A History of the Railways
around Basingstoke

by Christopher J Tolley

The liveries of Privatisation - Electric locomotives

Privatisation has brought enormous change to the structures within the British railway industry, and one obvious way in which this change can be seen is in the liveries of railway vehicles. Although the variety of different types of motive power has declined from the late 1980's onwards, the number of different liveries seems to have expanded exponentially, and at least in the early days of Privatisation, there were numerous detailed differences to be seen, due perhaps to experimentation to find the best pattern and colours.

Click below on one of the pictures to see more varied liveries


Diesel locomotives


Diesel Multiple-Units


Electric Multiple-Units


Liveries at Basingstoke

There are many pictures on this page, so it will take some time to load them all.


Class 71

20 April 1996 saw a rare excursion out on the main line for preserved class 71 locomotive E5001. The vintage locomotive was in charge of the Pathfinder Tours charter train from Basingstoke to Preston Park via Eastleigh and again from Brighton to Hastings via Lewes, during which section it managed to exceed a mile a minute for a while. (From Preston Park to Brighton, the train was hauled by shunter 09 025 - this was to save additional movements at Brighton station.) Here it is at Brighton during the layover before starting out for Hastings. This is not a privatisation livery, but an imitation of that carried during the early 1960's.

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Class 73

 

A pair of Class 73/1 locomotives in "Dutch" (or if you prefer, "Civil Link") livery stand in the sidings at Woking on Saturday 21 March 1998. (Saturday mornings are often a good time to see Class 73's and other locos at Woking.)


Class 86

One can't help but notice that the class 86/2 locomotives which are used on the London to Norwich service rarely look clean. In need of a wash as usual, 86 246 Royal Anglian Regiment stands at London Liverpool Street on 28 March 1998. This is in InterCity livery, with the minor variation of a swallow logo on the central cab windscreen.

Perhaps the soldiers whose regimental name this locomotive carries might be happier if the nameplate was polished and the badge cleaned up, just a bit.

 
   

  


  

86 218 carrying the name and plaque shown above to commemorate 50 years of the British National Health Service, was also photographed at London Liverpool Street, but this time on 21 December 1998 (upper picture). It is in the pleasant Anglia locomotive livery, reminiscent of the electric blue in which these locomotives first appeared when new in the 1960's.

Regrettably, the same point as above about cleanliness can still justifiably be made.

Indeed, it is somewhat reinforced by the lower picture of the same locomotive taken at the same place on 6 February 1999, still with the dirt in the same places on the body side as in the first picture. Does such an image do anything good either for Anglia or for the NHS? Personally, I suspect not.


 

 

 

Locomotive 86 421, named Glenfiddich, seen working northwards through Crewe on 27 April 1998, is in Rail Express Systems livery, as indeed are the other vehicles in the train.


Class 87

87 026 Sir Richard Arkwright, stands at Wolverhampton on 13 June 1998. Despite the fact that the locomotive and stock are in InterCity livery, the service pictured was operated by Virgin.

 


  

87 016, picturesquely (!) named Willesden InterCity Depot, departs from Wolverhampton on 13 June 1998, propelling its train towards London Euston. This locomotive and all the coaching stock on the train - including the Driving Van Trailer heading the formation - are in Virgin livery.


Class 90

Class 90 locomotive 90 013 The Law Society, at Liverpool Lime Street in InterCity livery on 1 November 1997. This locomotive is used on the West Coast Main Line Services operated by Virgin.

 


Class 91

 

The class 91 locomotives are all operated by Great North Eastern Railway on services between London Kings Cross and Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. These first appeared in Inter-City livery, but are being repainted into the navy blue and orange livery of GNER. Some, like this one photographed at York on 4 October 1998, have white lettering, whilst others have gold lettering.


Click below on one of the pictures to see more varied liveries


Diesel locomotives


Diesel Multiple-Units


Electric Multiple-Units


Liveries at Basingstoke


This article is a part of the Basingstoke & District Railway Society website.
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