WMT liveries

[j789]

When was the Grey West Midland Travel livery first adopted for the whole fleet? I know it was based on the Timesaver livery used previously but when did it replace the previous blue and cream livery?

Also, how long was it used for until it was replaced by the red stripe livery?

I've seen Metrobuses and Lynx's in a similar style grey livery but the fleetline grey livery looks different with more blue and a different shade of grey. Did any fleetline receive the metrobus style of grey livery?

[Mike K]

When was the Grey West Midland Travel livery first adopted for the whole fleet? I know it was based on the Timesaver livery used previously but when did it replace the previous blue and cream livery?

Also, how long was it used for until it was replaced by the red stripe livery?

I've seen Metrobuses and Lynx's in a similar style grey livery but the fleetline grey livery looks different with more blue and a different shade of grey. Did any fleetline receive the metrobus style of grey livery?

There were a few different variants of the grey liveries. The first batch delivered new after the Timesavers was 2975-3124 which were a sort of silver grey and blue. After that older Metrobuses began being repainted into the livery - I guess that would have been around 1988/89. The silver metallic effect colour was soon replaced with a plain grey which I thought looked poor by comparison but was presumably easier to maintain. Here's 2403 in that scheme:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcwmetrobuses/12276013255/

The Lynxs 1067-1316 were delivered in this revised grey and in a similar scheme with just the lower panels in blue. As far as I know, no Fleetlines had the same scheme that the Lynxs and Metrobuses had. The early Fleetline repaints just had the cream repainted grey (on some of the Quinton and Washwood Heath ones at least they actually painted around existing adverts!) and they looked hideous:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/discogareth/6296350256/

Scanias 3201-47 (1990) were the first buses delivered new in the red stripe livery, reverting to the silver / grey with a brighter blue and the thick red band below the lower saloon windows. Not sure when other buses in the fleet began being repainted into that scheme but I would assume it would have been from around 1991/2.
I assume someone else can give more definitive dates.

[winston]

There were a few different variants of the grey liveries. The first batch delivered new after the Timesavers was 2975-3124 which were a sort of silver grey and blue. After that older Metrobuses began being repainted into the livery - I guess that would have been around 1988/89. The silver metallic effect colour was soon replaced with a plain grey which I thought looked poor by comparison but was presumably easier to maintain. Here's 2403 in that scheme:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcwmetrobuses/12276013255/

The Lynxs 1067-1316 were delivered in this revised grey and in a similar scheme with just the lower panels in blue. As far as I know, no Fleetlines had the same scheme that the Lynxs and Metrobuses had. The early Fleetline repaints just had the cream repainted grey (on some of the Quinton and Washwood Heath ones at least they actually painted around existing adverts!) and they looked hideous:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/discogareth/6296350256/

Scanias 3201-47 (1990) were the first buses delivered new in the red stripe livery, reverting to the silver / grey with a brighter blue and the thick red band below the lower saloon windows. Not sure when other buses in the fleet began being repainted into that scheme but I would assume it would have been from around 1991/2.
I assume someone else can give more definitive dates.

The initial Mk1 & Mk2 Metrobuses were being outshopped in this Silver/blue initial version:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/8224633328
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/7991002544

some WMT fleetlines including 6903 had this grey/blue version applied
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/7703340790

More here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/albums/72157628060515320/

Leyland Nationals also started out with the silver/blue variant:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/8241513489

Then switching to the latter grey/blue version:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/8245100296

[paulb1973]

A quick search on Flickr reveals (but this may not be a complete list) the following Fleetlines carried the earlier grey/blue livery:

Open-top
3867 [silver/grey]

In the 6660-90 batch:
6665, 6667, 6681*, 6687, 6688

In the 6866-7000 batch:
6873*, 6881, 6889, 6898, 6903, 6904, 6911, 6916*, 6927, 6943, 6945, 6951, 6957, 6960, 6961, 6971, 6972, 6976, 6978, 6979, 6982, 6997, 6999

(* = gained the later 'red stripe' livery or variations of it)

[Justin Tyme]

Am I right in thinking that no Fleetlines received the early scheme because there was a plan to withdraw them by the early 1990s?  I seem to recall that after it was decided to keep some Fleetlines for a while longer, repaints into blue and grey then started.

Many Leyland Nationals were included in the blue/grey programme as well.

[D10]

Am I right in thinking that no Fleetlines received the early scheme because there was a plan to withdraw them by the early 1990s?  I seem to recall that after it was decided to keep some Fleetlines for a while longer, repaints into blue and grey then started.

Many Leyland Nationals were included in the blue/grey programme as well.

Yes in the September 1989 Buses magazine feature on West Midlands Travel, it said that all Fleetlines were due to go by the end of 1991 so would not go into the Grey livery. 

[Gareth]

Yes in the September 1989 Buses magazine feature on West Midlands Travel, it said that all Fleetlines were due to go by the end of 1991 so would not go into the Grey livery.

I'm sure there were already Grey Fleetlines in service by then!

[j789]

Thank you for the responses, very interesting reading and lots of things I didn't know.

Related to the comments about the Fleetlines due to have withdrawn in the early 1990s, why were some MK1 Metrobuses withdrawn so early on (1988?)when older Fleetlines were still in service? Was it in any way connected to the sale of the Ailsas to London? I've always thought it a funny situation that over 20 years after the first withdrawals of Metros, there were still Metros going strong in the main TWM fleet.

[D10]

Thank you for the responses, very interesting reading and lots of things I didn't know.

Related to the comments about the Fleetlines due to have withdrawn in the early 1990s, why were some MK1 Metrobuses withdrawn so early on (1988?)when older Fleetlines were still in service? Was it in any way connected to the sale of the Ailsas to London? I've always thought it a funny situation that over 20 years after the first withdrawals of Metros, there were still Metros going strong in the main TWM fleet.

Some early Metrobuses were prone to corrosion issues, so it probably wasn't deemed economic to repair them when there were slightly older Fleetlines in the fleet that were still ok.

[markcf83]

Weren't some Metrobuses withdrawn following serious accidents damage?

[paulb1973]

Weren't some Metrobuses withdrawn following serious accidents damage?

Only really 2004, 2029, 7006 and 2098 (a low-bridge victim quite late-on) from the Mk1 Metrobuses.

From the Mk2's - quite a few all-told if you include accidents once & after Mk2 withdrawals commenced. But the really early losses were: 2662, 2711, 2773, 2919 & 2964. Suppose 2930 & 3027 both fire victims c.2000 could be added to that list.

[Westy]

Didn't the Nationals go into a version of the blue / cream Metrobus livery, the ones that didn't go into Timesaver livery.

[winston]

Didn't the Nationals go into a version of the blue / cream Metrobus livery, the ones that didn't go into Timesaver livery.

Yep:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/31767760031

[markcf83]

Only really 2004, 2029, 7006 and 2098 (a low-bridge victim quite late-on) from the Mk1 Metrobuses.

From the Mk2's - quite a few all-told if you include accidents once & after Mk2 withdrawals commenced. But the really early losses were: 2662, 2711, 2773, 2919 & 2964. Suppose 2930 & 3027 both fire victims c.2000 could be added to that list.

Useful to know,especially given I'm not a native of the West Midlands. Thanks for that.

[Wumpty]

Yep:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59615439@N03/31767760031

IIRC there were a couple of trial liveries on the Nationals to find the best fit - I'm scouring t'internet to find it now!