Locomotive Liveries in the Privatisation Era

John Jackson explores the huge variety of liveries introduced since rail privatisation in the mid-1990s.

Many will recall the days last century when British Rail ‘blue’ dominated the liveries of most locomotives and rolling stock. The safety feature of yellow ends was the only concession. This external appearance was to be the norm for almost two decades until, in the 1980s, rail sectors were introduced and a little more variety crept in.

It was not until the privatisation of the UK’s railways in the mid-1990s that this colour-scheme stranglehold was to be fully broken. The newly appointed train operators of both passenger and freight traffic saw the opportunity that branding offers to an industry that had been slow to realise that ‘shop window’ potential. The thirty years since privatisation has, without a doubt, made the rail scene far more attractive to the enthusiasts’ eyes. Displaying the corporate liveries of these businesses has become the norm. Locomotive liveries have become far more distinctive and, with many examples, identification with the railways’ key customers is being recognised.

John Jackson takes a detailed look at the corporate liveries applied by the rail fleet operators in the years following privatisation. From connecting with the events and milestones of the royal family to the country standing alongside Ukraine, this book explores the increasing number of examples seen since rail privatisation in the mid-1990s.

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