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New Great Western Livery


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Just passed the 57 at OOC, does look rather smart with the logos. Very similar to the original GWT 47s. The new logo is quite nice, and I did like the Great Western Railway announcements at BRistol before I left.

 

Just think the coaches need a contrasting colour to the green, a nice Ivory top half of the coach ala GWT would be perfect....

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If you had a King, Castle or Star just painted in overall Brunswick Green, it'd look awful. The carefully applied lining, the black smokebox, the copper-cap chimney, the red bufferbeam - all these elements combined together to create the locos we know and (some of us) love.

 

 

I wonder what they'd look like with a yellow front............?

 

 

Cheers,

Mick

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Well I was completely unconvinced by the very dull 166, but the HST looked a treat rushing through Didcot this evening. Something to do with the shiny silver flash of the new cast logos and the long thin silver bodyside streak. I wasn't expecting to like it, but it looks really good at speed.

 

David

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Best picture I've seen of it yet. Thanks D1059.  However its still too dull for me . It needs some relief, I think one or two stripes would have livened it up a bit. If it looks dull in a good day , its going to be very non descript under the usual leaden skies and non existent in dark.  Also didn't GNER eventually have to take its cast logos off because of corrosion underneath? Don't we learn anything from history?

 

At least it'll give Hornby another livery for its HSTs

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Hello all,

 

I certainly don't dislike it, but I want to like it more.

 

To me it seems to lack imagination.  My favourite of the modern liveries, London Midland, has for me a great balance of colours which work well together and manages to be purposeful but very contemporary at the same time.

 

This livery feels like someone is trying to create a "retro" look.

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

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Hello all,

 

I certainly don't dislike it, but I want to like it more.

 

To me it seems to lack imagination.  My favourite of the modern liveries, London Midland, has for me a great balance of colours which work well together and manages to be purposeful but very contemporary at the same time.

 

This livery feels like someone is trying to create a "retro" look.

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

I think we have probably got used to what I once called 'fairground' liveries (that was when Chris Green went red, white & blue for NSE).  I've only seen the dmus in the new GWR livery, including one against the sun, and they looked pretty good - but then I also liked BR maroon when it replace b&c although I hated it on WR diesels, and I never liked BR blue.  Colour preference can be a very subjective thing and I'm the first to admit my taste (some will call it bias of course) but I do like the new GW green even if it is the 'wrong' shade.

 

But - like any livery - it will only work if it is kept clean.

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If its retro, I like it!  The big four companies sounded majestic, the pregroupings, even more so.  Everyone knew the colours, the names and where they served.  British Railways even, carried a note of grandeur considering the times when  it was introduced.  Then came Brit Rail, the beginning of the end.  Just about every company followed suit to be modern and with it!  Trains were something rail, air lines were air something; not much dignity in that!  Hopefully the tide has turned and a new era in trains and livery has begun.

 

Brian.

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It looks better than I thought it would when I saw the first images of the 166.  I agree with some of the comments above about lack of consistency, with some stripes going / some going \ and some going / \ 

 

What is it about FGW and bland power cars though?  From a fancy blue-based stripey livery, with plain blue power cars as if they'd forgotten to put the vinyls on, and a logo in a slightly odd position that always looks neither here nor there, ... to a plain green one with a logo that seems slightly oddly positioned, neither on the horizontal or vertical centre line (as far as I can tell from pictures) nor aligned to one end/side.  I presume its because that's where it would fit though, allowing for the bolts to pass through the bodyside at suitable places?  I can see it very quickly becoming stick-on letters though...

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It is genuinely growing on me... dynamic lines was a tough act to follow as it was, to my eye, one of the most successful of the modern corporate identities. I always thought one thing that worked well was the simple treatment of the then dark blue HST Power Cars, with the more exuberant design reserved for the carriages... in a way echoing older practices.

 

I'd be interested to learn what the big GWRs are made from. From recent experiences with chrome effect powder coating in my day job, all that shimmers in the sun is not necessarily metal?

 

The modern image layout I keep pondering might settle on FGW/GWR 'transition' period for a bit of variety.... recognising the fact that I like both......

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It looks better than I thought it would when I saw the first images of the 166.  I agree with some of the comments above about lack of consistency, with some stripes going / some going \ and some going / \ 

 

What is it about FGW and bland power cars though?  From a fancy blue-based stripey livery, with plain blue power cars as if they'd forgotten to put the vinyls on, and a logo in a slightly odd position that always looks neither here nor there, ... to a plain green one with a logo that seems slightly oddly positioned, neither on the horizontal or vertical centre line (as far as I can tell from pictures) nor aligned to one end/side.  I presume its because that's where it would fit though, allowing for the bolts to pass through the bodyside at suitable places?  I can see it very quickly becoming stick-on letters though...

The big disadvantage of stick-on letters is that when the livery changes no one will be able to sell them for - in all likelihood - considerably more than they paid for them brand new.  The 'metal' letters, whatever they have made of, will have a good souvenir resale value, in fact for all we know somebody might already be reserving a set!

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The big disadvantage of stick-on letters is that when the livery changes no one will be able to sell them for - in all likelihood - considerably more than they paid for them brand new.  The 'metal' letters, whatever they have made of, will have a good souvenir resale value, in fact for all we know somebody might already be reserving a set!

If they come off in one piece! When there was a fashion for removing VW badges from cars without the owner's permission, someone tried it on my Opel, but they gave up when they realised it was just a bit of flimsy shaped metal that was about to break!

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Saw this one from one of my contacts on Flickr - looks nice in the sunshine

 

21437917049_4d43bd606f_b.jpgGWR 43188 at Old Sodbury 22nd Sept 15' by LusitaniaD225, on Flickr

 

That looks beautiful! I for one love this livery and I hope Dapol do this in N gauge.....

 

Loving the fact that many are going back to retro themed liveries. GWR trying this out, Qantas, Lufthansa, PIA, Air France. etc. having either one or two of their aircrafts appear in retro liveries. Pretty cool I must say.

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Hi Rusty,

 

I think the retro airliner liveries look great too, but these are one or two vehicles in the fleet selected to reflect the airline's heritage and history.

 

If the new GWR had an exciting contemporary livery but had outshopped one HST set, or perhaps more appropriately maybe a 57 and Mk3 sleeper set, in lined green/chocolate and cream that would've been great. Virgin did it a few years ago recreating the original XP64 livery on a Class 47 among others.

 

But this is a company choosing as its core image a brand that seems to state "modern life is rubbish" (with apologies to Blur!)

 

Having looked again at the livery, and as I said before tried to find things I like about it, I like the shade of green but as others have pointed out it needs something to relieve the full depth colour on the bodysides. The fine grey stripes don't stand out enough, and are broken by the lettering.

 

I also think the lettering looks somehow unfinished - like a student has been playing with font sizes but hasn't properly balanced up the finished logo. I think it needs something to tie the lettering together - perhaps an outline, or some other graphic device.

 

Perhaps a nod to the Merlin livery (was it called that?) with a simple lower bodyside stripe in buff or cream, would go a long way to improving things.

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

Edited by Ben A
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Am I right in thinking the locos / power cars repainted so far are all unnamed? It would be interesting to see if there is something new in terms of nameplate design...

 

PS. noting all the comments about the lack of numbers on the front, how about a cheeky red 'buffer beam' at the bottom of the yellow, with a yellow number shaded in black. :declare:

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