"Very, very, very briefly in early spring '97, Virgin outshopped the Class 43 with “XC” branding and a dark grey cab roof."
A year ago, I said that in the post-BR era, EWS was the UK rail operator with the greatest enthusiast appeal. But is that true? Well, some might argue that a passenger operator would have higher enthusiast appeal than a freight operator, since its trains were, or are, available to the public for daily travel. And that's an altogether richer experience than simply watching trains. It's open to debate. But if you do believe that the enthusiast's choice in privatised UK rail companies would have to be a passenger service provider, then surely the leading contender is Virgin Trains, in its early phase, when the whole caboodle comprised ex-British Rail stock.