ScotRail

Infobox Rail companies
bgcolor=white
image_filename=156450 at Hexham.jpg
widthpx=300px
franchise=ScotRail
1997 - 16 October 2004
logo_filename=National Express Scotrail logo.gif
nameforarea=area
regions=Scotland
secregions= London, Watford, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle and Newcastle
fleet=309
stations=336
parent_company=National Express
website=www.scotrail.co.uk

ScotRail was the brand name under which British Rail during the Sectorisation era and, following privatisation, National Express operated passenger rail services in Scotland and cross border services to Northern England and London. The franchise transferred from National Express to First Group, under the name First ScotRail, on 17 October 2004 after First Group outbid National Express in the first re-franchising round post privatisation. National Express operated the franchise for a total of seven years, from 1997 through to 2004.

Fleet

When ScotRail was created by BR, services were operated by a variety of diesel locomotives and coaching stock together with diesel and electric multiple units. Prior to the introduction of Class 158 DMUs by British Rail and later Class 170 DMUs by National Express, services were operated by slam-door stock such as the Class 101 DMUs.

ScotRail - to replace slam door stock - received 46 Class 158 units from 1989-1992, and post privatisation, National Express ordered a total of 55 Class 170 units from 1999-2004 (First would receive the last of the units ordered by National Express and would later transfer 4 units from its Hull Trains subsidiary) and by 2004, the only slam door services were also the only locomotive hauled services, the Caledonian Sleeper services from London to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William along with a single regional service between Edinburgh Waverley and North Berwick. First ScotRail have since leased electric multiple units to run between Edinburgh and North Berwick.

ScotRail, since privatisation, has contracted EWS to haul the Caledonian Sleeper between London and Scotland. EWS operate a dedicated pool of 5 Class 90 electric locomotives to haul the Caledonian Sleeper between London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central, together with a fleet of Class 67 diesel locomotives to haul the various sleeper portions north of Edinburgh and Glasgow. When British Rail and National Express ran ScotRail, Class 37 diesel locomotives were used in place of the Class 67 locomotives, an arrangement which continued under First Group through to 2006.

Livery

BR

ScotRail, under BR used customised versions of the existing British Rail liveries, with passenger locomotives and coaching stock painted in a lightly modified version of the InterCity Executive livery. The red stripe was replaced with a saltire blue stripe, and the InterCity name was replaced with the ScotRail name. Diesel and Electric multiple units carried normal versions of the Regional Railways livery.

National Express

The first unique ScotRail livery was introduced shortly after privatisation under National Express, who introduced their own livery. Initially, vehicles received the new ScotRail logo applied with vinyl stickers; a stylised outline of Scotland composed of three flashes in the corporate colours of green, red and purple. Multiple units were painted into the new livery with bodies in white (lower half) and purple (upper half) with green, red and white stripes bordering the purple, overlain by and a wide diagonal white band in the centre of the carriage. There were no units left with Regional Railways livery in Scotland at the end of the National Express franchise period, although the Class 305 electric units retained it until withdrawal in 2001. The latter were replaced by ex-Stansted Skytrain Class 322 units which were never repainted under the National Express franchise, receiving only ScotRail logo transfers. When the Class 322 hire ended in 2004, they were replaced on the North Berwick branch by EWS Class 90 electric locomotives hauling former Virgin Trains Mk.3 coaching stock, in the old Virgin red and grey livery, again with ScotRail logo transfers.

First

First Group have introduced their regional livery of pink, grey and purple and a new logo of a pink circle and an italicised "f" character. Legislation requiring train doors to be painted in a contrasting colour to the body for visually-impaired passengers has resulted in white doors with a pink stripe. Like National Express, First applied their logo on units by transfer until repainting. A large number of units now been re-branded into this livery, including the Class 322 units re-acquired (and refurbished) for North Berwick service and the Class 90 locomotives used on Caledonian Sleeper services.

External links

* http://www.railscot.co.uk/ScotRail/frame.htm

References

s-ttl|title=Operator of ScotRail franchise
years=1997 - 2004