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Early Midland Railway goods livery


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Please can anyone help me with details of the early goods liveries used by the Midland Railway? I'm interested in the period from 1844 to the early 1860s.

 

I'd also be very interested in any information or ideas on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway goods livery before it joined the MR.

 

Ian

 

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Please can anyone help me with details of the early goods liveries used by the Midland Railway? I'm interested in the period from 1844 to the early 1860s.

 

I'd also be very interested in any information or ideas on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway goods livery before it joined the MR.

 

Ian

 

I would suggest contacting the Midland Railway Society through their website.  I have looked through a copy of the long out of print 'Midland Style' and there is a short note about the Birmingham and Gloucester carriage livery but nothing about freight stock.  I does say though that most freight stock was light grey from very early days.  The main thing is that there was no company ownership details apart from the wagon plat on the solebar which was Black with white lettering.  It was the 1860's onwards before Midland or MR started appearing on the bodywork.

 

Jamie

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Many thanks, Jamie, that is very useful. Of course, I'd still welcome thoughts and contributions but this gets me off to a very sound start.

 

BTW my reason for asking the question is that Chris Cox of 5&9 Models is planning to produce some B&GR wagons in 4 mm and I said I would build and review them. Then I checked the sources I have and found the gap around the B&G livery information that you've described! If anyone has any speculation on what the B&GR might have done I'd be fascinated to hear it ...

 

Ian

Edited by Ian Simpson
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Please can anyone help me with details of the early goods liveries used by the Midland Railway? I'm interested in the period from 1844 to the early 1860s.

 

Looking at the few "early" photos in Midland Wagons Vol. 1, there's some evidence for black ironwork - at least on Gloucester C&W Co photos of wagons they built for the Midland in the mid-to-late 1860s. There's also a photo showing a wagon in traffic that might have black ironwork, or it might just be that the difference between the woodwork and ironwork is due to weathering.

 

In the absence of any hard evidence, whatever choice you make no-one can prove you wrong, although pink with purple spots is improbable.

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Please can anyone help me with details of the early goods liveries used by the Midland Railway? I'm interested in the period from 1844 to the early 1860s.

 

I'd also be very interested in any information or ideas on the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway goods livery before it joined the MR.

 

Ian

 

In "Midland wagons" Vol 1 Bob Essery said that little was known about the early wagon livery but that there is some photographic evidence that before the 1880s at least some of the wagons were grey with black ironwork. He also says that there were no ownership marks other than the cast iron plate before c1880.

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Many thanks, everyone. This is all very useful info, and I do appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

 

I agree pink with purple spots is unlikely. But now you've put it in my mind, Compound, and every time I see an unpainted wagon I'll be tempted to see what that really would have looked like ....

 

Ian

Edited by Ian Simpson
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Many thanks, everyone. This is all very useful info, and I do appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

 

I agree pink with purple spots is unlikely. But now you've put it in my mind, Compound, and every time I see an unpainted wagon I'll be tempted to see what that really would have looked like ....

 

Ian

Purple with pink spots OK then?

 

:jester:

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  • 4 years later...

This isn't about the early period really but I can't seem to find a general thread dedicated to the livery of Midland wagons.......Concerning the interior is there any guidance? I've come across no notes suggesting bare wood or tan which leads me to conclude the wood and metal were likewise grey but I've come across several models where this is not so. Basically aiming to paint my wagon for between the 1910s- and the early days of the grouping and wish to know before fixing the strapping on.  

 

Regards

Steve

medium_1998_11112__0001_.jpg

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@steves17, as @wagonman said. See the drawing. You'll also be wanting cast numberplates - if you're interested, I could send you some to print on photographic paper. I like the left-facing brake lever - a feature characteristic of your period, cfMidland Wagons Plates 71 and 72. I like the shade of grey.

 

What scale is this?

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@steves17, I'd assumed the picture showed your model but there was something about it that seemed familiar in style - it's one of J.P. Richards' models now at the NRM. Without wishing to criticise such a renowned modeller, these days we have the information to do a bit more in the way of interior detail. It's always a good idea to credit photos you post.

Edited by Compound2632
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Hi Compound.

It was just a Google grab to use as an example but i'll bare it in mind next time. My confusion came as i've also seen plenty of MR/LMS models where the interior is likewise painted grey or otherwise,

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Midland-Railway-D302-5-plank-mineral-wagon/3274887 

http://www.steamline.co.uk/wph14  

https://peco-uk.com/products/lms-12ton-open-goods-wagon

lms wagon

https://therailwayconductor.co.uk/model-railway-wagons/product/graham-farish-377-064-5-plank-wagon-wooden-floor-lms-with-load

and like I say i've never actually come across any text that clears up what the Midland policy was for the interior wood and metal.  

Thanks for the offer above but Slater's new Gauge 3 kits are all inclusive so I should be fine about the prints.    

https://slatersplastikard.com/linePage.php?code=G3W027

https://slatersplastikard.com/linePage.php?code=G3W028

 

Thanks Richard as well.

Edited by steves17
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