Network SouthEast in N

By Grahame Hedges

This short article was published in the first issue of the NGS 'Modern' Area Groups newsletter. To read the entire newsletter you need to be a member of the group (and firstly a fully paid up member of the society). This will allow you access to the members only area of this website, where an archive of the newsletters is kept, and ensure that future issues are sent directly to you.

Network SouthEast (NSE) was launched in 1986 as one of five business units formed from the former national British Rail operations prior to its privatisation. The aim was to provide an integrated passenger service for the heavily populated areas of London and its surrounding areas. As such it included parts of the rail networks from all the former big four companies that had merged to form the nationalised British Rail network. The NSE business unit burst on to the scene with a brash new corporate branding designed to counter the old drab British Rail image and introduced to the travelling public a bright new modern image with colourfully painted trains and stations. The fresh ‘toothpaste’ livery of white, blue, grey and red strips heralded the start of a plethora of new eye catching liveries throughout the country and sounded the death knell of the BR corporate blue era.

New livery

Originally the new livery included a broad mid-blue stripe with below that on the lower body-sides a series of white, red, white and grey stripes. On the body-sides at the outer ends of multiple units and at each end of locomotives under the cabs these stripes swept up, initially at a sharp angle but were later updated with a small radius. The stripes of white red and grey were repeated at high level but much narrower than the lower body-side ones. Cab fronts carried the usual mandatory warning yellow but this was often relieved with a small NSE motif flash of red, blue and grey parallelograms with a white outline and sometimes black window surrounds.

Later the mid-blue colour was upgraded to a darker blue and the red to a more vibrant version. And on some units the grey was replaced with a lighter shade. On the locomotives, and single car passenger units, it was considered that the upswings didn’t sit well and these were eventually left off, with the stripes extended horizontally to the body ends. Reference to photographs is the best way to appreciate and understand the livery styles.

By far the largest number of trains painted in to the new livery were multiple units including electric, diesel and diesel-electric sets as run by NSE. However, some of the limited number of locomotives allocated to NSE also received the livery. Over time these included representatives from classes 33, 47, 50 and 73 plus solitary locomotives from classes 86 and a 08 shunter. Additionally a few locomotives, including a 09 and some 73s, were painted in NSE blue but without the white, red and grey stripes.

Modelling options

Obviously the complex livery with many narrow stripes of different colours can be difficult for the average modeller to apply, especially in N gauge, so a ‘professional’ finish from manufacturers on appropriate RTR stock is highly desirable. Appendix 1 gives a list of RTR models that I am aware of that are or were available in NSE livery.

The sad thing is that none of the main N gauge manufacturers have any new NSE liveried RTR models planned for the future, although a representative from Bachmann did ask me in 2004 about NSE Mk 2 coaching stock so they were, at least at one time, considering reproducing the distinctive livery. Unfortunately, and almost shamefully, despite listing over a dozen other liveries in its coach range, Bachmann have no NSE coaching stock in their current 2005 brochure.

Despite the indigenous Southern based locomotives (classes 33 and 73 from Farish and Dapol respectively) being currently available in NSE liveries and some old, now no longer available, models of NSE DMUs, the majority of NSE passengers services were provided by electric stock. So it is even more disappointing and galling to find that there are no, nor have there ever been, any RTR NSE EMUs in British N gauge. Considering the area of operation this is an appalling oversight and omission.

Nonetheless, for the more persistent modeller, who is prepared to bash and scratch build and apply the livery themselves, there are a few options to assist. Firstly Fox transfers supply complete coach side decals for a class 442 (5-WES) in NSE livery that can be used along with a TPM kit that converts five Farish Mk3 coaches in to a very decent rendition of the unit. Next Electra Railway Graphics (ERG) offers a large range of water-slide bodyside transfers, including in NSE livery, for Farish coaches to make up EMU and DMU sets. Finally, it is still possible to pick up old TPM conversion kits for the original Farish Mk1 coaches with inlay strips that include NSE transfers to produce some of the more common EMUs.

Other than that it is down to the modeller to apply the livery by masking and painting although some of the stripes can be represented by transfers available from Fox. I’ve seen some excellent hand produced examples in N gauge running on layouts which provide a great inspiration as without doubt the NSE livery was a bright and bold venture that revolutionised livery thinking and is now an important part of our railway heritage.

The end of an era

The Network SouthEast era ended with the privatisation of the rail network. Potential train operating companies (TOCs) were invited to bid for ‘lines’ and successful ones were awarded franchises to provide passenger rail services. The first, almost experimental franchise, awarded to National Express Group to run ‘Gatwick Express’ services from Victoria to Gatwick Airport, was in 1996. This was followed by a whole host of franchises which effectively saw the break up of the NSE ‘region’ in to various TOCs including Connex, SouthWest Trains, South Central, Thameslink, Thames Trains, First Great Eastern, Chiltern and Wagn Railways.

However, the vestiges of NSE weren’t simply swept away as the new TOCs were ushered in. The NSE corporate colours and liveries lived on, adorning the stations and trains for many years and have only just all but been eradicated through repainting and the introduction of new rolling stock. Fortunately a few examples still carry their original NSE liveries, such as many of the 24 units of the class 456 fleet, although these are now shabby and well worn, and some Networker units.

The publicly owned NSE business unit faded away as the railways were sold off to private companies. Chris Green, who as managing director had headed the creation of Network SouthEast and had developed it as a successful rail business, left to take up the position of Chief Executive with one of the new TOCs - Virgin Trains.

During it’s short existence, NSE introduced an exciting colourful railway network, extended passenger services around London, electrified many lines, refurbished hundreds of stations and significantly reduced the average age of rolling stock. It oversaw the introduction of the new generation Networker trains and a welcome growth in passenger numbers. It left behind a welcome, newly revitalised and vibrant railway transport infrastructure in the Southeast corner of Britain.

Appendix 1 – NSE liveried RTR N Gauge

Currently available:

(While stocks last – all are basically limited production runs)

• (371-127) Farish/Bachmann – class 33 NSE revised livery 33 035 ‘Spitfire’
• (ND012b) Dapol class73 NSE revised livery 73 136
• (ND012a) Dapol class 73 NSE revised livery 73 129 ‘City of Winchester’

NSE in N: Dapol Class 73 and Farish by Bachmann Class 33

Previously available:

(All from Graham Farish of Poole)

• (8024) Class 47 NSE early upswing livery 47 598
• (8408) Class 50 NSE revised livery 50 002 ‘Superb’
• (8xxx) 3-car Class 101 DMU NSE livery
• (8748) Class 3-car 159 DMU NSE livery

The now no longer available Farish class 159 DMU in NSE livery

• (0808) Mk2e TSO coach NSE livery
• (0818) Mk2d FO coach NSE livery

Farish Mk2s in N: TSO and FO ( fitted with seats and TPM etched gangway/rubbing plates)

Appendix 2 - References and further reading

Publications

· “Network SouthEast; from Sectorisation to Privatisation” by Mark Lawrence (published by OPC)
· “Network SouthEast Handbook” by D Brown and A Jackson (published by Capital Transport)
· “NSE Retro-spectrum” article in ‘Rail Express’ magazine issue number 105 February 2005 by Simon Bendall.

Useful Links

http://www.network-southeast.co.uk/ - no longer appears to be updated, but still a wealth of information

NSE Society

The memory of Network SouthEast is also kept 'alive' by the NSE society. Their aims are to fill a gap in the era and area through building a fund of knowledge, rescuing artefacts such as station signage, building a paperwork archive of leaflets, posters, tickets and other NSE documents, and their primary efforts of preserving 4-CIG 1753 of which they are custodians. For further information and membership details contact - NSERS, c/o 18a Highland Road, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 0BG.