Nameplate Color For A4 Mallard during 1948 Locomotive Exchange trials?

[ChrisA4]

Hello,

 

I've recently bought a Hornby 1:1 Bittern and was interested in renaming/renumbering it to Mallard as it ran during the locomotive exchange trials. I would just like to know what color were Mallards nameplates during this period? I have a pair of black painted nameplates that I would like to use, but I know post war A4s were given red nameplates when repainted to garter blue. 

 

Any help is appreciated!

 

Chris

 

[Wickham Green too]

Yes, Hornby's reluctance to issue the A4 in post-war / cut-back skirt / garter blue form makes the Bittern route the only current option for Mallard ( etc ) at that date ...... I'm tempted to do that myself.

 

Photos of No.11 & 60007 in 'The Big Four in Colour' suggest that nameplates remained red while the locos were garter blue..

[cbeagleowner]

I would agree with the above. I had a look in colour rail and couldn’t find anything different. The area you need to watch is the tender as I think Mallard had the cut down back...I think...

[Wickham Green too]

Yes, all the 'Exchange' A4s had the cut down rear - to suit lower water cranes on one of the 'other' railways .... can't remember which one tho'.

[Steamport Southport]

I've definitely seen a colour photo of mallard in 1948 condition and the plates were black. Same as they were on the experimental liveries.

 

Not the photo I mean, but just to get the idea of it's condition.

 

 

 

'Mallard' with a transitional number, at King's Cross in 1948

 

View westward to 'Bottom' Locomotive Yard from York Road platform. 'Mallard', which had achieved its record of 126 mph on 3/7/38, was one of three Gresley A4 Pacifics chosen for the 1948 Exchange Trials comparing the performance of the best engines of the Big Four Railways on each other's lines soon after Nationalisation. Here just before the trials it is freshly painted in garter-blue with its new number '22' in stainless steel and an 'E' (for Eastern) painted above the number. On the left is one of the N2 0-6-2Ts and on the right an N1 0-6-2T - the work-horses of suburban and empty stock duties.

 

Ben Brooksbank via Wiki

 

 

Jason

[Steamport Southport]

This print also suggests they were black.

 

https://locoprints.co.uk/collections/the-mallard/products/gresleys-a4-mallard-1948

 

 

 

Jason

[slilley]

22 hours ago, cbeagleowner said:

I would agree with the above. I had a look in colour rail and couldn’t find anything different. The area you need to watch is the tender as I think Mallard had the cut down back...I think...

Yes it did. Picture of the rear of the tender (No 5323) appears in the Yeadon's on the A4s. The A4s used on the Exchange Trials all got the cut down rear so they could take water at Euston. The tender from 60034 (No 5325) ended up behind 4472 when first bought by Alan Pegler and ran for many years with the cut down still in situ. When the new tank was made in the early 80s so the cut down was done away with so to speak. No 60033 had tender No 5325.

 

Mallard retained that cut down tender until March 1953.

60033 retained its cut down tender, No 5325 until May 1954

60034 retained its cut down tender, No5332, until May 1954, when it was then given No 5325 previously attached to 60033. It had that until Jan 1963 gaining streamlined non-corridor tender No 5640.

 

Simon

 

Langley

 

[slilley]

Just checked The Colour of Steam Vol 4 The LNER Pacifcs by PN Townend. Picture in colour of E22 Mallard at Waterloo, June 1948, and it has a red background nameplate. In BR days the background was meant to be black, but Townend relates that at Top Shed they painted theirs red.

[ChrisA4]

10 hours ago, slilley said:

Just checked The Colour of Steam Vol 4 The LNER Pacifcs by PN Townend. Picture in colour of E22 Mallard at Waterloo, June 1948, and it has a red background nameplate. In BR days the background was meant to be black, but Townend relates that at Top Shed they painted theirs red.

 

Thank you for this bit of info Simon! If I do go forward with this conversion, I'll be opting for red backed nameplates, but its does seem the biggest challenge will be to delicately cut down the tender. Another issue I've found is that Bittern's speedometer is attached to a longer wheel crankpin, which will have to be replaced or cut down somehow as the A4's did not have them yet during the early BR years.

 

Thank you to everyone for the info,

 

Chris

[slilley]

On 20/02/2021 at 23:06, ChrisA4 said:

 

Thank you for this bit of info Simon! If I do go forward with this conversion, I'll be opting for red backed nameplates, but its does seem the biggest challenge will be to delicately cut down the tender. Another issue I've found is that Bittern's speedometer is attached to a longer wheel crankpin, which will have to be replaced or cut down somehow as the A4's did not have them yet during the early BR years.

 

Thank you to everyone for the info,

 

Chris

You are right on the speedometer issue, they didnt get them until April 1959 when 60007 was fitted, the last done was 60021 in November 1961.