Why was Silverlink (train operating company) called Silverlink?

[Djgr]

From what I recall, c2c was supposed to have no specific meaning. The concept was it could mean whatever anyone wanted it to mean. Coast to Capital was another, though it didn’t take long for someone to suggest “Chav into Chavette”.

Nice one. My time living in Essex completely confirmed the stereotyping!

 

[mmh]

But it was the eastern end of it. If you ignore the nonsense of "North Woolwich" which is across the river from the northern bit of Woolwich.

That is the historic name of the area though. Many of the current names that have been adopted around there are modern inventions, including ones latched onto by estate agents whitewashing their original names. Try asking to buy a flat in Millwall these days...

 

[Taunton]

If you ignore the nonsense of "North Woolwich" which is across the river from the northern bit of Woolwich.

It was completely correct. Curiously, the area around North Woolwich station and the north bank ferry was part of the borough of Woolwich, and part of Kent, completely detached, had been for hundreds of years. Hence the name. What is called an Exclave. It was only in the London boundary changes of 1965 that it was regularised and put into Newham borough.

 

[pdeaves]

Such "off the shelf" names are commonly pre-registered by accounting firms, they are often formed of two other unconnected words, as here, Silver and Link, run together. They often seen to register 26 at a time, starting from A through Z, and when you ask them for a random company name they say "Here, choose one of these", and have the papers ready to transfer it from them to you. Often if a company then comes to prominence the name gets changed to something meaningful, but not always. Look around and you can spot them. It saves all the timewasting hoo-hah of choosing a more meaningful name, applying for it, and a week later hearing back it's rejected because it's too similar to another, describes something other than what you are going to do, etc.

In the case of Silverlink Train Services, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03007935 suggests the company started as North London Railways (as BR set up) before changing its name. So, in this particular instance, I don't think it was an 'off the shelf company' name.

 

[AM9]

"Commitment to Customers" was what I saw some blustering fluff proclaim c2c stood for.

I've always thought that C2C represented 'City 'to' Coast' or something like that.

 

[bramling]

I've always thought that C2C represented 'City 'to' Coast' or something like that.

This sort of debate was exactly what the designers intended, as I recall.

Amazingly the whole concept seems to have been, or at least come to be regarded as, a massive success. Goodness knows how, as personally I find the brand dire.

Of course, how much of the success is down to a weird brand, versus how much is down to new trains running on a heavily modernised and virtually self-contained electric network, serving commuter towns, the city of London, a popular seaside daytrip destination, and a popular shopping centre, is a matter for debate!

 

[John Webb]

It was completely correct. Curiously, the area around North Woolwich station and the north bank ferry was part of the borough of Woolwich, and part of Kent, completely detached, had been for hundreds of years. Hence the name. What is called an Exclave. It was only in the London boundary changes of 1965 that it was regularised and put into Newham borough.

Thanks to Taunton for explaining the history of North Woolwich - saves me, as a former resident of Woolwich, having to do so! It being this 'exclave' was the main reason that the Metropolitan Board of Works (MBoW) was able to sent up the Free Ferry service across the river - they didn't have to ask permission of anyone on the North bank as it was part of Woolwich. But it was the LCC who formally opened the ferry in 1889, having superceded the MBoW two days beforehand.

 

[tbtc]

I'd always assumed it was an "off the shelf" thing (but with no evidence)

I suppose that the problem was that there was no logic name for it - it was essentially two half franchises cobbled together to make it worth bidding for - in the way that the Government were a bit haphazard in some of the early franchises (e.g. "WA" didn't have much to do with "GN", but we need to make TOCs big enough for companies to get a profit out of, so there were some "cut and shunt" franchises in the early years of privatisation)

Silverlink had some orbital routes in northern London plus some short and middle distance services out of Euston - there was no obvious umbrella that would have worked for all of them (given the way that people on here complain about a train with "East Midlands" on the side turning up at Liverpool) - so something a bit abstract probably made a lot of sense.

 

[Rescars]

Avanti isn't made up - it's Italian for "Forward" used in the sense of "advance" or "let's go!". Trenitalia partly operates Avanti West Coast.

Considering an alternative route into London from the north, "Forward" was the motto of the Great Central Railway.

 

[ashkeba]

From what I recall, c2c was supposed to have no specific meaning. The concept was it could mean whatever anyone wanted it to mean. Coast to Capital was another, though it didn’t take long for someone to suggest “Chav into Chavette”.

I heard a version with an even cruder word instead of Chavette. I am astonished anyone considered that meaningless brand a success. Only "one" was worse, because it was confusing in announcements.

 

[philthetube]

I think purple link would have made more sense.

 

[Helvellyn]

I suppose that the problem was that there was no logic name for it - it was essentially two half franchises cobbled together to make it worth bidding for - in the way that the Government were a bit haphazard in some of the early franchises (e.g. "WA" didn't have much to do with "GN", but we need to make TOCs big enough for companies to get a profit out of, so there were some "cut and shunt" franchises in the early years of privatisation)

Silverlink had some orbital routes in northern London plus some short and middle distance services out of Euston - there was no obvious umbrella that would have worked for all of them (given the way that people on here complain about a train with "East Midlands" on the side turning up at Liverpool) - so something a bit abstract probably made a lot of sense.

There was some logic to the make-up of the two franchises - Bletchley was the home to all the stock used by Silverlink in NSE days, just as Hornsey was home to all the stock used by WAGN.

Splitting the East Anglian routes from the old Regional Railways Central sub-sector and bolting it onto the InterCity Anglia sub-sector to create the Anglia franchise was probably more a hap-hazard creation, although even there the logic partly seems to have been driven by having one franchise responsible for Crown Point.

 

[306024]

The North London Line, part of Silverlink, has always caused the branding experts a problem. Here is a quote from Rail News back in October 1989 which I kept for amusement. Describing the implemention of a new ‘route vision’ this waffle appeared:

This Cinderella route has been lost in the averages of the Network for too long. By treating it as an individual route and giving it freedom to find its own path to the full achievement of the quality standards we have unlocked a powerful force for excellence.

Who writes this stuff?

And c2c will always be the LTS to the elder generation

 

[PG]

There was a major bus company a while back called Badgerline, which had the same origins.

Badgerline was the name adopted for the country area operations of the Bristol Omnibus Company prior to deregulation.

 

[JaJaWa]

A previous revision of the Wikipedia article states "The company's name was changed to Silverlink in September 1997.[3] The name is taken from the first of the LNER A4 steam locomotives (a member of which holds the world speed record for steam traction) which was called Silver Link.[4] Ironically, Silverlink trains operated on the route to the north of the old LMS, the LNER's greatest rival."

 

[Harvester]

I don't suppose the source of A4 Silver Link's name could be behind it at all? Or is that too far-fetched?

From the poem The Lay of the Last Ministrel by Sir Walter Scott:

"...The silver link, the silken tie,
Which heart to heart, and mind to mind,
In body and in soul can bind."

The first four A4s built were intended to work the “Silver Jubilee” express, and hence given names that included “Silver”. I always thought the name “Silver Link” was chosen to highlight the fast link established between Kings Cross and Newcastle with this train in 1935. However I could well be wrong!

 

[43096]

Interesting - was it really? I always thought it had a connection with the local wildlife.

Badgerline of course was one of the original constituents of FirstGroup, and coming full circle the brand name is used (by First) once again in its original area.

Shouldn’t that be “coming full f-in-circle”?

 

[richardcoughla]

When was the bit of the North London Line which went to Silvertown closed?
I thought the name was due to linking Silvertown with the rest of London

Stratford to North Woolwich along with Silvertown Station closed in 2006

 

[ashkeba]

A previous revision of the Wikipedia article states "The company's name was changed to Silverlink in September 1997.[3] The name is taken from the first of the LNER A4 steam locomotives (a member of which holds the world speed record for steam traction) which was called Silver Link.[4] Ironically, Silverlink trains operated on the route to the north of the old LMS, the LNER's greatest rival."

Claim removed from wikipedia as "not in cited webpage, more likely a coincidence" in December 2012.

 

[LUYMun]

In the case of Silverlink Train Services, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03007935 suggests the company started as North London Railways (as BR set up) before changing its name. So, in this particular instance, I don't think it was an 'off the shelf company' name.

Where there any instances of branding being incorporated with "North London Railways" prior to the adoption of Silverlink? Such as the name being stickered on trains (much similar with Network SouthCentral), or on some station signs?

 

[tomuk]

In the case of Silverlink Train Services, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03007935 suggests the company started as North London Railways (as BR set up) before changing its name. So, in this particular instance, I don't think it was an 'off the shelf company' name.

If you follow that link and look at the annual report there is mention of the name change from North London Railways to Silverlink, It was made after National Express tookover and it says that the NLR name didn't represent the actual area covered by services and also the aspirational nature of the companies future (or some such management claptrap).

 

[pdeaves]

Where there any instances of branding being incorporated with "North London Railways" prior to the adoption of Silverlink? Such as the name being stickered on trains (much similar with Network SouthCentral), or on some station signs?

I certainly remember leaflets, etc., with a North London Railways logo. Can't remember without checking about actual rolling stock.

 

[nw1]

That was a reverse idea, they did their logo of a badger etc after getting the name. Again, not unknown.

Never knew that, I always thought it was because Badgerline served (amongst other places) deeply-rural parts of Somerset and North West Wiltshire and chose a name with a 'rural' sound.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I recollect that the 321s were initially branded "Grand Union" "Northampton Line" in arcs above and below an impression of a handshake and flowers in the canal-boat decoration style and I think that this was replaced by 'North London Railway" - but I'm not sure about the latter. I only vaguely remember it, possibly not on 321s and I'm pretty sure there was no picture with it, though. It was quite hard to keep up with all the changes at that time.

To comment on the original question I thought it was poor marketing to only aim for second-best.

 

[Taunton]

Never knew that, I always thought it was because Badgerline served (amongst other places) deeply-rural parts of Somerset and North West Wiltshire and chose a name with a 'rural' sound.

Well, that might strike them, when presented by their accountant with a choice of Angelway, Badgerline, Coldgrove, Dragonleaf, etc.

Accountant I knew said they used to make them up in the pub in an impromptu brainstorming session after the second pint, to much hilarity.

Porterbrook is of course another one.

 

[Dr Hoo]

To comment on the original question I thought it was poor marketing to only aim for second-best.

Yeah; you'd never find a quality company - Rolls Royce, for example - using the word 'silver' if they were marketing an expensive car model like the Wraith, Dawn, Cloud, Shadow, Spirit and so on.

Oh. Hang on a minute...

 

[Doctor Fegg]

I certainly remember leaflets, etc., with a North London Railways logo. Can't remember without checking about actual rolling stock.

eBay is your friend: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw="north+london+railways"&_odkw=north+London+railways

 

[Rescars]

Yeah; you'd never find a quality company - Rolls Royce, for example - using the word 'silver' if they were marketing an expensive car model like the Wraith, Dawn, Cloud, Shadow, Spirit and so on.

Oh. Hang on a minute...

But the original Silver Ghost was (and is still) silver.

 

[43096]

Porterbrook is of course another one.

It isn't. Porterbrook was originally based in Sheffield before it moved to Derby and took its name from the Porter Brook river that runs through the area near the station.

Similarly Angel was named after the area of London where it was initially based and Eversholt took its name from Eversholt Street in London.

 

[Bertie the bus]

A "marketing" concept - "Silverwing" was one idea .....


Not many places called "Northern Spirit" either......

As per the logo. It's quite amusing they considered calling it Silverwing, chose Silverlink instead, but kept a silver wing as the logo.