WHAT LIVERY? by Albert Mutton.

First uploaded 19 December 2008

This can be contentious, and is usually best avoided if possible. To describe how contentious it can be, one needs only look at what happened with the 3 car shunter unit 1505. While at Bournemouth Depot it was to be saved by a group; funds were raised, and the depot were happy for it to stay there and to provide parts at knock-down prices. It never happened because the team fell out over what livery it was to have!

As a result, it was a bit of a relief when 1198 went to Dartmoor, for them to impose a livery on us, although not many people liked it, we could point at the line and say that “they want it that colour or it doesn’t run in service”.

We held a poll asking if we could choose a livery what it would be. And the L&SE ‘Jaffa Cake’ design won hands down.

Here is a salutary lesson; when we re-held the poll after the move to PBR, and with more members, Blue Grey won the vote.

I suppose one needs to also look at what other liveries are in use at the line, and also at what the other preserved CEPs are in or are planned to go to.

In the case of the PBR the vac rake is maroon, the 117 DMMU is green, the 108 DMMU is blue/grey, the thumper is green, and the 3CIG is going first ‘albino’, then NSE ‘toothpaste’ livery.

In the case of the other complete units, all of them are currently in SWT ‘toothpaste’ livery, but 2325 AKA 7105 at the EKR is to go green and one of the EVR units is to go blue/grey.

This would leave either all over blue sides (which is what 1198 is right now) or Jaffa Cake as options for either what else is at the line or what else the other CEPs are going.

Personally, I would agree with Darren’s comment that those who voted to put the grey on should get involved in doing this.

I know that when 1198 first arrived, one of the first questions I had was “What livery is it to go into?” and when I said Blue/Grey they all cheered, so it would appear popular.

Then there is the historical aspect. 1198 went from all green to blue with yellow ends to blue/grey to NSE to SWT. As a BEP it never ran post-Swindon on the SE division and so never went Jaffa Cake. The two CEP liveries missed out – all blue with small yellow panel and Jaffa Cake – are two that have been mentioned.

Then there is the aspect of ‘why do we have to use an old livery – aren’t we supposed to be taking 1198 forward?’ And the option of creating a new livery. Nathan Whitington (who once turned the 4COR into Underground Red in one of his pictures) went as far as to suggest the one shown, [right] while I have played about with ‘paint’ to see what 1198 would look like in LNWR livery (Possible, but as Darren pointed out, we would have to have cream front ends, not yellow…)

I personally would like to see blue grey, but with a small change, akin to the livery the cl 501 units on the ex LNWR Euston – Watford line used. (See Chris Morley’s picture, left) The grey only appears where the public areas are, so the areas where the drivers’ cabs are stay blue. Visualise a gangway on the front of the train in the picture… It would mean we save on the grey paint as well!

Whatever, we do need to look at the livery once the bigger jobs have been done, and for a list of those, see Darren’s section; there is a lot to be done.

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