SWR Repaints and Refurbishments

[Nammer]

444040 on (rear/country end) of 2P94 07.29 PMH - WAT now

 

[pompeyfan]

Deleated

 

[jopsuk]

This should be a link to all photos of 444040 sorted by date taken, on flickr.

Next thing: will the 450 livery be the same? The diesels? As they're all being replaced the 455/456/458/707 fleets will presumably all just get logos.

 

[physics34]

Obviously all vinyl

 

[CosherB]

I'm surprised we've had no livery froth regarding 442s yet ....

 

[61653 HTAFC]

This should be a link to all photos of 444040 sorted by date taken, on flickr.

Next thing: will the 450 livery be the same? The diesels? As they're all being replaced the 455/456/458/707 fleets will presumably all just get logos.

As much is I dislike corporatism, the 3 different colours used by SWT for different service groups was a very effective way of identifying those service groups whilst maintaining overall unity. Of course it wasn't perfect and you'd get white trains on blue routes or vice-versa, along with arguments about whether route X should get the posh white trains... but it would be a shame to lose a simple but effective system.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Is it the 158s and 159s that are currently getting routine repaints? Is there any set order for what goes in for repainting?

 

[samuelmorris]

Spotted 444040 yesterday and I have to say the new livery looks quite good on them compared to the unit it was coupled to, I do think it's going to be very drab compared to the red and blue SWT liveries, however.

 

[Class455]

Seen a whole load of 455's still with SWT branding. I have only seen ONE SWR branded train today and that was a 707! I would've thought the least they could do was debrand the units then add SWR branding on them, similar to what Govia and most other franchises do when they take over a franchise and use a different brand name. First can do better than this! It just causes confusion to passengers as South West Trains does not exist

 

[59CosG95]

Seen a whole load of 455's still with SWT branding. I have only seen ONE SWR branded train today and that was a 707! I would've thought the least they could do was debrand the units then add SWR branding on them, similar to what Govia and most other franchises do when they take over a franchise and use a different brand name. First can do better than this! It just causes confusion to passengers as South West Trains does not exist

Rebranding is pretty much the only thing Govia are good at.

The SWT/SWR fleet is worked incredibly hard, so I think the last thing on the minds of the fleet teams at Wimbledon, Northam and Salisbury is "oo let's get rebranding!", simply because they have to spend as little time in the depot as possible in order to keep a reliable rate of service on the routes they serve. I can't see the 158s/9s getting rebranded, as most of them are going for their repaints at the moment and will more than likely emerge in new colours, bit by bit. Same for the Desiros.

Not rebranding also helps evoke a sense of nostalgia (I for one miss SWT quite a bit) but it's also quite a good cost-saving exercise (no need to pay for nearly as many new vinyls, yadda-yadda-yadda), and given the amount of delays on the network lately, SWR need to be quite spendthrift.

I can see why the lack of rebranding can be a good griping point, but at the end of the day, Joe Public just wants to get from A to B, regardless of what his train says on it.

EDIT: And another thing, First's track record from the GWR rebranding is that they've only rebranded a handful of HSTs into GWR colours as they're phasing most of them out, so it's hardly surprising IMO that they've applied the same rebranding business model to SWR.

 

[Bletchleyite]

As much is I dislike corporatism, the 3 different colours used by SWT for different service groups was a very effective way of identifying those service groups whilst maintaining overall unity. Of course it wasn't perfect and you'd get white trains on blue routes or vice-versa, along with arguments about whether route X should get the posh white trains... but it would be a shame to lose a simple but effective system.

Stagey are generally quite good at using livery variants maintaining the shape of the familiar livery but with different colours.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Is 444040 assigned to only do routes between Waterloo and Portsmouth? Will it be seen at some point on Waterloo-Weymouth runs?

 

[pompeyfan]

It made it down to Bournemouth today, finishes at Northam and is then planned to be on the same diagram as yesterday.

 

[BestWestern]

Seen a whole load of 455's still with SWT branding. I have only seen ONE SWR branded train today and that was a 707! I would've thought the least they could do was debrand the units then add SWR branding on them, similar to what Govia and most other franchises do when they take over a franchise and use a different brand name. First can do better than this! It just causes confusion to passengers as South West Trains does not exist

I doubt it's causing that much confusion, many probably won't have noticed any difference - same voice making same announcements, minor variation in the TOC name. To the casual observer, it's hardly earth shattering!

 

[43096]

I doubt it's causing that much confusion, many probably won't have noticed any difference - same voice making same announcements, minor variation in the TOC name. To the casual observer, it's hardly earth shattering!

There's quite a number of people who probably still blame British Rail for anything that goes wrong.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Any more units (158s, 159s, 444s or 450s) been repainted into the full new livery yet or gone to wherever for painting? Will it definitely be just new name vinyls for the 455s, 456s and 458s?

 

[Kite159]

I saw 444040 in the flesh this morning at Basingstoke (it was working a late running service from Weymouth which was put into platform 4 to allow for the usual 10 minute waits on the diesels which don't call at Whitchurch/Overton). Looks very smart with the stripes.

I would imagine the next 158 to go to Loughborough will come back in the new colours [think it was EMT's 889 at the moment, 887, 888 & 890 are left of the 158s], as it seems silly to "re-paint" them into the revised SWT livery rather than the new livery [in my view, but hey what do I know ]

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I saw 444040 in the flesh this morning at Basingstoke (it was working a late running service from Weymouth which was put into platform 4 to allow for the usual 10 minute waits on the diesels which don't call at Whitchurch/Overton). Looks very smart with the stripes.

I would imagine the next 158 to go to Loughborough will come back in the new colours [think it was EMT's 889 at the moment, 887, 888 & 890 are left of the 158s], as it seems silly to "re-paint" them into the revised SWT livery rather than the new livery [in my view, but hey what do I know ]

Quite a lot, judging from your trip reports! I agree about the 158s

 

[NSE]

I like that they haven't gone gung-ho with rebranding. Firstly, because I like seeing how long bits of the original SWT will be around for, but mostly because it just feels like they're putting the passenger first. As people state on here often enough, it's about the paying everyday customer and they just want the train to arrive on time and take them from A to B. I like that they have just got on with it and are completing the rebrand when possible.

 

[Dr_Intoxicated]

Plus the quality of the service is so bad at the moment they do not want to draw Joe Public's attention to the new company.

 

[samuelmorris]

Plus the quality of the service is so bad at the moment they do not want to draw Joe Public's attention to the new company.

I have to say I concur. I'm aware punctuality problems are predominantly an NR problem but the TOC-facing customer service experience at the moment is also quite poor.

 

[antharro]

I like that they haven't gone gung-ho with rebranding. Firstly, because I like seeing how long bits of the original SWT will be around for, but mostly because it just feels like they're putting the passenger first.

Usually I would agree with this, but some of their stock is in dire need of an overhaul. The 455s, 458s and 15xs are mostly ok, but some of the 444s and 450s are in poor condition both inside and out; especially the 444s. Worn out carpets, worn out seat covers, barely functional sinks and hand dryers, general dirt and grime throughout, and badly faded paintwork.

I'm pretty sure SWT were running them down just in case they didn't win the franchise, and I'm not expecting SWR to make everything right on day one, but it would be good to see some progress made on the worst of the trains.

As for 444040, I tend to either see this unit every time I travel, or not at all for months! Currently I haven't seen it in at least a couple of months!

 

[Goldfish62]

Usually I would agree with this, but some of their stock is in dire need of an overhaul. The 455s, 458s and 15xs are mostly ok, but some of the 444s and 450s are in poor condition both inside and out; especially the 444s. Worn out carpets, worn out seat covers, barely functional sinks and hand dryers, general dirt and grime throughout, and badly faded paintwork.

The toilets on the 458s are in very poor condition (when you can actually get into one that isn't locked out of use!). They were left completely untouched during the recent "refurbishment". I hope that there will be at least a deep clean during the couple of years remaining with SWR.

I agree about the 450s and 444s. The two main issues with the toilets are that the sinks spray water all over the place and the toilet paper holders act as shredders.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

The toilets on the 458s are in very poor condition (when you can actually get into one that isn't locked out of use!). They were left completely untouched during the recent "refurbishment". I hope that there will be at least a deep clean during the couple of years remaining with SWR.

I agree about the 450s and 444s. The two main issues with the toilets are that the sinks spray water all over the place and the toilet paper holders act as shredders.

Fortunately for me, I have a key that unlocks the bog roll holder, so if I have the misfortune to have to use one, I unlock the bog roll holder and take sheets of bum fodder out of the back of it and not have to worry about shedded bum fodder.

 

[MartinB1]

I especially love it when I've put soap on my hands, and then discover there is no water! I think a swt/swr toilet which is clean, has soap, water , working dryer and a working flush is something that doesn't exist!

Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

 

[antharro]

Don't forget the tap / water outlet that is so full of limescale that your hands, your t-shirt, the floor and wall get soaked equally... then the soap dispensers that aren't mounted correctly so getting soap out of them is a mission in holding it in place and operating the dispenser... or the hand dryer that will only operate when you have your hands in a very specific position which is also out of the air flow, but it only stays on for one second at a time so you can't turn it on AND get air, or hand dryers that have a broken heater element...

Or in the case of 458s, just locked out use anyway!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Or the bizarre electronic taps used on modern stock that rarely work properly. Talk about expensive solutions looking for a problem.

What's wrong with a Prestex and regular hand dryer, at least in the non-disabled bog?

 

[TEW]

I have never come across a 458/5 toilet that has soap available. I have no idea why, there seems to be no issue providing soap in other toilets, but never in a 458/5.

 

[Parallel]

Or the bizarre electronic taps used on modern stock that rarely work properly. Talk about expensive solutions looking for a problem.

What's wrong with a Prestex and regular hand dryer, at least in the non-disabled bog?

I've used one before (with ATW) and the water falling from the tap triggered its own censor to keeping the tap on.

 

[Adsy125]

Are any more desiros being repainted or refurbished at the moment?