Metropol

A couple from around the City today.

one of two branches of Costa to Go



the 'to go' part of the logo looks like it was designed in Aldus Pagemaker circa 1992

also an M&S with the last-but-one logo on their fascia, and a brand new foodhall sign inside

A full train is now back at Reading in GWR Green (which, if you're interested, is Hex 0A493E or RGB 10-73-62 (which is not a million miles away from BR Blue, RGB 11-69-89)

Class 166 at Reading

Same unit in daylight on the WCML

Woops double posted

Alexia wrote:A full train is now back at Reading in GWR Green (which, if you're interested, is Hex 0A493E or RGB 10-73-62 (which is not a million miles away from BR Blue, RGB 11-69-89)

Class 166 at Reading

Same unit in daylight on the WCML

Quite pretty! Would be good to see a full HST done out. Incidentally, have there been any changes to vocab guidelines in the run up to the rebrand in that FGW should no longer be referred to?

It may be nothing but all week I've heard various different guards on local routes using generic announcements - it's no longer the 'First Great Western service to Barnstaple' but has become 'the Barnstaple line service', along with 'the service to exmouth' etc etc...it Just seems like they've been advised to start phasing it out.

EDIT - Seemed even more marked today...when going through connections at EXD from 'the Barnstaple line service' (FGW) the guard mentioned the '18:03 Service to London Paddington' (also FGW) but the '18:12 Crosscountry Service to Paignton' and the '18:25 South West Trains service to London Waterloo' before thanking me for travelling on 'this service'.

No new vocab guidelines or tannoy scripts. Nothing you've described is officially proscribed or perscribed - tannoy annos, so long as they are accurate and get the message across, are fluid. I would suggest though that at places like Exeter, Reading, Cardiff etc where multiple TOCs serve the same destinations, that mentioning the TOC is advisable and good practice in order to prevent people getting the wrong train. At Bristol TM, there are two services to Exeter within 10 minutes of each other, but getting the :44 XC is infinitely quicker and preferable to getting the FGW stopper at :53.

Fair enough, It was just that I've not heard a single guard say 'First Great Western' on a local unit all week, which I don't recall occurring before.

cwathen wrote:Fair enough, It was just that I've not heard a single guard say 'First Great Western' on a local unit all week, which I don't recall occurring before.

Probably some passive-aggressive rebellion against their overlords in Swindon. They are ex-Wessex / ex-Wales&West staff, after all.

Alexia wrote:

cwathen wrote:Fair enough, It was just that I've not heard a single guard say 'First Great Western' on a local unit all week, which I don't recall occurring before.

Probably some passive-aggressive rebellion against their overlords in Swindon. They are ex-Wessex / ex-Wales&West staff, after all.

I did wonder that - but then as of next month FGW will have operated those routes for longer than W&W/Wessex put together, that's a long time to rebel.

First sneak peak of an HST

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126796638 ... Uy8-wpxmkA

Alexia wrote:First sneak peak of an HST

https://www.flickr.com/photos/126796638 ... Uy8-wpxmkA

Really impressed with this livery despite the simplicity - I think the current FGW livery only really works in full dynamic lines garb, the simple livery they've put onto the cascaded 150s and some 153s has never done much for me, but this one looks stunning, and although it's supposed to be about the future I think it works really well on the older stock that will still form the mainstay of their service - pink doors on a 1970's train have never quite looked right to me.

I guess from the fact you can still see blue through the toilet windows that the interiors aren't getting done at the same time as with last time?

I'm not a fan of a toc rebranding half way through their franchise period, as it just ends up with even more rebrands on top of the rebrand you get when the franchise changes hands anyway.

There are enough periods when rolling stock is in loads of different liveries without adding to it.