New Great Western Livery

[BR(S)]

150232 now in the new GWR livery: 

 

150232 Goe's Green. by Western Railway Photography, on Flickr

[wombatofludham]

150232 now in the new GWR livery: 

 

150232 Goe's Green. by Western Railway Photography, on Flickr

 

Actually that does look rather nice, the stripe helps plus the silver window frames help lift the overall scheme.  However I do think the doors do not contrast sufficiently with the dark background, it's possible it's a trick of the light but the requirement for contrasting door colours was introduced after several years of research and consultation with groups representing those with reduced vision and wasn't just done in some so-called "politically correct" gesture so to reduce the contrast for some misguided aesthetic consideration is a step backwards.  They could have painted the doors cream in a nod to tradition which would have worked much better as a contrasting colour than silver grey which is possibly one of the most invisible colours in the palette.

[Karhedron]

I like it too. It looks better on a Sprinter where the big blocks of green are more broken up by the doors. I agree the doors would have looked better with a bit more contrast. Possible not cream but maybe a brighter silver like the shade XC use.

[lmsforever]

That improves the look of a 150 a good livery.

[Glorious NSE]

Shouldn't the cab doors be green, as they aren't for public use?

[The Stationmaster]

Actually that does look rather nice, the stripe helps plus the silver window frames help lift the overall scheme.  However I do think the doors do not contrast sufficiently with the dark background, it's possible it's a trick of the light but the requirement for contrasting door colours was introduced after several years of research and consultation with groups representing those with reduced vision and wasn't just done in some so-called "politically correct" gesture so to reduce the contrast for some misguided aesthetic consideration is a step backwards.  They could have painted the doors cream in a nod to tradition which would have worked much better as a contrasting colour than silver grey which is possibly one of the most invisible colours in the palette.

In reality I haven't found the contrast between doors and bodyside too bad although it might be because I know where the doors are anyway!  And, again, remarkably perhaps, the difference seems to remain quite good in a variety of lighting conditions although those bright green stripes on the doors are very noticeable.

[modfather]

Shouldn't the cab doors be green, as they aren't for public use?

The crew doors arm except the one behind the driver I think.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

On a wet and windy night, the GWR livery doesn't really look all that inspiring.

 

 

Interesting that SWT are running a series of radio ads at the moment where, it seems to me, they're taking the mick out of GWR. SWT are stressing that they're improving real things on their network (more parking spaces, longer trains etc.), rather than having endless consultant-led discussions on changing the livery of the trains.

 

[John M Upton]

Are there any 158's in GWR green yet or any plans to do them?

[Steadfast]

The first 158 for C6 exam is at Barton Hill at the moment. I think from what I've read that this will come out green

 

jo

[big jim]

Shouldn't the cab doors be green, as they aren't for public use?

I think they can be used for public use when the unit is coupled to another gangwayed unit, the guards door controls are covered up with a flap if thats the case iirc

 

(been a long time since i drove or indeed guarded a 150/2 though!)

[Great Western]

The crew doors behind the driving cab will not activate when the cab is keyed in.

 

However if the guard is keyed in at that door they obviously can be opened, for short platforms etc.

 

The first 158 is at Bristol Barton Hill for heavy C6 and will return in GWR Green, with new WC + tank, Wifi and power points !

Hopefully not with the SWT door modification which locks the door behind the leading cab OOU, that's a pain in the arse.

 

Really looked forward to the Class 158 program being completed.

 

Great Western

[alaneggleston]

Hopefully not with the SWT door modification which locks the door behind the leading cab OOU, that's a pain in the arse.

 

Great Western

Just why do SWT lock this door when F/GWR do not?

 

[D854_Tiger]

Actually that does look rather nice, the stripe helps plus the silver window frames help lift the overall scheme.  However I do think the doors do not contrast sufficiently with the dark background, it's possible it's a trick of the light but the requirement for contrasting door colours was introduced after several years of research and consultation with groups representing those with reduced vision and wasn't just done in some so-called "politically correct" gesture so to reduce the contrast for some misguided aesthetic consideration is a step backwards.  They could have painted the doors cream in a nod to tradition which would have worked much better as a contrasting colour than silver grey which is possibly one of the most invisible colours in the palette.

 

Well that's the nicest I've ever seen a class 150 look in any livery.

 

A train livery not a bus one.

[wombatofludham]

Well that's the nicest I've ever seen a class 150 look in any livery.

 

A train livery not a bus one.

 

I've never seen a 150 in a bus livery.

 

There have been some very nice Class 150 liveries in the past, the Regional Railways livery was a classic and I always liked the original RR style Centro livery although I'm possibly a bit biased having worked there and having been a regular user of them. and it did tend to weather badly not helped by Central Train's laissez-faire attitude to cleaning which meant that they probably ended up using brick acid to remove the accumulated crud.

 

I still think monotone green, a livery derided in the past as "dull" by enthusiasts when BR painted their dmus all over dark green, has the potential to lose the gloss quickly and look dismal but on the 150, with the recessed doors and silvered window frames, it at least is broken up and looks less monolithic than on the HST and 165.

Edited January 30, 2016 by wombatofludham

[D854_Tiger]

I've never seen a 150 in a bus livery.

 

There have been some very nice Class 150 liveries in the past, the Regional Railways livery was a classic and I always liked the original RR style Centro livery although I'm possibly a bit biased having worked there and having been a regular user of them. and it did tend to weather badly not helped by Central Train's laissez-faire attitude to cleaning which meant that they probably ended up using brick acid to remove the accumulated crud.

 

I still think monotone green, a livery derided in the past as "dull" by enthusiasts when BR painted their dmus all over dark green, has the potential to lose the gloss quickly and look dismal but on the 150, with the recessed doors and silvered window frames, it at least is broken up and looks less monolithic than on the HST and 165.

 

 

I have never been a great fan of the class 150 and that whole generation of BR designed trains, diesel and electric, that seemed unable to line up a seat with a window, lost lots of window space anyway accommodating sliding doors and those imaginative front ends, any style so long as it's a slab.

 

But, worst of all, was having one show up unexpectedly for a rather long journey.

 

I have sampled them over the Central Wales line and returning from Portmadog to the Midlands, in the dark (two Centro units), I lost the will to live that evening.

 

Those cramped uncomfortable seats, designed not to linger for commuters, and those first two hours looking at your own reflection, instead of all that wonderful scenery and realising that was two whole hours, you will never get back, that have just been spent getting precisely zero miles nearer to home.

 

For a while, they used to use two Centro units on a Birmingham - Skegness summer Saturday service, the look on the faces of those holidaymaker when that showed up.

 

Anyway, just when I thought I had said goodbye to them, I found out, the hard way, there is still one (just one) shuttling about between New St and Hereford and I found it, now that's mean.

[Glorious NSE]

Just why do SWT lock this door when F/GWR do not?

 

For ease of driver access/egress (including in an emergency) unencumbered by standing passengers/luggage/buggies/bikes...

[PenrithBeacon]

I spent two hours at Cogload Junction last August and was amazed to find that Class 150s are used in the Cardiff-Plymouth services. It takes four hours for the full journey!

 

Regards

[big jim]

For ease of driver access/egress (including in an emergency) unencumbered by standing passengers/luggage/buggies/bikes...

dont want to go off topic but surely the end set of doors have to be available to passengers or the train is out of use?

[roundhouse]

On a wet and windy night, the GWR livery doesn't really look all that inspiring.

 

DSC08066.JPG

 

Interesting that SWT are running a series of radio ads at the moment where, it seems to me, they're taking the mick out of GWR. SWT are stressing that they're improving real things on their network (more parking spaces, longer trains etc.), rather than having endless consultant-led discussions on changing the livery of the trains.

A very damp Guildford by the looks of it.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Indeed....................

[Karhedron]

On a wet and windy night, the GWR livery doesn't really look all that inspiring.

To be fair, neither will anything else unless it is lit up like the Blackpool illuminations.

 

We seem to be in a time of extremes with monolithic colour schemes like this replacing the psychedelic toothpaste liveries like the FCC Thamleslink livery. Maybe something in between would be nice. Something patriotic in red white and blue perhaps.

 

[Zomboid]

dont want to go off topic but surely the end set of doors have to be available to passengers or the train is out of use?

There's a break in an emergency panel thing, so the doors are available, just not in normal use.

Only the ones behind the driver are locked out anyway, so it's just one of 6 sets...

[Gwiwer]

I spent two hours at Cogload Junction last August and was amazed to find that Class 150s are used in the Cardiff-Plymouth services. It takes four hours for the full journey!

 

Regards

 

They are also used for the Brighton - Great Malvern workings (these are supposed to be 158s but regularly are not) which take even longer.  And cause issue with the reserved seats when a 2-car unit with a different seating plan replaces a 3-car unit with the reservations as per plan.

 

The 150 looks a tad better than other rolling stock as others have said and probably because the mass of bland dark green is broken up by the design and releived by the bare-metal window frames.  Thank goodness those are still bare metal.  When the Southern Region repainted their 4Vep fleet from blue to blue-grey the attractive bare-metal window frames were painted instead and significantly altered the look of the units to their detriment.

 

I remain unconvinced of the durability of such a drab and dark base colour.  And no doubt the lawyers have signed off the use of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's initials for the logo

Edited January 31, 2016 by Gwiwer

[John M Upton]

I can confirm they have been turning up through Barnham on the Brighton to West Country and vice versa with alarming regularity lately, particularly on weekends.  Will look out for a green one though!!

First Great Western 150128 (with 158763) Barnham 19/8/12 by John Upton, on Flickr