A Love Letter to GNER

Being British

There are curious things that approach us by simply being British. One of things of being British is stood waiting for a late train, in the rain, in Stockport. Now add in the flavour of being interesting (a rail enthusiast) and our mind wanders to days gone past on our rail network.

Remember the glory days of the West Coast Main Line in the 70s and 80s? A Class 87 on a rake of Mark 2s really stirs up the romantic history making us misty eyes doesn't it? No not really.

There is a new reminiscent age that is creeping into all of our consciousnesses. And it involves privatisation, that horrible word introduced to remove Swallow livery from our fair Isles. Every era needs a benchmark and we've picked one for this reminiscent age. GNER.

Wasn't it nice

Lets be honest here readers, it was a brilliant name. GNER was just right, the livery was nice. The background to the running of the company was magnificently chaotic. It ticked all the boxes.

So it cheered us all up when this famous name may return to the British shores under a new owner, A name that was quickly removed after it sunk in disastrous waters by its owner Sea Containers. But we liked it, bollocks to all the boring 'it was a disaster' business speak. We liked the pretty colours of those HSTs. The End.

Alliance Rail was to return the name to run alongside those Virgin Trains. Eat that Branson, the failure name returns in pretty colours and a great name. But it wasnt to be, and that dear readers was a shame.

Headed by the former Grand Central head, they had good pedigree. Because Grand Central are the best.

Not our words, they are by Stattos, the best

So what other pretty colours did we like that for no business sense at all would want to see back on the rail networks around the country?

Yes, we know LoadHaul. It should be horrible, Orange and Black in weird lines but didn't they look good?

Now we were thinking of ways to return Loadhaul to the UK but couldn't think of one, lets be honest - freight on the Railways of the UK is screwed. Rather that than a Shed be covered in one of the best liveries of all time.

Orange is the new Black

So we lend a hand to those searching for new colours. Southern for example, when the tyrants are removed of their privilege of providing train services to the people of Great Britain perhaps they can take on LoadHaul South? 

We do find ourselves with no TOC to call our own. We have no underdog that we are rooting for. 'GWR' had a go. That failed, move on.

The answer to all Train Operating Companies who want to be loved is simple, colour your trains Orange to some degree. Works today for Grand Central and worked for radical underdog LoadHaul.

But, if you want to be taken seriously and loved. And you want to massively overcook your accounts to keep hold of your HSTs, then become GNER.