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What colour was the silver jubilee really?


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So what is rexene? 

Rexine Ltd was in Hyde, where I was born. One of my uncles worked for the company when he left the Royal Navy after the war, so Rexine was a familiar name during my childhood. So what was it?

 

A strong, coated cloth, usually in the form of an imitation leather, and used as a covering material for books, etc. The weave and composition of the base (gray) cloth depend on the grade of cloth being manufactured at the time, and may be cotton or a cotton and rayon mixture. The cellulose nitrate coating is colored by mixing powdered pigments with synthetic oils and is applied in several layers, each being dried before the next application. Polyvinyl chloride may also be used for the coating. Embossing is done with engraved steel rollers, usually to imitate the grain pattern of a leather, but sometimes with modern geometric designs. This type of cloth has been in use since the first decades of the 20th century.

Edited by coachmann
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Coronation Twin burnt out ?

 

I think it was other stock, but using Rexene as an internal finish - quite common at the time I understand.

 

As for corrosion, yes it was another promise not met - as indeed was found with the automotive examples some 10 years later than the Jubilee set was introduced.  Altogether a bad choice of material with hindsight - but at the time it was the modern wonder material.  How many of those have we seen before and after - and usually with similar later repercussions.

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Let's see in 20 years.

 

That's when they will have established that use of social media and games has led to a breakdown in communication  skills as well as a complete destruction of the written language as we know it today.

 

That's when we will see the long term impact of using a screen all day on the visual faculties and find a whole generation with lasar improved vision as a necessity.

 

Only kidding

 

 

 

I hope

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I well remember a Grey class 37, "Imperial" running light on the WCML near Abington in 1987, it shone silver in the afternoon sunshine.   The Silver Jubilee will have the same issues, bright silver in bright sunshine and dull grey on an overcast day irrespective of the actual hue.    Most photos I have seen of the Silver A4s look like they have vertical dark lining where the panel edges have attracted the dirt.   Did the Silver theme A4s still run the Silver Jubilee after repainting into Blue? Presumably the stock stayed silver until the war but what then, muddy brown "Teak"?

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The silver stock stayed silver and there is at least one photograph of a twin in a post-war express, still in silver.  It had been stored during the war, of course.  They'd have gone to blood and custard after that.

The locomotives were painted blue and continued to work the train.  The Gresley Society recently published a pictorial on the streamlined trains which contains pictures of the SJ being hauled by a blue A4 and even with the train substituted by the spare Coronation set when (presumably) in works.

We do sometimes put a blue A4 on the SJ on Grantham - maybe we ought to have a repainted silver A4 from time to time.  Did Silver Fix keep the silver boiler bands as well as the fox after repainting?  That would make an eye catching model.

Edited by jwealleans
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I well remember a Grey class 37, "Imperial" running light on the WCML near Abington in 1987, it shone silver in the afternoon sunshine.   The Silver Jubilee will have the same issues, bright silver in bright sunshine and dull grey on an overcast day irrespective of the actual hue.    Most photos I have seen of the Silver A4s look like they have vertical dark lining where the panel edges have attracted the dirt.   Did the Silver theme A4s still run the Silver Jubilee after repainting into Blue? Presumably the stock stayed silver until the war but what then, muddy brown "Teak"?

 

See post 12 on page 1.

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