Martino

Branding and image do have a great effect on the public, even if they not consciously aware. It has been know for generations that if you want to boost business for your corner shop, repaint it! Despite the perception that airlines are chosen for their fares or schedules, image and brand have a great deal to do with it, and can be measured on their balance sheets. My own company in the accommodation business (regrettably I need to protect the innocent here!) decided a change of name and image would be good, only to find out that the new image was not appreciated or trusted in public perception. The change was made backwards, but confusion continues. Brands like Coke and Pepsi are masters at their image, and make constant small and subtle (and expensive) tweaks that seriously affect their performance, yet the average consumer may not consciously recognize the change.

Good point Andrew. Thanks. Phil H, thank you for that link. Very interesting. I'm grateful.

Yup, I may be struggling to use a gallon of anything, unless I get the household authorities to let me paint the house light and dark stone!

Thanks Jeff. Yes, I think I get get enough out of a couple of old tins of Phoenix Precision paint that came with me when I moved over. I think I'll be heading off to the paint department of my local Lowe's, Home Depot or ACE to see if they can create a match! As I model in 16mm/ft and outdoors, I think a smallish pot of each will be fine. Other than that, I'll be visiting various stores and seeing what I can match up.

I've been searching around for paint colors here in the US, that would match GWR Light and Dark stone. Does anyone have any ideas?

Quote from Jonathan: "I travel fairly often by Turkish Airlines, from Birmingham, via Istanbul. They are now one of the largest European airlines and doing very well. And their catering is superb. I have heard others say that they always choose Turkish now because of the catering. Beats BA any day, and no more expensive." Back in 1972/3 I worked for THY Turkish Airlines in London. When the big wigs came up from Istanbul and Ankara for meetings, their first choice was Pan Am, if they couldn't get that it was BEA, but if all that was on offer was THY, they didn't come. The airline has moved on incredibly since then. I remember a Virgin service Manchester to Euston in '98 or '99 that had an excellent long lunch in a restaurant car! I'm doing the 'City of New Orleans' from New Orleans to Chicago in October, in a Pullman car and Pullman sleeper tacked onto the back of the service train. The meals are reputed to be very good, so keeping everything crossed.

Yes Phil, in Sonning the relief lines were the northern mist ones. So, going north to south, up relief, down relief, up main, down main. In the 70’s it was all concrete sleepered if I remember correctly. The main, fast, lines were the original Brunel lines.

Great photos. Thank you very much. Back in the late ’60s, on the WR main line at Taplow, we always called DMUs Bog Units.

The remains - bridges, trackbed, station buildings on the Princes Risborough to Watlington branch. The track path and station buildings of the Basingstoke to Alton Light Railway, still visible from the road.

I really must get some new fingers, or eye balls.

Hi Richard I just checked it on a Google earth. It's at 5degrees27'50.90"N, 0degrees51'58.28"W. You need to look NNW from the road on street view. Just south of Whistley Green bridge. The coach is in the field covered with vegetation.

There has been a wooden bodied carriage in field next to Whistely Bridge between Twyford and Reading for many years. I first found it in the early 90s . It's very ancient and was used as a log store. I just checked on Google Earth (street view ) and it's still there although covered in vegetation. I can't post a screen capture as it's copyright, but if you search fir Whistley Green Berkshire, it's just on the north side of the bridge in street view. Anyone know anything about it? Looks to be a four wheeled coach.

It could well have been. My recollection is that Roundhill Grange came through Slough with a 3500gal tender, although all the photos I've found of her show a large tender. Again, without going back to my colour slides, when 7808 Cookham Manor turned up to the GWS Taplow open day, she had a 3500 gal tender I think.

Slightly off topic, but my rather yellowed Ian Allen Locospotter's notebook tells me that on 8th September 1964, 6854 Roundhill Grange left the exchange sidings at Slough and proceeded with an up goods through the relief platform. I noted that it had a GWR shirt button roundel on the tender. I remember it like it was yesterday, as the saying goes!

I think the GW would have probably stuck with green for the locomotives in the short term, as they were pretty conservative in livery styles. As things moved into the 50s and 60s I think we'd have seen development along the lines that the airlines used. Think of GW going the modern but restrained BOAC style and probably the Southern or LNER going 'cool Britannia' like BEA. After that it's anyone's guess. Probably true to say that they'd be much like we have today. That's the influence of the design/marketing industry having carried out their consumer clinics etc.

It's not 'my' area, region, or era (if you get what I mean), but these are fascinating photos and I'm really grateful that you've shared them. Thank you very much.

Thank you APOLLO. Those took me back. I think I can hear them......

This takes me back. Prep school, '59 - '63, grey shorts and a blue blazer with yellow badge and a blue and yellow cap. The the LVS, overlooking Slough station, so spotting could be done from the playing fields or on the train to Taplow on a Wednesday for games afternoon. - or when collecting for Poppy Day or similar at Slough station, a good excuse to volunteer and miss a season. Brown blazers with grey cord shorts up to 3rd form. My mum insisted on breaking the rules and having me wear 'normal' grey shorts not cords. She didn't have to put up with the prefects! Caps were worn, prefects again, up to 3rd form. After 3rd, long trousers. Grey shirts, blue airtex in summer. Ties, brown and yellow striped in winter, no tie in summer. My mum again a rebel insisted on white shirts from 4th form, with the usual grief from the prefects. She made me a Mac, like PM Harold Wilson's, except mine stuck out and I looked more like a Dalek. Trendy Uni type scarves came out about '68. 6th form wore sports jackets and a different tie. The Combined volume never left the house. Numbers recorded in the loco shed book, or in a notebook. Think I had a balaclava, but would have been very small. My grandmother insisted on me wearing a plastic rain hat if it was raining, and I was with her - again when VERY small. Oh, and pacamacs - flasher macs! Wind cheaters in a fawn color (the whole b***dy world was fawn, including the food!). We're they happy days? Or is this just 50 year sentimentality? Shoes that need breaking in, chapped legs, rain coats that leaked. Did no one think of getting a Barbour or wax jacket?

Windsor & Eton - I think it was moved somewhere else later.

Ruislip, Middlesex, was called 'Rooslip' by some older residents - including my late Mother in Law. ....that's as opposed to the more modern 'Ryeslip' pronuctiation .