Which NSE rolling stock never got the NSE livery?

[Richard Scott]

I'm pretty sure the Clactons had that seat moquette.

I agree, sure I've got a photo taken inside one (went through all my photos during lockdown) and 100% sure it has that moquette.

 

[Bringback309s]

You can tell that's a refurbished 302, though, because the head code panel is plated over. I've just done an image search for 302s, and can't find any photos of unrefurbished ones in NSE livery.

Yes thats right, infact 302's, 305's, 307's and 308's only received NSE livery if they were refurbished. Apart from the Ilford sandite unit - https://www.departmentals.com/photo/977601-1

I'm pretty sure the Clactons had that seat moquette.

Yes indeed, with the brown version in first class. Still on the seat cushions in The Station pub in Wivenhoe!

 

[JonathanH]

'Donkey Stripe' moquette is a new one for me, although I must have sat on it at some point. Has anyone a picture showing what it was like?

You still can sit on it. There are a number of coaches on preserved railways and at least one with West Coast Railways with this upholstory.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inside_West_Coast_Railways_Mk1_SO_4940.JPG

 

[Helvellyn]

It's interesting that the three versions of the 'Donkey Stripe' moquette (blue, brown and green) got produced and used but only one of three corresponding London & South Eastern liveries was every applied - the Express 'Jaffa Cake' livery. There was to be an outer suburban livery and an inner suburban livery. One was to be blue based and the other green. Had it been more widely adopted before Chris Green arrived and relaunched the sector as NSE (complete with the 'Toothpaste' livery) then people wouldn't have found it so strange that South West Trains had an Express, Outer Suburban and Inner Suburban livery.

 

[JonathanH]

It's interesting that the three versions of the 'Donkey Stripe' moquette (blue, brown and green) got produced and used but only one of three corresponding London & South Eastern liveries was every applied - the Express 'Jaffa Cake' livery. There was to be an outer suburban livery and an inner suburban livery. One was to be blue based and the other green. Had it been more widely adopted before Chris Green arrived and relaunched the sector as NSE (complete with the 'Toothpaste' livery) then people wouldn't have found it so strange that South West Trains had an Express, Outer Suburban and Inner Suburban livery.

In a similar vein, there was a different 'Blue Blaze' moquette for low backed seats (with purple flecks) from that used in high back seats (with light blue flecks).

 

[Cowley]

I’ve got one (possibly).
Did NSE have a couple of 56s on their books for a brief time in the 90s for infrastructure work?
Please tell me I’m not going mad...

 

[JonathanH]

I’ve got one (possibly).
Did NSE have a couple of 56s on their books for a brief time in the 90s for infrastructure work?
Please tell me I’m not going mad...

56031, 56036 and 56049 allocated to sector code NKJM ((Infrastructure - Meldon Quarry) at Stewarts Lane in the livery of the civil engineer according to the 1993 Platform 5 booklet following the OfQ reorganisation. Looks like there were some class 31s as well. None of the 31s or 56s got NSE livery.

 

[Swanny200]

https://heritagerailfabric.co.uk/ is a site I stumbled upon. some of the originals there including Donkey Stripe and Trojan, they must still make it for heritage stock but also nice if you want a headboard covering, occasional seat etc...

 

[Cowley]

56031, 56036 and 56049 allocated to sector code NKJM ((Infrastructure - Meldon Quarry) at Stewarts Lane in the livery of the civil engineer according to the 1993 Platform 5 booklet following the OfQ reorganisation. Looks like there were some class 31s as well. None of the 31s or 56s got NSE livery.

Thanks for that. I didn’t realise they had some 31s allocated either.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Thanks for the information about the 'Donkey Stripe'. However, I'm still puzzled: I can easily understand why liveries were called 'Toothpaste' and 'Jaffa Cake', but why 'Donkey'? I can't see the connection.

 

[Swanny200]

Donkey stripe was the interior moquette, toothpaste was the NSE exterior livery and Jaffa Cake was the black/grey/orange exterior livery, Jaffa Cake was the precursor to the NSE livery as far as I know, sort of like the South East Sector version of Intercity Express, the orange strip was supposed to be different colours for different suburban routes

EDIT: I just understood what you meant, it wasn't the only one that made no sense, Intercity had Dogger Red seats at the time too, they are red but why call it dogger red? unless on a colour chart that is the name it is called, maybe the orange is called Donkey on some colour chart somewhere

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Sep 2020 ==

@Dr_Paul according to the Torrington website where you can get some of the fabric:
Product naming:
In the past, these designs were usually identified by a rather prosaic Stores Catalogue number, although some were graced with “official” names. Unofficially, of course, those who worked with them called them whatever seemed most memorable at the time (usually based on the subject matter depicted on the fabric), so “nicknames” quickly became established, and gained wide currency within the railway industry. We have carried on this very practical tradition, and are using what we believe to be the best known historical name for each design.

 

[delt1c]

Of topic but a 303 was allocated to Clacton as a sandite unit and repainted in NSE colours. Surely must be the most unusual stock in NSE