Class 489

GLV: Gatwick Luggage Van

The InterCity livery was indeed worn well by the Class 489 fleet. The vehicles initially featured wraparound yellow cabs, adorned with ‘’Arrows of Indecision’’ emblems, and the body sides were painted in the same ‘’Executive’’ scheme pioneered on the InterCity 125 fleet. Minor alterations to the fleet occurred in 1989, when the wraparound yellow ends were replaced by a standard full yellow cab end, with the InterCity scheme being extended the full length of the body sides. In 1992, this scheme was modified further on the introduction of high-intensity headlamps to the cab fronts of GLV vehicles. This modification allowed the size of the yellow warning panel to be reduced, which saw the top half of the cab front repainted in black.

There have been various variations of livery worn by the Gatwick Express, which are better illustrated in this section’s photographs. However, a notable scheme alteration occurred in 1993, in the run-up to privatisation, when a modified version of the ‘’InterCity Swallow’’ livery was introduced. The italic ‘’INTERCITY’’ lettering was replaced by ‘’GATWICK EXPRESS’’ on the stock (bar the GLVs, which never bore this from the outset), and the lower body sides of all vehicles were painted white, this of which was intercepted by a red stripe. Black was retained on the upper body sides and a then new Gatwick Express logo was applied to both the Class 73 and GLV. Class 73 No. 73206 ‘’Gatwick Express’’ was the first locomotive to be finished in this livery, the first GLV emerging in this scheme being No. 9102.

In 1994, the Gatwick Express stock became the property of Porterbrook Leasing as part of the privatisation process. On 3rd April 1996, the fifteen year franchise to operate the Gatwick Express was awarded to the ''National Express Group'', which formally took over the running of the trains on 28th of the same month. A condition of the franchise licence was the replacement of the existing rolling stock and in April 1997, it was announced that a deal had been struck between Gatwick Express, Porterbrook Leasing, and train manufacturer Alstom for the construction of eight new electric multiple units for the operation. Construction was undertaken at Washwood Heath and the first units, by this time designated ''Class 460'', were delivered to Stewarts Lane in January 1999. The first public services were operated by the type in September of the following year.

On 28th July 2005, the end of Class 73, Class 488, and Class 489 stock on Gatwick Express workings was formally marked. On this day, Class 73 Nos. 73202 and 73208 top-and-tailed a Class 488/3 trailer set and GLV No. 9110 on the 13:00 Victoria to Gatwick departure, in addition to the 13:50 return working. Headboards with the legend ‘’Gatwick Express – Victoria to Gatwick – in 30 minutes’’ were worn. However, in spite of this send off, the ‘’classic’’ stock was still reported as being in use on the service in the following November.

In 2006 four redundant GLVs, vehicle Nos. 68501, 68504, 68505, and 68508, were acquired by Network Rail for use as de-icer (or, strictly speaking, ‘’anti-ice’’) trailers. These arrived at Eastleigh Works in late 2007 for conversion, being outshopped in that year in all-over Network Rail yellow; further modification was also made to the fleet in early 2008 at St Leonards Depot. It was intended for the vehicles to operate in push-pull mode with Network Rail’s pair of Class 73s, Nos. 73212 and 73213, which were also ex-Gatwick Express stock. Allocation of the GLVs is to Tonbridge West Yard, bar No. 68508, which was scrapped at Eastleigh in August 2012.