Which TOC has the best/smartest looking uniform?

[blackfrost]

Don't know if a similar thread has been started. I see myself as a man with a keen eye for fashion so I ask, which TOC do you think currently has the best looking uniform for their staff?

And which TOC has the worst uniform?

Personally, I think SWT staff have the best looking uniform, navy(?) does really work well and does look smart. From what I remember Northern Rail and TPE have pretty snazzy looking uniform too.

The worst I've seen so far was the old Southeastern uniform (pinstripe really?) and the current GWR uniform (sorry to any GWR staff on here)

Shallow I know but hey!

 

[bramling]

Don't know if a similar thread has been started. I see myself as a man with a keen eye for fashion so I ask, which TOC do you think currently has the best looking uniform for their staff?

And which TOC has the worst uniform?

Personally, I think SWT staff have the best looking uniform, navy(?) does really work well and does look smart. From what I remember Northern Rail and TPE have pretty snazzy looking uniform too.

The worst I've seen so far was the old Southeastern uniform (pinstripe really?) and the current GWR uniform (sorry to any GWR staff on here)

Shallow I know but hey!

London Underground has to be one of the worst at the moment. The actual colour scheme (dark blue and red) is ok, but it has been ruined by the designer trying to be 'clever' with excessive playful use of the roundel and lots of silly stripes and other features. I think the result is hideous and unprofessional. Also managers and station staff wearing polo shirts is ridiculous in my view.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Also managers and station staff wearing polo shirts is ridiculous in my view.

I disagree. You can look incredibly untidy in a suit (most politicians seem to manage it) and very tidy in a polo shirt, black trousers and shoes (indeed, much easier to look tidy that way). I see no issue at all with people doing practical jobs wearing the latter.

Regarding uniforms generally - anything that makes the member of staff stand out as staff while still looking respectable. First TOCs seem to like to do this using hi-vis which works but has a bit of a lorry-driver look about it. The old Virgin uniform with the bright-red jackets was probably the best one - looked tidy and professional but you could pick out a member of staff[1] on the platform straight away. I've heard more than one person comment on the usefulness of that.

[1] Or not a member of staff. The scene, platform 3 at Preston on a Friday afternoon around 3pm in about 2001 with a waiting London Virgin train, I randomly find that my sister is at the station and we stand next to the VT's door talking so I can keep an eye out for anyone nicking my stuff which I've already put on board. I'm wearing a blue shirt and blue tie (very close to the FNW uniform), she is wearing a bright red coat (very close to the VT uniform). Funnily enough we got asked loads of questions...

 

[Gemz91]

Not technically a TOC I know but Grand Central used to look pretty smart when I used them in the past, seem to be good quality uniforms not cheap rubbish.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not technically a TOC I know but Grand Central used to look pretty smart when I used them in the past, seem to be good quality uniforms not cheap rubbish.

That's actually another argument for polo shirts. An expensive, well-fitted polo shirt with formal trousers looks far better than a cheap, ill-fitting shirt, tie and polyester suit. If you go more minimalist, you can spend more on what you do get.

Actually, here's one I forgot - I really like the look of LM's new soft-shell jackets. Quite understated and modern, and the staff seem to like them as you see a lot of them being worn around the place (if staff really don't like a piece of uniform they will often seem to try to avoid it). For all LM is to all intents and purposes somewhere between a budget operation and a boring commuter railway, they do seem to be very good at the image thing.

 

[Railops]

There are some better than others but I haven't seen any that could be described as first rate.
Airline uniforms are far better.

 

[sd0733]

Actually, here's one I forgot - I really like the look of LM's new soft-shell jackets. Quite understated and modern, and the staff seem to like them as you see a lot of them being worn around the place (if staff really don't like a piece of uniform they will often seem to try to avoid it). For all LM is to all intents and purposes somewhere between a budget operation and a boring commuter railway, they do seem to be very good at the image thing.

To be honest our new LM one is actually really smart, loads of passengers comment on the new uniforms. Altough admittedly in 6 months time after a bit of wear they might look a bit less so! The soft-shell jackets are great and incredibly warm even for a nice 03:00 book on in the middle of winter. Even if they do make it look like we work in Asda with the green stripes!!

 

[Bletchleyite]

There are some better than others but I haven't seen any that could be described as first rate.
Airline uniforms are far better.

I don't know - most airline cabin crew uniforms look really silly and impractical to me.

 

[DarloRich]

Haven't London Midland just got new outfits?

 

[sd0733]

Haven't London Midland just got new outfits?

Yes all got new uniforms about 3 weeks ago. The awful green shirts and pin stripes are gone!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

....From what I remember Northern Rail....have pretty snazzy looking uniform too....

Not for much longer, new uniform late next year.

 

[Clansman]

Caledonian Sleeper - best by far.

 

[8J]

It's a tricky one for me. I quite like the current Northern uniform (one from serco/ned franchise) but I know that is being replaced next year with a totally different design. It is simple and the staff stand out, plus it blends in with the (old) company house style.

Virgin's new uniform is a bit too "airline" for me and I don't get why guards wear that grey shirt with the red collar and no tie. It looks pretty silly for me. So I'm unsure which is my favourite to be honest.

 

[AlterEgo]

Caledonian Sleeper - best by far.

Seconded!

 

[fowler9]

I don't know - most airline cabin crew uniforms look really silly and impractical to me.

Impractical how purely out of interest? My sister is cabin crew for Easyjet and most of the uniform is pretty practical and hardwearing.

 

[bramling]

I disagree. You can look incredibly untidy in a suit (most politicians seem to manage it) and very tidy in a polo shirt, black trousers and shoes (indeed, much easier to look tidy that way). I see no issue at all with people doing practical jobs wearing the latter.

We may have to agree to disagree on that as it's a matter for personal taste, however personally I find it is so, so wrong for desk managers to be booking on drivers whilst wearing a polo shirt.

On a more practical level, there is also an issue as it makes managers harder to identify. At any kind of incident the manager should be readily and quickly identifiable. Hats used to exist for this, but they've gone out of fashion in the last couple of decades -- even the die-hard hat wearers don't seem to bother any more!

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I agree with an above remark about SWT uniforms, they do look good. I liked the uniforms that some of the were wearing on the Chiltern Loco hauled trains, the grey V neck pullover with a shirt & tie looked smart too.

I liked the blue Vee neck Pullovers that the men wore when it was still BR too.

 

[KTHV]

Just got back from a long weekend in Oslo and used NSB a lot.

Uniforms there are pretty smart - always nice to see Conductors still wearing the old style cap.

 

[Bletchleyite]

We may have to agree to disagree on that as it's a matter for personal taste, however personally I find it is so, so wrong for desk managers to be booking on drivers whilst wearing a polo shirt.

Why? They are not customer-facing - who cares what they wear? Certainly no need for uniform.

DB drivers, for example, don't interact with passengers, so wear scruff most of the time - jeans and a T-shirt is normal.

On a more practical level, there is also an issue as it makes managers harder to identify. At any kind of incident the manager should be readily and quickly identifiable. Hats used to exist for this, but they've gone out of fashion in the last couple of decades -- even the die-hard hat wearers don't seem to bother any more!

Quite easily done with polo-shirt colours or MANAGER on the back. It isn't formal-looking, of course, but it does do the job.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Having said that, it seems staff often like formal uniforms. easyJet have returned to jacket-and-tie from this less formal one:-

which I think is a bit of a shame as I liked that look - but in the end it's them that have to wear it, not me

 

[wingsoveryorks]

FGW. Very smart colour I think. Wait until you see Northern's new clobber coming out next year. McDonald's workers will be drooling.

 

[swt class 450]

I personally like any uniform where staff wear hi viz jackets. It makes them easy to identify.

 

[Phil.]

I personally like any uniform where staff wear hi viz jackets. It makes them easy to identify.

But everyone wears high velocity jackets nowadays. When waiting on a platform with my bike I used to get bombarded with questions.

 

[alxndr]

I quite like GWRs new uniforms actually. Made a comment the other day actually that they certainly looked a lot smarter than AGAs, and it was quite hard to pick out who was staff there. Haven't seen most of the northern TOCs though.

 

[Envoy]

I personally like any uniform where staff wear hi viz jackets. It makes them easy to identify.

It makes customer facing staff look like workers who are on the tracks.

 

[Alteran Ancient]

It might just be me, but I quite like the new style Southeastern uniforms. The old pullover, shiry, tie and pinstripe trousers was really starting to look dated.

Blue polo shirts with a chequered collar, with a two tone blue softshell, plus a bright blue waterproof for when it gets especially wet. I think I've seen a shirt and tie substitution for the polo shirts as well. Certainly seems an improvement.

 

[Clip]

It makes customer facing staff look like workers who are on the tracks.

Cant say I remember seeing any in orange hi vis of late. Most now do a dual colour tabard to identify their staff and they look nowt like pway

 

[HowardGWR]

These look pretty cool.
https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?img...vPQAhXHD8AKHd0jCikQMwhAKBwwHA&iact=mrc&uact=8

 

[causton]

It might just be me, but I quite like the new style Southeastern uniforms. The old pullover, shiry, tie and pinstripe trousers was really starting to look dated.

Blue polo shirts with a chequered collar, with a two tone blue softshell, plus a bright blue waterproof for when it gets especially wet. I think I've seen a shirt and tie substitution for the polo shirts as well. Certainly seems an improvement.

I believe the polo shirts are for one group of staff, and the shirt and tie is for another group of staff... forgot the exact details.

Can't really fault LM's new uniform, a nicer colour of shirt that actually irons properly, a softshell jacket (similar to the SE one but black and green), trousers, two designs of tie... the only thing letting it down is the jumper is quite thin!

 

[Spankthemonkey]

Haven't London Midland just got new outfits?

A member of staff was telling me the understated nature of it is due to the forthcoming franchise change, apparently it will be easy to sew or iron on an Abellio branding when Govia lose the job!!!

 

[507021]

I think the Merseyrail uniforms are very smart, so I'd have to go with those.