The light blue livery first appeared on class 142 'Pacer' 142.065 for the launch of 'Northern Spirit' on May 21, 1998.
The 'Northern Spirit' brand was designed by London agency Marsteller as the new identity for the Regional Railways North East franchise run by MTL.
Arriva took over MTL in February 2000, and the RRNE franchise was renamed 'Arriva Trains Northern' in April 2001.
|
A recently repainted 156.480 in full Northern Spirit livery at Manchester Piccadilly, Spring 2001.
Each vehicle has branding at the left end and large 'N' mark at the right end.
Cab fronts are black above handrail level including the gangway door.
This unit has distinctive Frutiger font set numbers.
Photo: Rob Woods
|
|
|
|
The two colour Northern Spirit branding applied to trains.
|
|
|
|
The green 'N' mark on first painted 156.490
This set returned to traffic in Northern Spirit colours in early September 1999.
Vehicle numbers are in white digits, just above solebar level.
|
|
|
|
The 'N' mark on later painted units is slightly larger, and reaches all the way down to the black solebar.
Door buttons are outlined with an orange square.
|
|
|
|
The franchise was renamed 'Arriva Trains Northern' in April 2001, and over the next few months Arriva branding was applied to all their class 156 fleet.
156.470 seen at Leeds City station, December 3, 2003.
This unit has the more usual Rail Alphabet set numbers.
|
|
|
|
Car 57443 of set 156.443 received a wrap round yellow front-end sometime in 2001.
Car 52443 at the other end of the set has the standard livery.
156.443 is seen at Leeds on August 2, 2002, with a service to Manchester Airport
|
|
|
|
By September 2004 the livery on 57443 had been amended again.
Cabsides are now painted 'Arriva' aquamarine, contrasting with the Northern Spirit light blue.
156.443 is photographed departing Hull with a Bridlington - Sheffield service on March 5, 2005.
|
|
|
|
As the end of the franchise neared, class 156 units lost their Arriva branding from the end of June 2004.
156.438 is pictured at Sheffield about to form a train to Hull on July 3, 2004
|
|
|
|
From the end of July 2005, small Northern logos began to appear on units based at Neville Hill.
156.480 is pictured at York after arrival from Hull on August 3, 2005
|
|
|
|
A close up shot of the Northern branding on 156.480
|
|
|
|
From the summer of 2005, units have been receiving overhauls at Glasgow works, and have returned sporting yellow gangway covers.
156.469 is pictured at York on October 15, 2005.
|
|
|
|
Newton Heath set 156468 was given black Northern branding in April 2006.
The branding is also unusually placed under the large windows towards the cab ends, and on the right hand side it sits on the green 'N' mark.
156.468 is pictured at Leeds on September 16, 2006
|
|
|
|
A side on view of 156.491 at York, August 2003.
|
|
|
