Maunsell Green

[Cofga]

In researching colors for SR locos and passenger rolling stock I have seen major differences between shades of Maunsell Olive Green. My new Wainwright 4-4-0 is a true olive green. However my Bachmann PLV is a dark green. Then following up on this difference I found Paint Man offering both a light olive green and a dark olive green. This would seem to explain the visual differences I noted. Now can anyone sort out for me when, where, and on which equipment these different colors of Maunsell olive green would have been used? Thanks—Larry

[N15class]

There were two olive greens. Light olive which was used very early after grouping. Then the dark olive, which was used from about grouping until after the livery change in 1936. Coaches were also painted green, but initially was somewhere between light and dark. But I do believe this turned into dark olive green fairly early on. Then lasted until after the 1936 change again. 

But do not get too hung up on what the true colour was. It changed depending on number of coats of varnish, how old it was. If based by the coast, it tended to go to the blue side of green, and elsewhere towards the yellow side. Cleaning or lack of clean also had an effect. Even lighting conditions made it look different.

 

[truffy]

Also, different shops had different Maunsell Greens. Phoenix offer Ashford (light olive) and Eastleigh (dark olive), for example.

[Wickham Green too]

https://hmrs.org.uk/southern-style-southern-railway.html

[Colin]

Just a quick query here - did many locos survive the war years in their Maunsell liveries without undergoing a repaint? I was hoping to run my Maunsell liveried E4 and Terrier alongside my Wainwright C and (when it arrives) H with a mixture of olive green and malachite liveried coaching stock with a clear conscience, ie. without the need to invoke Rule 1.

[bécasse]

The Casserley and Asher book which comprehensively covers Southern locomotive classes at nationalisation indicates that remarkably few locos were still in Maunsell livery at the beginning of 1948, specifically mentioning (and illustrating) 1661 as one of the few examples. The illustration shows the livery to be in terrible condition.

 

More locos would have survived the war in the Maunsell livery, of course, and been overhauled and repainted in the subsequent two and a half years, but it is unlikely that their exterior condition would have been any better than 1661's. Don't forget, too, that the pre-war Bulleid livery wasn't identical to that applied post-war, whether green or black.

[Wickham Green too]

1 hour ago, Colin said:

Just a quick query here - did many locos survive the war years in their Maunsell liveries .....

Details in https://hmrs.org.uk/southern-style-southern-railway.html as usual ..... a couple of Terriers survived in Maunsell livery but no Cs or E4s ...... you're in the most incredible luck if you've chosen 1324 for your H.

[Colin]

Sorry, didn't make myself clear enough; my C is actually in sunshine lettered black, as will be the H when Hornby release their next version.

I also have a Bachmann birdcage set in malachite and am looking for a suitable/credible year (either side of WW2) when all these might possibly have been seen. 

I have always modelled in various BR eras up to now, so it's all rather new to me.