80 Class Liveries

[Jawfin]

Hello there chaps,

 

Would any of you fine gentlemen be able to inform me of the years each NIR 80 Class livery was introduced?

 

On top of that, could anyone kindly give me the differences that were between refurbished and non-refurbished sets?

Edited January 9, 2015 by Jawfin

[jhb171achill]

Jawfin, the refurbished sets had the now-familiar red seating in them, and cream walls originally with some decorative vinyls on them. Prior to that, they had what in 1974 was standard British Rail checked blue upholstery and mock-woodgrain effect walls up to luggage rack level, with an off-white ceiling.

 

Externally, they received the same maroon and blue livery at first repaint, but with a white "diamond" instead of an upturned "v". Later - I'd guess about 1981 - they got the all-grey with maroon band under window level. Those on loan to IE retained that livery much longer, as by the time the last car painted that way (69, I think), came back to NIR, everything was beginning to be "intercity" blue and grey.

 

Next up was the "suburban" red and cream with orange stripe: I think this was about the time the "Castles" were introduced into traffic - 1986. Some 80 class sets were thus painted, but others got the original (and best looking) blue and grey, with the following: from bottom up, a darker grey band at the bottom of the bodyside, main below-window area light grey, then a yellow / white / black / white band, then blue round windows, light grey line above, and dark grey roof.

 

The red and cream livery, which did not suit 80 class cars at all, didn't last and railcars painted this way were gradually put into the intercity version. To separate intercity and suburban "fleets" on a tiny system such as NIR was clearly impractical.

 

Later livery variations (approx 2001 onwards) saw the acquamarine band replace the yellow, black and white below window level, along with the continuation of the blue up to roof level (i.e. no grey band above windows).

 

Then, latterly, we had the quite ghastly re-incarnation of these sets in "red bull" livery - quite the most stomach churning match of livery and vehicle I've ever seen.

 

Oh no, that's the sandpit (sorry, sandite) yellow.....

[Jawfin]

Thanks very much, JB, very helpful

[jhb171achill]

The Castle class followed a similar story in later life, but were delivered too late for maroon and blue. They started off in a base colour of cream, with a deep red round the windows, day-glo warning panels (as opposed to yellow) and a thick orange line under the windows.

 

It looked quite well when clean, but tended not to stay that way.

 

70 class sets spent much of their life in maroon and grey, but ended up in maroon and blue.

 

And then we had the MPDs. UTA green, with grey round cab windows, green with wasp stripes, maroon and grey, and a few later ones (but not all) maroon and blue.