The Farthing layouts

By period, do you mean the 1900s?  I suppose most things rust lightly in some places when left unsheltered, but the question is whether it would have been noticeable. 

1 hour ago, Mikkel said:

By period, do you mean the 1900s?  I suppose most things rust lightly in some places when left unsheltered, but the question is whether it would have been noticeable. 

 

I think I mean any period when stock was subject to routine use and maintenance. The purpose of paint was to protect the materials from which the wagon was built from decay - rot in the case of wood, rust in the case of iron and especially steel. And anything anywhere near a moving part would have been coated in grease - buffer shanks, axleguards where they guide the box, springs, hinges, etc. 

 

Also, looking back at those Didcot photos, I'd be very wary of taking any of the unpainted woodwork in their buildings or permanent way as a guide. Timber used in such places would have been treated with creosote, which isn't allowed nowadays.

 

Another thing that I've seen overdone is brake block dust. The hand-operated brakes on ordinary wagons could not be applied with anything like the force of a vacuum or air brake.

 

I realise I've been dragging a very old set of posts out into the open, scraping off the rust and greasing them up! Not sure how I chanced on it...

Edited April 15, 2021 by Compound2632

This may be true for the GWR.  When the GWR took over the Cambrian, (or was it the other way round?), they immediately condemned some four wheel coaches as they had rot in their corner posts.

1 minute ago, ChrisN said:

This may be true for the GWR.  When the GWR took over the Cambrian, (or was it the other way round?), they immediately condemned some four wheel coaches as they had rot in their corner posts.

 

But were those carriages that were in regular service? They may have been out of use anyway and only condemned because there was motivation for a stock-take. There may have been some financial advantage to writing down assets to reduce the Cambrian's value on amalgamation. 

8 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

But were those carriages that were in regular service? They may have been out of use anyway and only condemned because there was motivation for a stock-take. There may have been some financial advantage to writing down assets to reduce the Cambrian's value on amalgamation. 

 

Oh yes, they were in regular service!

 

Mind you the GWR condemned most Cambrian stock.  It was all fairly well worn.

Edited April 16, 2021 by ChrisN

16 minutes ago, ChrisN said:

Mind yu the GWR condemned most Cambrian stock.  It was all fairly well worn.

The late John Coulter modelled a pair of Cambrian single bolsters with unusual floor planking, with gaps. He assumed it was built like this to allow rainwater to drain away, but it turned out later on that the photo used was taken in early grouping days, and was taken by the GWR to show the amount of shrinkage of poorly seasoned wood - for the Cambrian in the Edwardian era, the planks should have been closed up!