Level crossing gate disc colour

[Jenks465]

I'm in the process of adding a level crossing to my layout but the coloured discs for the gate that come with the Wills kit don't seem to be the right colour to my eye. Can anyone recommend the correct humbrol paint colour please?

[Robert Shrives]

Humbrol 174 signal red would be a good place to start  but road grime would tone it down quickly

Robert 

[Izzy]

Yes, Red is notorious for fading. My local gates targets often went nearly pink in between painting.

[Michael Hodgson]

They are signal red because they are effectively danger signals, the same idea as a red flag that had to be carried in front of a horseless carriage under the Locomotive Act 1865.  Usually only fitted to face road traffic.  However in a few cases on straight lines where visibility was good they were also fitted on the opposite side of the gate so that they faced rail traffic when closed across the line as to act a Danger signal - in which case crossing keeper didn't have to work conventional Home Signals but still had Distant Signals.