SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I wonder what on Earth is the mindset behind all the totally irrelevant and expensive decorating of the trains. Personally I would much prefer the carriages to be in a meaningful but dignified livery like the superb maroon and cream of the Metro days, or earlier the rich green of the original DMUs. The present medium blue is also very pleasant - if it can be separated in the mind from pictures of town halls and waterfalls etc and garish meaningless huge swoops in yellow and pink. I live looking across Queenswood Drive at Headingley Station and the sight of the trains from this distance is just horrifying - you could be forgiven for thinking that a gang of young aerosol thugs had been loose in the depot yards all night and its hardly creditable that this is done on purpose by the train company. They are constantly wailing that there is no money for new rolling stock to alleviate the abominable and dangerous overcrowding - well, I know nothing of painting and vynil finances, but I think its a fair bet that at least one or two new vehicles could be bought with what this policy of making the carriages look like something from a fairground is costing.

BLAKEY wrote: I wonder what on Earth is the mindset behind all the totally irrelevant and expensive decorating of the trains. Personally I would much prefer the carriages to be in a meaningful but dignified livery like the superb maroon and cream of the Metro days, or earlier the rich green of the original DMUs. The present medium blue is also very pleasant - if it can be separated in the mind from pictures of town halls and waterfalls etc and garish meaningless huge swoops in yellow and pink. I live looking across Queenswood Drive at Headingley Station and the sight of the trains from this distance is just horrifying - you could be forgiven for thinking that a gang of young aerosol thugs had been loose in the depot yards all night and its hardly creditable that this is done on purpose by the train company. They are constantly wailing that there is no money for new rolling stock to alleviate the abominable and dangerous overcrowding - well, I know nothing of painting and vynil finances, but I think its a fair bet that at least one or two new vehicles could be bought with what this policy of making the carriages look like something from a fairground is costing. Why not get some advertiser to pick up the cost ?    

I agree with you Blakey, the trains look just like the plastic buses we have today. I much prefer the proper liveries of old myself. I'm not sure who even refurbishes and paints/sprays the trains these days, the big works that used to give a loco a classified overhaul and repaint every four years have all closed. Doncaster and Swindon amongst the biggest.I've actually just done an article about the locomotive involved in the great train robbery in 1963 herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/6869529989/It was classed as a jinxed loco throughout it's career, superstitious railway folk lore followed the engine until it's withdrawal in 1983 with some drivers still being reluctant to drive it. The loco was involved in a series of accidents and deaths as well as being the engine on the night of the robbery. It's pretty interesting to read the facts and trivia, and of course there are the photos when trains carried a proper painted livery         

BLAKEY wrote: I wonder what on Earth is the mindset behind all the totally irrelevant and expensive decorating of the trains. Personally I would much prefer the carriages to be in a meaningful but dignified livery like the superb maroon and cream of the Metro days, or earlier the rich green of the original DMUs. The present medium blue is also very pleasant - if it can be separated in the mind from pictures of town halls and waterfalls etc and garish meaningless huge swoops in yellow and pink. I live looking across Queenswood Drive at Headingley Station and the sight of the trains from this distance is just horrifying - you could be forgiven for thinking that a gang of young aerosol thugs had been loose in the depot yards all night and its hardly creditable that this is done on purpose by the train company. They are constantly wailing that there is no money for new rolling stock to alleviate the abominable and dangerous overcrowding - well, I know nothing of painting and vynil finances, but I think its a fair bet that at least one or two new vehicles could be bought with what this policy of making the carriages look like something from a fairground is costing. I think that the reason for this is to beat the graffiti artists at their own game.Maroon and cream might look fine at first, but if its ruined within weeks whats the point? Sign of the times i'm afraid

I was thinking the same when I saw one fly over Kirkstall road on the viaduct.

Phill_dvsn wrote: I agree with you Blakey, the trains look just like the plastic buses we have today. I much prefer the proper liveries of old myself. I'm not sure who even refurbishes and paints/sprays the trains these days, the big works that used to give a loco a classified overhaul and repaint every four years have all closed. Doncaster and Swindon amongst the biggest.I've actually just done an article about the locomotive involved in the great train robbery in 1963 herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/6869529989/It was classed as a jinxed loco throughout it's career, superstitious railway folk lore followed the engine until it's withdrawal in 1983 with some drivers still being reluctant to drive it. The loco was involved in a series of accidents and deaths as well as being the engine on the night of the robbery. It's pretty interesting to read the facts and trivia, and of course there are the photos when trains carried a proper painted livery          Same class 91 loco at Hatfield as well as at Great Heck.Two ways to look at it,its either unfortunate or lucky,as on both occasions it was unscathed,which is more than can be said for the DVT.    

uncle mick wrote: BLAKEY wrote: I wonder what on Earth is the mindset behind all the totally irrelevant and expensive decorating of the trains. Personally I would much prefer the carriages to be in a meaningful but dignified livery like the superb maroon and cream of the Metro days, or earlier the rich green of the original DMUs. The present medium blue is also very pleasant - if it can be separated in the mind from pictures of town halls and waterfalls etc and garish meaningless huge swoops in yellow and pink. I live looking across Queenswood Drive at Headingley Station and the sight of the trains from this distance is just horrifying - you could be forgiven for thinking that a gang of young aerosol thugs had been loose in the depot yards all night and its hardly creditable that this is done on purpose by the train company. They are constantly wailing that there is no money for new rolling stock to alleviate the abominable and dangerous overcrowding - well, I know nothing of painting and vynil finances, but I think its a fair bet that at least one or two new vehicles could be bought with what this policy of making the carriages look like something from a fairground is costing. Why not get some advertiser to pick up the cost ?     The trains are acrually covered in removeable transfers,which makes the job of removing graffitti mysh easier and cheaper,however those 333 units are painted,so its a little harder.

cnosni wrote: The trains are acrually covered in removeable transfers,which makes the job of removing graffitti mysh easier and cheaper,however those 333 units are painted,so its a little harder. Oh, well that's amazing to hear and understandable I suppose when explained. Nevertheless they still look atrocious and ridiculous, so why not make the removeable transfers the shape and colour of a civilised livery with the same result economically I wonder ??

uncle mick wrote: [Why not get some advertiser to pick up the cost ?     A very valid point uncle mick, but like the train in your picture under no circumstances should one square inch of glass be obliterated - after all windows are there to be seen out of. With FirstBus there are some deplorable examples running around where the only person who can see out is the driver, and some of the "all over advert" examples can easily be mistaken for removal vans - its advisable to have a Sat Nav on your lap if you want to alight at the intended stop, or wish to see anything while travelling.

Phill_dvsn wrote: I agree with you Blakey, the trains look just like the plastic buses we have today. I much prefer the proper liveries of old myself. I've actually just done an article about the locomotive involved in the great train robbery in 1963 herehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/phill_dvsn/6869529989/It's pretty interesting to read the facts and trivia, and of course there are the photos when trains carried a proper painted livery          What an absolutely splendid and professional standard feature you've done there Phill - I knew little or nothing about the facts of that atrocity - Many thanks.