My own observation attempts today were somewhat thwarted by the fire
near Stratford.

15 mins wait at Stratford Low Level for a NLL train whilst being told
"London Overground services were being delayed due to a fire in the
Hackney area". Typical National Rail-speak - does "delayed" mean a
train due in 5 mins will arrive in 15, or does it mean it's actually
at a stand and not moving? As usual the operator (LO) and the route-
controller (NR) weren't talking to each other, surely Network Rail
knew whether they were running trains through the area or not? And
this is the same dog's breakfast of control that will be introduced to
the East London Line in time.

After a quarter of an hour someone had decided that the NLL *was*
suspended after all, and we were all invited to use alternative bus or
rail routes. So via Central Line, Metropolitan Line and FCC to
Highbury & Islington, only to find that the fire has caused the entire
NLL to be suspended. Incredulously I asked the (LU) member of staff
"Don't they reverse trains anywhere on this line, then?" (No reply, of
course). I wonder if a fire at Chesham would suspend the whole Met
Line? So no chance of checking the signage on the NLL platforms at
H&I.

On to Euston via the Victoria Line, where to my surprise the suburban
platforms are now manned by London Midland staff. I had assumed the
gateline and ticket office would have come under LO but clearly not
so. After jumping on the first train to depart, still in Silverlink
livery but sans lettering, I suddenly realised this ex-STS unit was
being operated by LM, not LO; so would a TFL staff pass be valid
between Euston and Watford Junction? An immediate ticket check by the
guard after departure seemed to suggest it was.

It transpired later that although all Class 313s appear to have had
their Silverlink name and logos covered, only around half have the
replacement "London Overground" blue on white replacement sticker
applied to end cars, and without any roundel.

First sight of new platform roundel signs was glimpsed at Queen's
Park, and it seems that temporary LU red-ringed examples (albeit a bit
of an orangy-red) have gone up at all of the new LU-operated stations
on the DC Lines. These are either self-adhesive or on basic sheet
metal, whilst uniquely at H&W some ex-Silverlink banner signs have
been adapted too. The only exterior I could check was at Kenton where
a white-on-blue upper case New Johnston sticker gave the station name
in usual LU style.

At Willesden Junction, which is under LO, not LU, control, the only
orange-ringed roundels to be seen were on the ticket office fascia
outside, plus within the media junket event being carried out on bay
platform 3 for the "great & good". The former Silverlink banner
platform signs have been covered by black-on-white New Johnston
stickers and prominently branded as a "Temporary sign".

There is evidence of two distinct policies at work here. LO are not
applying their full "brand" onto run-down assets whereas LU are
clearly keen to re-sign some very grotty buildings indeed.

As Peter Hendy droned on in his distinctive monotone, services on the
NLL upstairs were still in chaos. I looked in vain for the 14:44 EB
departure - no information, no visible staff and with the train
describer monitor defective. So it was back to the SB platform to wait
for a Bakerloo train, arriving just as the event was ending with a
round of applause and the dispersal of the most middle-class looking
crowd Willesden Junction has seen for many a year! Downstairs we had
the vision, upstairs there was the reality!