ScotRail

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File:National Express Scotrail logo.gif
156450 at Hexham.JPG
Franchise(s): ScotRail
1997 - 16. October 2004
Main area(s): Scotland
Other area(s): London, Watford, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle and Newcastle
Fleet size: 309
Stations: 336
Parent company: National Express
Web site: www.scotrail.co.uk

ScotRail was the brand name under which British Rail 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 7 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.

Class Image Type Top speed Built
mph km/h
Class 101 101692 at Arley.JPG Diesel multiple unit 75 120 1956 - 1959
Class 150 Sprinter 150262 at Cardiff Central.JPG Diesel multiple unit 75 120 1984 - 1987
Class 156 Super Sprinter 100px Diesel multiple unit 75 120 1987 - 1989
Class 158 Express Sprinter 100px Diesel multiple unit 90 145 1989 - 1992
Class 170 Turbostar Spt 170476 glasgow.jpg Diesel multiple unit 100 160 1999
Class 303 Blue Train 303s@central.jpg Electric multiple unit 75 120 1959 - 1961
Class 311 303s@central.jpg Electric multiple unit 75 120 1967
Class 314 100px Electric multiple unit 75 120 1979 - 1980
Class 318 100px Electric multiple unit 90 145 1986
Class 320 100px Electric multiple unit 75 120 1990
Class 322 100px Electric multiple unit 100 160 1989
Class 334 Juniper 100px Electric multiple unit 90 145 2000
Mk. 2 Coach 100px Passenger Rolling stock 100 160 1969 - 1974
Mk.3 Coach 100px Passenger Rolling stock 125 200 1975 - 1988

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 67 locomotives used on Caledonian Sleeper services.

References


Template:S-start |- style="text-align:center;" |width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"|Preceded by
Regional Railways
As part of British Rail |width="40%" style="text-align: center;" rowspan="1"|Operator of ScotRail franchise
1997 - 2004 |width="30%" align="center" rowspan="1"| Succeeded by
First ScotRail |- |}
Template:Defunct UK TOCs