"...Early that month, strange aesthetic omissions began to occur within the CT 150 fleet. 150022 was outshopped ex-works in Central Trains green, but with no branding at all..."
Prior to London Midland’s introduction of the Class 172 in 2011, the almost exclusively dominant multiple unit on rail routes emanating from Birmingham Snow Hill and Moor Street was the Class 150. The 150s had also maintained strongholds on some routes out of New Street – the Birmingham to Cannock service, for example. And they had a modest presence on the Lickey Incline too.
1984 prototype 150001 was a resident member of the Central Trains Class 150 fleet.
I will be overlapping into the London Midland era in this post, but it’s the Class 150s’ first privatised operator – Central Trains – that will be taking centre stage. The article thus becomes this site’s fourth focus on individual Central Trains unit types – the 158s, 170s and 310s having already been covered.
A scene from 2006, when Centro and Central Trains liveried sets could commonly be found operating together. Here at Bentley Heath are Centro green 150132 and CT green 150004.
Central Trains had the most interesting fleet of Class 150s in the country, comprising the two prototypes, and three other variants of set. And by the final year of Central’s franchise, the units appeared in no fewer than four basic liveries, with additional minor variations creating further interest. We’ll nerd out on the liveries in due course, but first, what were the different variants?…
TYPES OF CENTRAL TRAINS CLASS 150
'Hard' three-car Class 150/0s (the two prototypes – 150001 and 150002 – which were built with a native centre car). These sets were designed to remain rigidly in three-car format – hence the ‘hard’ definition. Prototype 150002 is seen above on the Lickey Incline.
'Soft' three-car 150/0s (comprising both vehicles from a two-car Class 150/1, with a single vehicle from a Class 150/2 in the centre). These sets could revert back to two-car 150/1 status on demand – hence the ‘soft’ definition. 150013 provides our example, rounding the curve at Hungary Hill, Stourbridge, in June 1999.
Two-car Class 150/1s. Apart from 150101 and 150102 (which, due to the ‘hard’ existence of 150001 and 150002, could not be renumbered according to the -100 renumbering protocol), these sets were potentially subject to being supplemented with a single centre car from a split 150/2, to form a three-car 150/0. Our representative above is 150108, in some rather wicked afternoon light at Stourbridge Junction.
Two-car Class 150/2s. These sets were subject to being broken up to provide centre cars for Class 150/1s. In the late 1990s Bentley Heath shot above, 150214 still has a Rail Blue(!) Tyseley depot sticker below its set number on the cab front. These stickers were common before the 1999 livery revision.
THE ACTUAL VEHICLES
When Central Trains adopted their Class 150 component vehicles from British Rail in 1997, there were 85 individual cars, all in Centro livery. The Centro livery had been launched as a variation on British Rail’s standard Regional Railways livery at the start of the 1990s. The original Centro design is seen on 150123 above, at Wythall. 150123 was one of the examples that migrated to Silverlink in 1999.
The Centro visuals differed from Regional Railways in the substitution of a light emerald green for the dark blue which normally appreared around the passenger windows. The solid, light blue bodyside stripe was also extended right up to the cab ends, and Centro vehicles featured square, yellow-based Centro logos positioned along the green window band. For comparison, 150232 can be seen in the standard Regional Railways livery above.
With British Rail, some, but not all Centro liveried 150s had carried Regional Railways branding as well as the Centro logos. Centro liveried 150s did not, however, carry Central Trains branding whilst with Central Trains. Aside from the removal of Regional Railways branding where necessary, the detail of Centro livery remained the same until 1999. The aesthetic received a minor update at that point, but still stood as the universal Central Trains Class 150 livery until 2005. In the late '90s scene above, 150202 slows for its evening stop at Bromsgrove station.
The image above shows 150121 at Birmingham Moor Street in the pre-1999 version of Centro livery, which I’ll differentiate from the post-1999 version in the Update section. But note, for now, the very obvious gap in the set number on the cab front, a Rail Blue “TS” Tyseley sticker below that number once again, and the old style of overhead wires warning in the left hand cab front window.
Some of the set formations were fluid, so there was no definitive arrangement of the component vehicles over the years. But here’s a snapshot from the late 1990s, before any 150/1 sets migrated to Silverlink. The total vehicle volume was at this point a little larger than it had been upon acquisition from BR, courtesy of a few additional 150/2 cars for use in ‘soft’ 150/0s…
150001: 55200 + 55300 + 55400
150002: 55201 + 55301 + 55401
150101: 52101 + 57101
150102: 52102 + 57102
150103: 52103 + 57103
150104: 52104 + 57104
150105: 52105 + 57105
150106: 52106 + 57106
150107: 52107 + 57107
150108: 52108 + 57108
150109: 52109 + 57109
150010: 52110 + 57110 + 57226
150011: 52111 + 57111 + 57206
150012: 52112 + 57112 + 52204
150013: 52113 + 57113 + 52226
150014: 52114 + 57114 + 57204
150015: 52115 + 57115 + 52206
150016: 52116 + 57116 + 57212
150017: 52117 + 57117 + 57209
150018: 52118 + 57118 + 52220
150019: 52119 + 57119 + 52212
150120: 52120 + 57120
150021: 52121 + 57121 + 57220
150122: 52122 + 57122
150123: 52123 + 57123
150124: 52124 + 57124
150125: 52125 + 57125
150126: 52126 + 57126
150127: 52127 + 57127
150128: 52128 + 57128
150129: 52129 + 57129
150130: 52130 + 57130
150131: 52131 + 57131
150132: 52132 + 57132
150202: 52202 + 57202
150210: 52210 + 57210
150214: 52214 + 57214
150216: 52216 + 57216
RENUMBERING NOTES
150103 at rest at Leamington Spa station in June 2000.
Upon amendment of the formation, renumbering of the front and rear cars in any set was strict. The spectacle of ‘soft’ three-car Class 150s with the end cars still bearing 150/1 set numbers was commonly observed in BR days, but by the Central Trains era it was very rare.
The centre cars in the ‘soft’ 150/0s, however, tended not to have their set numbers adjusted at all prior to the mid 2000s. So if car 52214 (from 150214) was sandwiched between the two cars of 150122 (as it was for a while), the end cars would be updated to carry the correct 3-car set number 150022. But the middle car would still retain its 2-car set number 150214. However, after the sets began to appear in the Central Trains livery, forward from late summer 2005, the centre cars in ‘soft’ three-car sets would generally be updated with the correct 150/0 set numbers.
In unforeseen circumstances, odd sets could be observed in traffic. A two-car made from one 150/1 vehicle and one 150/2 vehicle, for example. Most often when this happened, both end vehicles would retain their original set numbers, so the set would bear a different number at each end. But less commonly, the 150/2 would be renumbered with a 150/1 set number. The shot above shows a highly unusual instance of a Class 150/2 car running with a 150/1 set number. I should stress that this shot comes from May 2008, by which time London Midland had taken over the franchise.
THE FIRST LIVERY UPDATE
Beginning in mid 1999, Central made a minor update to the Centro livery on its 150 units. Firstly, white door marker strips were added at either side of all passenger doors. This had the effect of displacing the yellow Centro logos. After the update, the units carried fewer Centro logos, and those they did carry were relocated. Secondly, on 150/0s and 150/1s, the yellow front end received an extension on the lower centre portion. The pre-1999 version saw the yellow cut off in a straight line flush with the base of the light clusters. But the post-1999 version saw the yellow extending down to the bottom of the panel. Another subtle change saw the gap in the set number routinely (but not exclusively) closed, so 150 121 (see earlier photo) became a seamless 150121 (as shown above).
2005 BRINGS VARIETY
Ex-Anglia/One sets 150213, 150217, 150227, 150237, 150255 and 150257 as they were after arrival and rebranding in 2005.
2005 was the first year of real change for the Central Trains 150s. In the first half of the year, Central swapped a collection of its Class 156s for a batch of 150/2 sets from One, Anglia. The new arrivals were: 150213, 150217, 150227, 150229, 150231, 150235, 150237, 150255 and 150257, and all ran in what was basically their old Anglia livery for the rest of their time with Central Trains.
For a very short period the ex-Anglia 150/2s ran without any branding, as seen in the shot above, with 150237 at Tyseley station on 2nd April 2005. They quickly received Central Trains branding as well as the standard yellow Centro logos.
The transferred units originally had half yellow ends, but were later updated to carry full yellow ends. Above, 150237 appears again, on 28th August 2007. Note that by this time, as well as carrying full yellow ends, it’s had its yellow Centro logos replaced with white Network West Midlands logos.
At the end of summer 2005, CT very belatedly began revising its Centro liveried 150s into Central Trains livery. The first unit revised was 150009. I first spotted it on 2nd September ’05 looking absolutely immaculate on Tyseley depot. Above, it’s seen at Acocks Green four days later.
2006
The initial plan had been to add only Centro branding to these re-liveried units, and the first few were outshopped without any reference to Central Trains. At Worcester Shrub Hill on 9th February 2006, 150125 shows off the original look alongside Class 180 No. 180102. Note that the yellow ends have reverted back to the pre-1999 style, displaying a cut-off flush with the base of the light clusters. And because of the yellow doors, there’s now no need for accessibility markers, which means the Centro logos can go back into their old positions – as well as the new.
Around this time in winter ‘06, CT finally started adding Central Trains branding to its long-time 150 stock – at the point of livery update. I believe 150012 was the first unit so treated. It’s seen above, almost ex-works at Tyseley, on 16th February 2006.
Over the course of the next year, repainting of the Centro liveried 150s into Central Trains green was just about as intensive as resources would allow. The pioneer 150001 appears fresh in Central Trains green on the Stoke Works to Droitwich single line in June 2006. Note that by this time, Central are also adding their web address to the bodysides.
2007
By March 2007, only five sets remained in Centro colours. Those five remaining sets would never receive the Central Trains livery…
Early that month, strange aesthetic omissions began to occur within the CT 150 fleet. 150022 was outshopped ex-works in Central Trains green, but with no branding at all (see photo above). Neither Central Trains nor Centro. Nothing. And for any enthusiast who just imagined the paint shop had run out of transfers, there were more clues in the fact that the Centro branding was being removed from other examples.
As it turned out, 150022 would be the last 150 released in Central Trains green. The dropping of the Centro brand in favour of Network West Midlands had prompted a policy change regarding the CT Class 150s. Forward from 21st March ’07, when 150010 emerged from Doncaster Works, subsequent repaints would receive a brand new Network West Midlands blue livery, with green and white trim. 150010 (seen above) was the first of the five remaining Centro sets to go NWM blue. The other four were 150003 150018, 150126 and 150132 – and all were updated in the coming weeks. During this short period, just before Centro livery was finally rendered extinct on the class, there were four separate liveries within the CT 150 fleet: Centro, Central Trains green, Anglia, and Network West Midlands.
The Network West Midlands livery brought another U-turn in protocol re the yellow ends. Between the base of the light clusters, the yellow was now once again extended downward. But this time, instead of concluding in a horizontal line at the bottom of the panel, the yellow also extended right down the two struts above the coupler. The doors were now grey, and white NWM squares appeared on the bodyside instead of the yellow Centro squares. According to a member of staff at Tyseley, the new NWM livery was not popular among insiders. I can see why, although in fairness, Central Trains green was a hard act to follow.
150011 in Central Trains livery but with Network West Midlands logos, at Husum Way, near Kidderminster.
Forward from this point, the Centro logos on all Central Trains 150s were replaced with NWM logos.
At Halfords Lane, Smethwick, we see the contrast between the Network West Midlands livery as applied to 150003, and Metro Tram 09. No unified identity at all.
LONDON MIDLAND
In November 2007, London Midland took over the franchise from Central Trains. Immediate changes to the 150 fleet included the transfer of the ex-Anglia 150/2s to South Wales, and the removal of Central Trains branding across the remaining Tyseley examples. But the new operator retained a substantial fleet of 150s until 2011, when the new Class 172s were introduced specifically to replace them. Above, 150012 and 150122 are seen working for London Midland at Tyseley in the final summer of full operation – 19th August 2011.
After the 172s entered full service, London Midland retained just three Class 150s –soldiering on through 2012 in the former Central Trains green livery. In the first half of the following year, the three remnants – 150105, 150107 and 150109 – were treated to London Midland house colours. Above, 150107 is seen sporting this attractive look at Stoke Works. In fact, the trio of survivors even managed to cling to their duties around Birmingham into the West Midlands Railway era, finally submitting near the end of April 2019, when they moved to Great Western.
A now ageing multiple unit, which had carried many West Midlands operations since the 1980s, had finally disappeared.