please empty your brain below
Top of the morning!

Justin | Homepage | 10.06.26 - 5:21 a.m. | #

This was great design well implemented. Dare I (predictably) say better than the current GBR offering.

Didn't know about Downham Market. Pleasing.

Michael T | 10.06.26 - 5:37 a.m. | #

For me, the key NSE branding was red lampposts. Some survived at the overgrown carriage sidings at Reading (Southern) until the 2010 rebuild. I expect readers know if there are still any originals.

Michael | 10.06.26 - 6:42 a.m. | #

The red lamp-posts were quite controversial at the time; railway thinking being that red was a colour best reserved for signalling danger.

‘Notwork SouthEast’ was an easy media snipe whenever the system sat down.

Green was an energetic, insuppressible force of marketing energy. Overall a Good Thing.

David B | 10.06.26 - 6:58 a.m. | #

Thanks for the link to the clock! It looks really good, ticking away on an old laptop.

Paul Bohane | 10.06.26 - 7:36 a.m. | #

The NSE flashes on the platform edges on the Waterloo & City Line were placed there to line up with the doors of the trains so that people could queue up in an orderly manner, as had been the custom on that line. (Previously there had been painted marks on the platform surface)
Shortly after they were put in, new trains were ordered with the doors in different positions.

Timbo | 10.06.26 - 7:39 a.m. | #

Great memories. A great achievement by Chris Green, someone who should have run and still be running BR.

Barry Coppock | 10.06.26 - 7:47 a.m. | #

Network Southeast lives on with the Network railcard.

Malcolm of Kent | 10.06.26 - 8:31 a.m. | #

The actual name was a well kept secret until not long before launch. A leaked alternative of Laserail (London And South East RAILway) was widely in circulation as the expected brand.

Man of Kent | 10.06.26 - 8:37 a.m. | #

Nice work! Made me all nostalgic.

I remember the TV ad too - the red and blue stripes animated across the screen if I recall.

Kevin | 10.06.26 - 8:40 a.m. | #

Bring back the clocks, easily readable from a distance. I must go a look at the one at Victoria next time I'm up in London.

Mike | 10.06.26 - 8:51 a.m. | #

Speaking of Charing Cross - the digital departure boards overlooking the booking hall contains almost perfect replicas of the NSE clocks, right down to the three parallelogram branding.

Marc | 10.06.26 - 8:51 a.m. | #

It's also tied in with Class 33s, 47s and 50s - the last years that the heritage stuff was in day to day use, it was carrying NSE livery.

Remember that the NSE livery evolved, earlier repaints had straight lines for the upsweep, later this became curved, the blue got darker, with Thameslink, Networkers and Class 442 the dark grey was replaced by light grey, on locomotives the upswept ends switched to straight lines - this also suited the shorter Class 33s and 73s (I'm not sure 86 401 got this version). The fares system is also a legacy of NSE.

Still Anon | 10.06.26 - 8:56 a.m. | #

I'm sure people have vivid memories of their packed £1 Network day trip two Saturdays later - I went to Downham Market!

felix | 10.06.26 - 9:18 a.m. | #

I have no Network Day memories because I was sitting my University finals exams that day.

diamond geezer | Homepage | 10.06.26 - 9:22 a.m. | #

Why spend money replacing something which doesn't (or shouldn't) bother or confuse anyone.

kev | 10.06.26 - 9:25 a.m. | #

I don’t typically spend much time thinking about transport branding so I was slightly startled to realise that NSE is my Platonic ideal of how a railway ought to look. Perhaps the effect is reinforced by my memories of other branding of the period like Tesco, BA, BT?

jpmac | 10.06.26 - 9:29 a.m. | #

"it would leave an asymmetric mess"

sometimes called a labelscar (in a more North American context)

MilesT | 10.06.26 - 9:34 a.m. | #

Red lampposts ahoy!

As I remember those giant digital clocks made quite a loud ticking sound whilst operating; I recall waiting for a train underneath one once and almost being hypnotised by this..

Adrian | 10.06.26 - 9:55 a.m. | #

I noticed that the plug socket in the NSE Networker carriage says "for BR use only" which I thought was a lovely little touch.

A G | 10.06.26 - 10:25 a.m. | #

Really staggering to think it was only around for eight years although it had a very long tail. A really well thought out and thorough rebranding exercise and a template that will not be followed with GBR, sadly

daveid76 | 10.06.26 - 10:49 a.m. | #

Perhaps lozenges rather than chevrons. Chevrons are a V-shape.

dg writes: tweaked thanks

Jonathan Wadman | 10.06.26 - 10:52 a.m. | #

are the service patterns on that northbound line diagram at Essex Road still correct? :)

Anonymous | 10.06.26 - 11:08 a.m. | #

Congratulations on posting your 20,000th photo on your Flickr feed flickr.com/photos/dgeezer/55325280694 🥳

Kevin Too | 10.06.26 - 11:15 a.m. | #

Why is the third 'chevron' under the BR arrows at Essex Road white? Shouldn't it be grey?

ChrisBCN | 10.06.26 - 11:25 a.m. | #

I'm pretty certain that NSE coloured bands still exist on the platform columns at Cannon Street station.

Graham | 10.06.26 - 11:35 a.m. | #

However you structure the railways, there will always be boundaries, but the NSE boundary made far more sense for London commuting than the old BR regions, where Southern trains like the 455s ended up quite different from the 317s north of the river, for example.

Mikey C | 10.06.26 - 11:58 a.m. | #

Always a joy to find NSE remnants around. There are a few at Slough, including a lovely waiting room sign.

Also plenty of remnants in less visual ways, including the still-weird feature of a terminal station and turnback siding at Bedwyn, a tiny village just over the Berks/Wilts border, and a horrendous jump in fares to any station beyond.

Arguably W&C trains are still red, blue and white, just to a different design.

Nick | 10.06.26 - 12:30 p.m. | #

There is also a perfect NSE clock at Liverpool Street

Thomas | 10.06.26 - 1:03 p.m. | #

The problem with the vibrant red lamp-posts of Network Southeast, was that prolonged exposure to sunlight meant rapid fading to a insipid pink.

The zeal of newly-appointed franchise companies meant that most were quickly re-painted in a new livery. In abandoned corners of some stations examples can be found. One, by the signal box at Ryde St Johns Road, has traces of red paint, but minimally so as the paint looks to have been applied directly to unpainted galvanised metal; never a recipe for longevity.

The longest run of red posts I am aware of was alongside the track on track on the western approach to Southampton Central, characteristically faded. In the last few months, however, these have received a fresh coat of the original scarlet hue. Whether in acknowledgment of the forthcoming anniversary, I am unable to say.

cau1khead | 10.06.26 - 2:48 p.m. | #

I'm impressed that today the departures board at Charing Cross is displaying the Network South East logo and trains are being announced as Network South East services.

ap | 10.06.26 - 3:36 p.m. | #

Urrrgh, Essex Road. Grim indeed, with its bomb shelter vibe and horrible deadened acoustics. Shudder......

Auntie Doris | 10.06.26 - 5:59 p.m. | #

Essex Road is one of my favourite stations, I love the utter decrepit nature of it. For an extra treat, don’t take the lift to the platforms but instead go through the double doors to the left that look like you ought not to and marvel and the dingy spiral staircase.

A few years back some of the signage was replaced but it was only vinyled over - it was poorly fitted so I’m surprised no-one’s ever pulled some of it off to reveal original NSE signage underneath.

And yes, the huge northbound route diagram is still accurate.

Hadders | 10.06.26 - 7:26 p.m. | #

A wonderful post. So good to see gems from NSE days. I’ve noticed a few in passing and it always intrigues me, so it’s a very pleasant look at these bits, many thanks.

Herbof | 10.06.26 - 7:32 p.m. | #

Some of those of us that had to travel on it quickly called it Notwork South East.

I had to cab it a lot after they took over.

Chris | 10.06.26 - 8:54 p.m. | #

I always associated those red metal benches with Network South East too, they seemed to be on every platform at the time too, although I am not sure if they were specific to Network South East or all over the network. Not many of them around now either.

Jon Combe | 10.06.26 - 10:35 p.m. | #

I was a year behind you at Uni so was able to enjoy the first Network Day. Early train to Brighton then along the south coast. Best thing was you could be completely spontaneous - unlike today’s Rail Sale advance only deals.

Oxford hated NSE of course as it lost its daytime HSTs to London and had to make do with slower, inferior stock. But Chris Green was right, there were more winners than losers and that red white and blue livery sure beats the nascent GBR offering.

Lurking in Lamorbey | 10.06.26 - 11:22 p.m. | #

It's weird, if you'd held my feet to tbe fire 20 minutes ago and asked me to describe the Network South East branding I'd have looked at you completely blankly, but the minute I saw the first photo I was instantly back on a platform at Maidenhead c. 1993 on the commute to my first proper job.

Town mouse | Homepage | 11.06.26 - 9:31 p.m. | #

On a day trip yesterday, I noticed that at least one station on the line from Southend Victoria still has (faded) NSE lozenges on the platform.

John Simmons | 11.06.26 - 10:38 p.m. | #

It took me a few days to pop by and confirm but I am now happy to report that the clickety-clack clock on platform 19 at Victoria has well-preserved NSE lozenges on both faces.

Tunnel Bore | 12.06.26 - 5:00 p.m. | #

Victoria also has an NSE clock which is about a half size at the entrance to platform 1. I don't know if it's original NSE or some modern affectation purchased or commissioned by Belmond who run the elite trains from here. I've never seen half-size ones anywhere else.

Basil Jet | 12.06.26 - 5:34 p.m. | #

Opposite the front of the w/b platform at Twickenham there is an NSE ‘Open doors other side’ notice on a tall pole, for the driver-operator’s benefit

David B | 16.06.26 - 8:09 a.m. | #

There’s still a partial NSE logo made of bricks on the floor of platform 4 at Seven Kings. Various Elizabeth line stations on the GE still have NSE car stop markers as well

PDP | 17.06.26 - 7:07 a.m. | #











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