CMMC – May Color – Purple

So Cee wants Purple for this weeks Midweek Challenge?.. Tricksy colour to define! Probably best described in cloth / paint terms as a blend of red and blue. Mauve is a very specific colour based on the Mallow flower, so a bit lighter in shade. At least that’s what the internet tells me. Not sure that nature picks its colours from the paint makers swatch card though… 😉

Lets begin with a historic shot in more ways than one – taken in 2013, this is a Class 313 emu operated by First Capital Connect on the Great Northern inner suburban services. It carries the ‘Urban Lights’ livery which had a base colour of purple which faded into blue…

…The last of the Class 313’s were retired from service on this route in 30 September 2019.

Now a current purple, photographed last Friday – East Midlands Railway are rebranding their fleet. There are a couple of versions out there but this seems to be the one that will become the standard for their Midlands to London services…

…The Class 222’s are the current mainstay of the services to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield from London. However, it is planned to electrify the line fully and currently that seems likely to complete in 2022 at which point these diesel trains will be replaced by electric ones.

As a footnote, last Saturday saw the final services operated by the venerable HST’s on the route as these have finally been phased out. One of the Class 43’s was repainted in the EMR colours, seen here last Friday on a run into St. Pancras…

…Both photos taken at West Hampstead Thameslink. And look what else I found on the station Cee!..

…Snap! as they say 😉

Catch up with Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge Here.