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Why was the British Railways late crest implemented?

In 1955 an act commonly known as the 'Modernisation Plan' was passed with the intensions of modernising British Railways.
The railways of Great Britain had been under government control since privatisation in 1948, but they were still using Victorian technology and infrastructure and by 1955; British Railways was falling behind other counties in terms of advancement and subsequently was losing both passenger and freight revenue to the roads. The modernisation plan was to be the beginnings of a new era of modern transport doing away with steam and ushering in a modern fleet of diesel and electric rolling stock with a new corporate image being implemented to convey the message.
So out went the old fashioned lion on a wheel design that reeked of industrialisation, and in came the brand new, modern, bang up to date, revolutionary late-crest logo. Except it wasn't modern or bang up to date or revolutionary, in fact, it was a revised version of the original design and still incorporated a lion, an old railway wheel and an even older typeface. The rebranding didn't even take the opportunity to harmonise the logos used on rolling stock with those used on railway infrastructure and the rebranding was and is to this day considered to be a marketing disaster.
Failures aside, the British Railways' late crest is an interesting piece of art and has a special place in the hearts of many rail enthusiasts. On closer inspection you'll discover that the lion is taken directly from the British Transport Commission's (who ran British Railways at this time) coat of arms, you'll also note that the crown, from which the lion emerges, encompasses a rose, a thistle, a leek and an oak leaf, these are to symbolise England, Scotland, Wales and Great Britain as a whole.

Whether you love it or hate it, the British Railways' Late crest played a huge role in our railway's history, just not a very successful one!

Posted in: Model Railway

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