comments:

NSE was an actual 80s livery and that is rather nice, I think it's a shame that didn't last longer. Also liked the "orange" variant for slam-door-era SWT.

And also, with the newer SWT livery, I always liked the differing liveries for express and slower stock. It was always good to see the 444s and 450s in different liveries - it gave the railway more character and brought through the "express" nature of the 444s far more than the SWR livery.

Didn't like privatisation at the time, but now I'm getting nostalgic for the days of SWT.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I think the current SWR livery is something SWT liveries never were - smart and formal. Okay, so I did like the white express livery, but the blue and red ones look so gaudy and informal. I much prefer the painted 450s.

 

[XAM2175]

SWT blue was a great livery, so much cheerier on a dull winter's day that the dull shade SWR use...

Yes, the blue in particular really grew on me.

NSE was an actual 80s livery and that is rather nice, I think it's a shame that didn't last longer. Also liked the "orange" variant for slam-door-era SWT.

I preferred the earlier variants that had dark grey fairings, I have to say. The later versions with the all-white base, such as the Networkers got, were just a tiny bit too toothpaste for my taste. And difficult to use today either way, as such a strongly horizontal pattern really clashes with the contrasting-doors requirement.

I think the current SWR livery is something SWT liveries never were - smart and formal. Okay, so I did like the white express livery, but the blue and red ones look so gaudy and informal. I much prefer the painted 450s.

The new livery is harmed greatly by our favourite old FirstGroup attitude to plastering the logo all over any blank space they can find, I'm afraid. The treatment of the guard's compartment on the 442s was especially egregious:

(via Wikimedia Commons)

They've done the same to the PRM lavs on the Desiros, haven't they? It's ridiculously gauche.

 

[dorsetdesiro]

I agree about FirstGroup's overbranding of the SWR fleet with many "#SWR" monograms but strangely GWR seems less over the top with the GWR monograms displayed only at the ends. Stagecoach had it right with only simple "SOUTH WEST TRAINS", same with "EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS" and nothing else.

Anyone know if the 458s do have any large blank spaces which unfortunately could be plagued with more of these "#SWR" monograms?

 

[Towers]

I think SWR's "over-logoing" problem is exacerbated by the logo itself looking a bit fussy and untidy. A logo arranged horizontally along a single line is always going to look smarter, IMHO. The livery has, I must say, grown on me considerably. I'm a big fan of the SWT liveries and was sad to see them go, but I've come to find the SWR replacement equally as palatable.

 

[jackot]

I agree about FirstGroup's overbranding of the SWR fleet with many "#SWR" monograms but strangely GWR seems less over the top with the GWR monograms displayed only at the ends. Stagecoach had it right with only simple "SOUTH WEST TRAINS", same with "EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS" and nothing else.

Anyone know if the 458s do have any large blank spaces which unfortunately could be plagued with more of these "#SWR" monograms?

Even if it doesn’t look like there is much space, I’m sure they will find a way to obnoxiously plaster the train in SWR branding for no particular reason

 

[gmaguire]

I like SWT red. I think the 707s look great in it, and it hides the less attractive parts of the front of the 455.

The SWR livery is more modern looking, yet is also a bit of a throwback to BR blue and grey. I agree that it is more smart and formal than SWT blue / red, but I also think it’s just a bit stiff looking. It reminds me that I’m going to work.

My favourite livery is NSE, and perhaps the networker variant is a bit too toothpaste, but the networkers have never looked better than they did in that.

 

[boiledbeans2]

From a trainspotting perspective, the current SWR livery makes it harder to tell apart the 444s and 450s. I have to look carefully at the door and window configurations.

In contrast, with the SWT livery, it was very easy to spot a 444+450 9-car configuration from a distance.

 

[SeanG]

Given the state of the railway's finances, shouldn't they just be left and then repainted when required (eg when the paint is life expired)? There is no point painting something to please spotters when the cash is needed elsewhere.

 

[43096]

Given the state of the railway's finances, shouldn't they just be left and then repainted when required (eg when the paint is life expired)? There is no point painting something to please spotters when the cash is needed elsewhere.

They are being painted currently because they need to be. It’s the first time these trains have been repainted since they were built in 2003-6.

 

[Irascible]

Eugh, just say no to blue/grey, it was miserable enough the first time round.

Just use some shade of green for SWR, they can blend in with GWR & look like a properly integrated railway.

 

[Towers]

Eugh, just say no to blue/grey, it was miserable enough the first time round.

Just use some shade of green for SWR, they can blend in with GWR & look like a properly integrated railway.

Have to say I prefer SWR to GWR, so far anyway; that might change when they stop looking freshly painted! But given the grey base colour, I think it's wearing very well so far. Dark green has a habit of looking rather drab once the shine goes.

 

[Irascible]

Have to say I prefer SWR to GWR, so far anyway; that might change when they stop looking freshly painted! But given the grey base colour, I think it's wearing very well so far. Dark green has a habit of looking rather drab once the shine goes.

Grey is fantastic at showing dirt & grime! one reason it's used for undercoats is because of how well it shows imperfections...

Green is rather drab ( which is why it's used for camoflage ) but at least it's a) got some colour, and b) doesn't really look that different dirty.

And, well, I was being partially flippant as usual but there is a point about the grey.

 

[43096]

Green is rather drab ( which is why it's used for camoflage ) but at least it's a) got some colour, and b) doesn't really look that different dirty.

It depends on the shade of green! You'd never describe the shade used by Switzerland's BLS as drab, for example: https://flickr.com/photos/sbb-bahnb...kFD9ke-LRWknZ-2m8Natf-2nnUxL5-2mqCk7E-2m99CEq

 

[miklcct]

I’ve had a similar idea in mind for some time. It would be fitting with the GB theme to have all trains on the National network painted either in red, white or blue. Coincidentally the same as how SWT organised their liveries for different service types.

When I have time I might do some mock-ups of these in Photoshop.

From a trainspotting perspective, the current SWR livery makes it harder to tell apart the 444s and 450s. I have to look carefully at the door and window configurations.

In contrast, with the SWT livery, it was very easy to spot a 444+450 9-car configuration from a distance.

I really hope that the old SWT colours can form the basis in the future national network:

White = intercity
Blue = regional
Red = suburban

In this configuration, it is much harder to accidentally board the wrong train, and it can also bring back the sector-based classification system as well.

Each operator can have variations on the livery but the intercity trains have to be predominately white, regional trains blue, and suburban trains red. In this case SWR can stop repainting their trains.

 

[JohnElliott]

If malachite was good enough for Walker and Bulleid...

 

[Irascible]

It depends on the shade of green! You'd never describe the shade used by Switzerland's BLS as drab, for example: https://flickr.com/photos/sbb-bahnb...kFD9ke-LRWknZ-2m8Natf-2nnUxL5-2mqCk7E-2m99CEq

There's a paint you really don't want to let get dirty! I don't think we've ever had a livery here in an all-over shade that bright? ( ignoring the PRM issue which...well, you could paint the doors *anything* & they'd stand out ) ... come to think of it has anyone done their *entire* fleet in a shade that vivid? Do the suburban fleet in that sort of shade & you'd never mistake them for something else! the old Central Trains livery was lime but nowhere near that saturated.

I quite liked the Stagecoach inter-city livery, although it was a little fussy, I think they could have replaced some of the lines with patterns to break up areas. The red & blue ones were a bold idea I approve of but looked like something from a kids playground in execution. Whatever they do needs some coliour in it so it doesn't look like a headache - I'd like a train to at least look somewhat welcoming when it turns up.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Bring back jaffa cake... just paint the doors fully orange to comply with the regulations. Simple!

 

[yorksrob]

They're not putting in another crappy, dirty looking grey/white livery surely ? Do they ever learn.

The blue one we were used to is ok, but really they ought to go back to toothpaste.