While some may not fully appreciate the issue of a "mismatched" colour scheme on the loco, P11 highlighted this over a year ago. Its important for the following reason.
This new train is an advertisement for the latest developments on our rail network. When viewed from a road, station or bridge, a gap in the asthetic value, caused by a mismatched loco colour scheme, sends out a poor message. It justs looks bad.(Its bad enough that a 10 year old loco is part of it, in the first place) While we have to tend with a "laurel and Hardy" approach to development, we are entitled to question why IE did not order matching locos for this service. This would have improved the overall asthetic value and perhaps negated the problems that have beset this lumbering piece of "make and do".
Note that all the TV campiagns and promotional material, fail to show the "freight loco" at one end.(even in a matching paint job) Emphasis is always on the "pointy bit". IE know its a con job and half arsed attempt at 21st century product.
We predicted it wouldn't take long for IE to fall back to their old ways. We got the first snap of it. Watch out for the new liveried locos hauling the Enterprise, if it hasn't already happened. Asthetics mean a lot. The Luas has built itself around the "sexiness" of its rolling stock. People are influenced by this. A moving train, is a moving ad, to those watching from a roadside.
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