doublearrow.co.uk

‘Arrows of desire’, a book all about the illustrious British Rail symbol, published by the modernist® is now available for pre-order at… the-modernist.org/products/arr...

There is something very graphically 'clean' about the then generic graphic design of the British Rail timetables; Eastern Region & the design is displaying the influence of the 1965 British Rail design manual. @doublearrow64.bsky.social #rail #graphicdesign #transport ↘️ flic.kr/p/2sJfzr9

Reminds me that this locomotive had a little Terence Cuneo painted mouse tucked away next to the grille flic.kr/p/2cAPHdn

Yay, just got given this fabulous book: Mapping Britain’s Railways by @markonthemaps.bsky.social and @mrmappy.bsky.social

Don’t understand why GBR* don’t just say, ‘No, you’re not doing this’, either make it first class or make it standard class * Or does GBR still not really a thing yet? If so, what is the GBR livery abomination all about (and Rail Alphabet 3 for that matter)?

Feels like a backward step from Network Rail Wayfinding 3.0, quite possibly to satisfy the whim of someone at DfT When it comes to brand, everything GBR touches turns to mediocre style over substance

It’s InterCity XPT all the way - a model mode of transport - Goulburn Rail Heritage Centre. The Australian version of the BR HST 125 came into service in 1982 & still runs. @doublearrow64.bsky.social #railway #transport

It appears from much earlier than that on our mapping archive - for example, it's on this Quarter Inch map from 1946: www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.p... But not on the same sheet from 1939: www.sabre-roads.org.uk/maps/index.p... It's there on all our mapping immediately post-war.

Was this north curve (between ECM1 and BCA) at Sandy real? If so, can’t have lasted long; seems to start appearing on maps c1967 (Map: OS 1:25,000 from the fabulous NLS Maps website maps.nls.uk)

Just look at that chubby symbol (and here’s the reason why)

If we can just move the lettering a bit closer to the symbol…

It’s busy, I’ll give you that 😥 So CIE basically took the LT roundel and made it fly, which is ironic as this map predominantly shows land transport 😬

Take my 5p and give me a ‘Time Table’! For the pink and orange, are we talking M100 Y60 versus M60 Y100 (or similar), or are they actual specials? I’ve never really taken the time to examine the ‘Lazy S‘ Selnec logotype but it’s rather spectacular in all its mid-twentieth century italic glory

How’s that for a van?! @doublearrow64.bsky.social

Lovely running-in board at Warrington Bank Quay, complete with Rail Alphabet 2 and Rail Symbol 2

New signage on facia outside Macclesfield (obvs); much better than the old monstrosity but shame about the red symbol on dark background, no good for colour blindness, need to make these white

Important because sensory overload is prevalent right now; that said, some TOCs have been much better than others with CIS but there has to be a joined up approach under GBR

Excellent sticker on the side of a bus which does actually serve* Millwall football ground * except on match days specifically around kick off and finish times, which is very much TfL’s way of saying, welcome aboard, except *you lot*

Yes, I think we all did :) #OldSkool

Been there for a while now, I think; better for sure than the old version but the ’r’ and the ‘t’ are drifting apart, admittedly they would be very close using standard Rail Alphabet spacing but there you go (also wondering if that’s a negative symbol) :)

The random angularity of the ‘glitch‘ works against not only (a) the horizontal lines of the train, but also (b) the very specific, carefully thought-out angles of the Rail Symbol, indeed a poorer visual foil for the Symbol one would be hard-pressed to find

Even Amtrak doesn’t wrap a train in the flag. Sure they use a lot of blue and some red and white stripes, but it’s fashioned into a cohesive livery. This is just…embarrassing.

Absolutely the tip of the iceberg

It's the insecurity of that gets me. The only other country I've seen with flag trains is the USA...

Or go back to the drawing board and not be affected or constrained by (a) the red, white and blue of an incidental and divisive flag, (b) an ill-conceived and jumped-up organisational name (which shouldn’t really be seen anywhere near a train), and (c) harmful political posturing based on illusion

It was within reach but I think that someone who doesn’t get it seems to be making the decisions

. . . flic.kr/p/2sAe6H3 (Callum Radford)

👀

and the full route map...@railarchive.org.uk

Cover to the Open Day in July 1979 at British Rail's Stratford Traction Maintenance Depot at Stratford in London. The once mighty works site is now covered by HS1 works inc. Stratford International, the Westfield shopping centre & 2012 Olympic works. @doublearrow64.bsky.social ↘️ flic.kr/p/2szcNft

An excellent illustration of the age old phenomenon/conundrum of people wanting their ’bit’ of the railway system to matter at the expense of the overarching branding philosophy; still happening today with, for example, line names and some NR stations still using those tired station identifiers

Railfreight Petroleum decals on an MGR, ahem Still not sure why the depth of the white band on Network SouthEast locomotives couldn’t have matched the rolling stock Superb photograph though! :)

Got lost for hours at the weekend visiting Paul B’s zenfolio; as they say, nostalgia is not what it used to be Also the Network SouthEast brand compares favourably with the current GBR look; of course it’s 40 years old, let’s not forget #SplashOfRed

Combine both your interests with this... www.flickr.com/photos/petej...

They don’t make ‘em like this anymore…

That looks like GBR signage with Rail Alphabet 3; no excuse for the fare zone bit which is a vestige of SWT signage meaning the main white bit is almost certainly an ‘over-vinyl‘ (vinyl will be the end of me)

Dear Rail Delivery Group, please stop trashing your brand assets (and become acquainted with Rail Symbol 2) Also, Helvetica? Really? #frightening

Can’t wait to get my hands on one of these

Book launch ahead! Love #maps #railways #design? Know people who do? Search "Mapping Britain's Railways" & "Ovenden" for new #BritishLibrary title out 18/08/26. 1st with every #TrainOperatingCompany & newest #GreatBritishRailways maps, plus historical ones. #transit & #cartography lovers must-have!

Almost perfect rake of Regional Railways stock behind an unidentified Class 31/4; note the Network SouthEast impostor with a lighter blue across the windows and a darker shade of blue used to paint out the red lower body stripe :)

A good example of what the Network Rail Wayfinding guidelines were designed to eliminate, namely the same arrow repetitively stacked on a limitless number of planks; if Cambridge South is anything to go by, I fear the GBR Wayfinding guidance will unnecessarily be taking us back in this direction