RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted September 7, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 7, 2017 The five car's being the 377/6 and pantograph fitted 377/7 variants, easily distinguishable from their earlier brethren by the gasket windows. The Overground 378's have not made to Cat & Tat yet. Maybe one day though.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenman Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 ... - "UK transport secretary ‘absolutely certain’ Class 707s have a future" ... Very strange. The SoS states that: "... a more harmonised fleet of trains ... improves efficiency, improves ways of working" Yet in the next breath he states that some other TOC will take the 707s - and thereby presumably introduce a less harmonised fleet, which will therefore reduce efficiency and make ways of working worse. What a funny old world this political double-speak reveals. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dunsignalling Posted September 8, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 8, 2017 Very strange. The SoS states that: "... a more harmonised fleet of trains ... improves efficiency, improves ways of working" Yet in the next breath he states that some other TOC will take the 707s - and thereby presumably introduce a less harmonised fleet, which will therefore reduce efficiency and make ways of working worse. What a funny old world this political double-speak reveals. Paul Bear in mind that the politician will only be parroting what he has been briefed. Very few of them have much real understanding of what they are "responsible" for. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 4630 Posted September 8, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 8, 2017 Bear in mind that the politician will only be parroting what he has been briefed. Very few of them have much real understanding of what they are "responsible" for. John Very true, but it's still good fun to pick holes in the verbal and written diarrhoea that comes from the DaFT and the SoS. 'Improves efficiency...improves ways of working' are both open to scrutiny and challenge too, which unfortunately our mainstream media miss - not that I'm that surprised, if I'm honest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zomboid Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Of course the 707s have a future. Possibly as bean cans and razorblades, though that would be a colossal waste. I actually wouldn't be totally shocked if they wound up staying with SWR. With an interior refit (including a toilet) they would offer an alternative to the 442s on the Portsmouth line. And much as we love the 442s, this can only really be a relatively brief swansong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenman Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 ... And much as we love the 442s, this can only really be a relatively brief swansong. Yes, for some unfathomable reason I also feel all warm about the 442s - even though they were mostly cobbled together from 2nd hand bits. I lived in Southampton in the 80s, and they utterly transformed the quality of the run to London. I'm glad they have lasted as long as they have, and will now apparently get a bit longer too. Though the current Express livery is very undignified compared to their rather lovely NSE express colours (them and the 159s were pretty much the only visual manifestation of NSE that I liked, and, unlike most, I think the SWT livery did the 442s no favours at all). Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 (edited) Chris Greens NSE livery and red lamp posts were the most hideous thing to hit British Railways, and that's saying something considering the liveries we have seen since. The new South Western Railway livery is a breath of fresh air. I wish our's were as regal in appearance, but we have not a had a decent livery down here since the demise of Regional Railways and 'Daisy', the green DMU. Edited September 8, 2017 by coachmann Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PenrithBeacon Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Like it! The old livery, like all Stagecoach liveries was brash and vulgar. Nice to see a restrained but distinctive colour scheme . Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim.snowdon Posted September 8, 2017 Share Posted September 8, 2017 Chris Greens NSE livery and red lamp posts were the most hideous thing to hit British Railways, and that's saying something considering the liveries we have seen since. The new South Western Railway livery is a breath of fresh air. I wish our's were as regal in appearance, but we have not a had a decent livery down here since the demise of Regional Railways and 'Daisy', the green DMU. Quite possibly, but Chris Green wanted to make a very definite "we are here" statement when NSE was created. It was meant to to stand out and at the same time tell you that NSE wasn't just BR Southern Region, with bits of Eastern Region, Western Region and London Midland thrown in; it was a unified body, as against what was there before, which was bits of four regions that each had their own rules as far as the passenger was concerned. The ghost of NSE lives on in ticketing terms, but the passenger is now faced with glorous confusion when it comes to the umpteen different train operators. It's another one of those "it could only happen in Britain" things. Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted September 8, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 8, 2017 The 442’s are a good example of something being more than the sum of its parts. The idea of salvaging already well used electrical bits from old stock and marrying them with a body shell derived from an already quite old (at the time) coach design wouldn’t normally be met with great acclamation yet the result was a very fine train. They probably remain the finest looking EMUs (or MUs in general) on the network in my opinion. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted September 8, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 8, 2017 Having travelled from Waterloo to Southampton and back today in 444s, which are perfectly competent main line units, I would dearly love to enjoy the comforts of a 442 and those EE traction motors once more. I made a few journeys on the extended Gatwick Express Brighton runs and they occasionally turned up on the "non-stop" (i.e. the Southern runs which used to stop only at Clapham Junction and East Croydon) turns before being confined to Gatwicks. Very comfortable they were too. And back in those days there was something very civilised about boarding, settling into a comfortable seat and being served wine and nibbles as you travelled home. Not quite the Brighton Belle but nicknamed Plastic Pigs perhaps the Bacon Belle. I look forward to sampling these units once more doing what they were built for namely conveying longer-distance passengers and the challenges of the Portsmouth Direct will mean they work hard for their living. I dare say some will escape to Bournemouth in service as part of the cleaning and maintenance cycle. Perhaps this is the real reason behind SWR pressing ahead with a Portsmouth - Weymouth service. Of interest I also noted that Wimbledon depot has been re-signed with the SWR version having a bar of pale yellow-green along the top. New staff name badges have the same. This is approximately the same colour as applied to the front end of 444040 but, to my eye, a little greener. It relieves the grey reasonably well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted September 8, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 8, 2017 Have any stations received new signage yet? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted September 8, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 8, 2017 Posters, timetables, brochures and small staff items such as lanyards and badges - yes. Signage and repaints - none reported. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 73235, the Class 73 that was in SWT livery at BM Depot, is in plain blue now. I'l see if I can dig out a picture..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 Here you go..... 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium brushman47544 Posted September 25, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 25, 2017 Here you go..... P1070881.JPG Blue and yellow... now wouldn't that make for a nostalgic TOC livery... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernman46 Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 There is now a 2nd unit in SWR "Raincloud" livery - a 2-car 158 - haven't managed to crib the number yet ............ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted October 18, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2017 158887 has been out for a while now. But it has not gone unnoticed that no more have appeared since the launch. Perhaps they are making some changes in the light of experience Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kazmierczak Posted October 18, 2017 Author Share Posted October 18, 2017 Malachite green would be nice, with "sunshine" lettering. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRman Posted October 18, 2017 Share Posted October 18, 2017 In the latest (October 2017) Model Rail magazine, there is an article on train watching; heading the article is a photo taken at Waterloo, with all the multi-coloured South West Trains livery variations on EMUs brightening the picture quite a lot. It occurred to me just how drab that same picture would look with all trains in the South Western Railway black and grey livery. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
royaloak Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 158887 has been out for a while now. But it has not gone unnoticed that no more have appeared since the launch. Perhaps they are making some changes in the light of experience No others have come back from C6 overhaul (I think its C6 anyway). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted October 19, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 19, 2017 No others have come back from C6 overhaul (I think its C6 anyway). Yep they are going off one at a time so it's several weeks between them getting done. Only 4 more 158's to go then the 159's go next I'm told. It will be a while before the ones already done get the vinyls by the look of it 887 only went into traffic last week as they get a few days shakedown in the depot and then it was used as a test unit for some trials of new equipment so was only out at night for a bit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted October 19, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 19, 2017 There is now a 2nd unit in SWR "Raincloud" livery - a 2-car 158 - haven't managed to crib the number yet ............ I posted these in the other thread back on the 5th Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Legend Posted October 19, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 19, 2017 Had the grey been green, in traditional Southern style , that livery may have worked. But I'm afraid with Grey it's just too drab. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted October 19, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 19, 2017 Had the grey been green, in traditional Southern style , that livery may have worked. But I'm afraid with Grey it's just too drab. It's uncommon to find a livery which looks better at night but this is one. Under lighting it actually looks quite refined but in daylight it is dull and uninspiring and the subtle stripes don't show up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.JPG.dbf3c44f17895636b3e9ae1d390a60ea.JPG)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now