MARK 1 EARLY BLUE / GREY COACHES

[russ p]

I was told the other day it was a shade of blue between rail blue and electric blue

There maybe a trace of it somewhere on the real loco which is revealed when it is rubbed down for a repaint

[russ p]

Mentioned earlier is chromatic blue

Many years ago when I was involved with the north Norfolk railway it was my idea to paint D5207 in blue with small yellow panels.

Because of the lack of yellow the rail blue and it was genuine BR paint seemed to take on a different shade.

It was often stated in magazines that it was chromatic blue so I believe there never was such a shade but happy to be proved wrong

In some pictures from the sixties of the supposed colour I do wonder if it has a satin varnish

[John Tomlinson]

Mentioned earlier is chromatic blue

Many years ago when I was involved with the north Norfolk railway it was my idea to paint D5207 in blue with small yellow panels.

Because of the lack of yellow the rail blue and it was genuine BR paint seemed to take on a different shade.

It was often stated in magazines that it was chromatic blue so I believe there never was such a shade but happy to be proved wrong

In some pictures from the sixties of the supposed colour I do wonder if it has a satin varnish

 

Hence my use of the word "myth" in respect of Chromatic blue.

 

Apparently the early applications of Rail Blue used a spraying technique (airless spraying?) which lead to a semi matt finish, and as this looked different to a glossy application folk decided it was a different shade. As an airbrush user in my modelling I've found a similar effect with paint from the same jar sprayed thinner or in different weather conditions.

 

I think you're absolutely right about adjacent colours having an impact on perceived shade. Again in modelling, feelings that "the green or blue looks a bit odd" vanish when the model is completed with the surrounding colours.

 

Remember as well that published photos are virtually useless in determining colours precisely, as there are too many variables involved, starting with the type of film and exposure used through to the colour in the printing process itself.

 

John.

[BernardTPM]

Presumably it was somewhat light, as there was quite a big difference to Rail Blue. The Heljan 1733 also seems to suffer from this, although I do rather like mine!

One thing I've long wondered about these "shades of blue", is whether some of the apparent difference between the XP64 variant and Rail Blue as we came to know it, is attributable to the early spraying application, that gave rise to the myth of "chromatic" blue? Will we ever know?

At the time it was noted in contemporary issues of Modern Railways that Rail Blue was a darker shade than that used on the XP64, that being a time when the airless spray technique was being used. The first XP64 mock up, exhibited at the Design Centre in London was actually painted in ochre and grey, the ochre being the same 'Golden Ochre' colour used on D1015.