Virgin HST Intercity Livery?

[Willber]

In Leeds Station on Monday morning there was a Virgin HST (i think?) but it was freshly painted in the grey / blue Intercity livery and had a long line of shiny maroon carriages behind it. It looked really cool!

Is this some sort of special edition or new commemorative livery? Usually they look a bit tired and often have a headlamp out!

Cheers

[s2rv]

I can't answer about the livery (except looking on the internet, it appears to be a Pullman livery from 50+ years ago), but I can give a reply about trains having a 'headlight out'.

Up until the last few years and depending on the intensity of the headlight, trains only have one headlight illuminated (but with a marker light on the opposite side), be it the day setting (right hand side) or night setting (left hand side). In conjunction with this arrangement trains would have a 'yellow end'. With a new(ish) standard on the railways, trains can now have high intensity headlights without a yellow end being present on the train-as seen on internet photos of the 'Pullman Livery' HST.

[Simpo Two]

s2rv said:

trains only have one headlight illuminated... be it the day setting (right hand side) or night setting (left hand side)

What is the logic behind that?

[KTF]

Simpo Two said:

s2rv said:

trains only have one headlight illuminated... be it the day setting (right hand side) or night setting (left hand side)

What is the logic behind that?

I guess the night setting is to light up the trackside area given the driver sits on the left?

[StephenP]

Was it like this one by any chance? They do look very smart!



(this one was delayed at Grantham after a lighting strike near the station apparently)

Apparently its being rolled out on the LNER 225 fleet:
https://www.lner.co.uk/news/new-livery-for-lner-in...

[Simpo Two]

KTF said:

I guess the night setting is to light up the trackside area given the driver sits on the left?

I must try that in my car. It will save valuable electricity

[MitchT]

Virgin don't operate trains anymore to my knowledge. LNER are repainting their IC225 sets in the late '80s/early '90s Inter City livery. Cross Country Trains have some HST power cars painted in the old liveries which, typically, are one in a set which otherwise consists of coaches and another power car in the usual Cross Country Livery. Hard to know exactly what you saw without knowing exactly what time it was there so I could check.

[Zad]

Simpo Two said:

KTF said:

I guess the night setting is to light up the trackside area given the driver sits on the left?

I must try that in my car. It will save valuable electricity

From the traffic I saw this evening on the way home, around 10% of cars are already trying this!

[DaveyBoyWonder]

A number of train companies are repainting their trains in old liveries (see the LNER class 91s above, GBRf too) - looks great.

Regarding what was seen in Leeds, it looks like the Plymouth train at 9ish had a repainted class43 on it but in the Intercity livery that followed the blue/grey original. Not sure why the carriages would have been in anything other than XC livery though?
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:P89...

West Coast Railways operate maroon coaches but just checked and there we no railtours by anyone running on Monday through Leeds... A mystery!

[Willber]

StephenP said:

Was it like this one by any chance? They do look very smart!



(this one was delayed at Grantham after a lighting strike near the station apparently)

Apparently its being rolled out on the LNER 225 fleet:
https://www.lner.co.uk/news/new-livery-for-lner-in...

Thats the one! I think its the regular one in Leeds in the morning as I saw it again yesterday. Looks really smart as you say.

[s2rv]

KTF said:

Simpo Two said:

s2rv said:

trains only have one headlight illuminated... be it the day setting (right hand side) or night setting (left hand side)

What is the logic behind that?

I guess the night setting is to light up the trackside area given the driver sits on the left?

You're correct, the headlamps are angled at different angles, it also prevents dazzle as the day headlight angle will blind oncoming trains. The night light does indeed illuminate trackside, or an area known as the cess. Although, not all trains have the driver on the left, some have them central location.

[W124Bob]

KTF said:

I guess the night setting is to light up the trackside area given the driver sits on the left?

Right light for daytime, doesn't dazzle platelayers working trackside, night time would be left so as not to dazzle on coming train drivers. Sadly on some units headlight alignment was a low priority, some very good tunnel roof illumination!

[ChocolateFrog]

KTF said:

Simpo Two said:

s2rv said:

trains only have one headlight illuminated... be it the day setting (right hand side) or night setting (left hand side)

What is the logic behind that?

I guess the night setting is to light up the trackside area given the driver sits on the left?

In theory maybe although the reality is a candle in the wind would do a better job.

They're mainly there to be seen not to see, some don't illuminate the rail 3ft in front of you.

[ChocolateFrog]

W124Bob said:

KTF said:

I guess the night setting is to light up the trackside area given the driver sits on the left?

Right light for daytime, doesn't dazzle platelayers working trackside, night time would be left so as not to dazzle on coming train drivers. Sadly on some units headlight alignment was a low priority, some very good tunnel roof illumination!

So true, many an hour spent admiring Victorian brickwork and nothing else.

[Stick Legs]

It must be a trend as I saw a Class 313 in Newhaven painted in a BR scheme.

Apparently it’s the first 313 and they thought they’d commemorate that.

[P5BNij]

W124Bob said:

KTF said:

I guess the night setting is to light up the trackside area given the driver sits on the left?

Right light for daytime, doesn't dazzle platelayers working trackside, night time would be left so as not to dazzle on coming train drivers. Sadly on some units headlight alignment was a low priority, some very good tunnel roof illumination!

Some of our FL 66s have matching pairs of headlights for both settings, giving the oncoming driver twice as much dazzle on the night setting, it's an experiment that hasn't gone down too well!