the “Heart Line of Britain Route”?

[18B]

Hi,

 

When HSTs were introduced to the North-East South-West route on May 17^th 1982 there's a reference to "The Heart Line of Britain Route", never heard of it called that before? would anyone happen to know what the actual service was that they were introduced to?  

[Welly]

I think that was actually Inter City Cross Country.

[HillsideDepot]

I've got a vague memory that the route map was used as part of a heart on publicity. With a bit of geographical manipulation, Glasgow to Edinburgh was the top curve of the heart then east coast, Yorkshire, Midlands and the far south west makes a nice long curve of the heart shape. But I can't recall how they did the mirror image left/west side of the heart. 

[wombatofludham]

There is a picture somewhere of a Cross Country HST running past Bromsgrove with a "Heart Line" sticker on thr front of the cab.  However, I don't recall it being retained as a branding or marketing exercise for very long.  I used the NE-SW HSTs a few times around their introduction on the route and don't recall the term having any use at the time.

 

(edit) Just found this photo on Flickr from John Turner of a NE-SW HST with Heart Line cranding near Dawlish

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/31363531064/

[DavidB]

There is a picture somewhere of a Cross Country HST running past Bromsgrove with a "Heart Line" sticker on thr front of the cab.  However, I don't recall it being retained as a branding or marketing exercise for very long.  I used the NE-SW HSTs a few times around their introduction on the route and don't recall the term having any use at the time.

 

(edit) Just found this photo on Flickr from John Turner of a NE-SW HST with Heart Line cranding near Dawlish

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/31363531064/

The photo of the HST at Bromsgrove is in "West Midlands Rails in the 1980s" by John Glover. The caption says "A 'Heart Line' HST passes the single platform of Bromsgrove station.......on 4 June 1982 the unit was decorated with a large red heart below the windscreen". The heart sticker is about half the width of the cab, with the top just below the rain strip under the windscreen and the bottom largely obscuring the horn grill. There is also a photo in Janes Railway Year for 1982 showing 43190 passing Bishopsteignton with the same Heart-Line branding above the windscreen as is shown in John Turner's photo.

 

David

[Butler Henderson]

There was a craze in the 1980s of route naming - remember the PA at Birmingham New Street going full on with them; Cross City Line (pretty obvious that one), Walsall Link/Line (forget which but talk about stating the obvious and to make it obvious it was plainly stated as being to Walsall just in case it was wasn't obvious)  Midlands Link (as far as Cleethorpes if you were really unlucky) and, possibly one could have fallen fall of the trade descriptions act, Express Link (to Worcester and Hereford).

Edited December 2, 2018 by Butler Henderson

[TheSignalEngineer]

There was a craze in the 1980s of route naming - remember the PA at Birmingham New Street going full on with them; Cross City Line (pretty obvious that one), Walsall Link/Line (forget which but talk about stating the obvious and to make it obvious it was plainly stated as being to Walsall just in case it was wasn't obvious)  Midlands Link (as far as Cleethorpes if you were really unlucky) and, possibly one could have fallen fall of the trade descriptions act, Express Link (to Worcester and Hereford).

In Sectorisation we referred to RR Central or whatever it was as the 'Barmouth and Yarmouth Railway'

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

43189. Sheffield. 29.5.82.

 

Not many HST's were so branded, only ever saw this one FWIR, the launch was mainly via those fold up leaflets that BR seemed to do, and the stickers soon peeled off.

It wouldn't surprise me if only one set was branded.

Edited to add.

I see from Johns caption it was only one set, his pic has lost the heart!

 

Mike.

Edited December 2, 2018 by Enterprisingwestern

[108]

I've seen some cheap rebrandings but that takes the biscuit.

 

Edited to fix spull shucker.

Edited December 2, 2018 by 108

[TheSignalEngineer]

Some details at the bottom of this page including the map from the leaflet

 

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/latest-input--news--old-pictures-etc/category/all/38

 

And the full (almost) logo here https://flic.kr/p/fAopKA

[Talltim]

In palmistry the heart line is one of those that runs across the hand, I wonder if that was part of the idea of the name?

[wombatofludham]

The photo of the HST at Bromsgrove is in "West Midlands Rails in the 1980s" by John Glover. The caption says "A 'Heart Line' HST passes the single platform of Bromsgrove station.......on 4 June 1982 the unit was decorated with a large red heart below the windscreen". The heart sticker is about half the width of the cab, with the top just below the rain strip under the windscreen and the bottom largely obscuring the horn grill. There is also a photo in Janes Railway Year for 1982 showing 43190 passing Bishopsteignton with the same Heart-Line branding above the windscreen as is shown in John Turner's photo.

 

David

 

That's where I have seen it!

 

To be honest, given the Inter City brand was so well known and the NE-SW route is probably at greater risk of getting delayed because of the number of major stations and junctions it has to get through, I can't help thinking "The Heart Line" wasn't the best idea for a promotion.  After all, any disruption would give the tabloid headline writers of the local press a field day with all sorts of possibilities to do with broken hearts, heart attacks, heart-burn, needing a transplant, etc.

 

In the same "vein", would a fleet of Pacers on the Heart-Line have been Heart Pacer-makers?

[brack]

To be honest, when looking at the poster the slogan that stood out as being problematic was "this is the age of the train".

 

Regrettably some things weren't known at the time.

[wombatofludham]

Actually, leaving aside the ad men's choice of disgraceful front man for the campaign, the slogan "this is the age of the train" was a bit of an own goal, as in "this is the age of the train" " Yes, 40 years old next birthday" or the slightly less pithy version used to describe the regular SAGA holiday charters popular in the 80's "This is the Train of the Aged".