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GWR Wagon Grey - Pantone Matching


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I do realise that Pantone colours are for printing inks
- however with a paint swatch, many paint mixing places

now have a computerised scanner that can interpret

the colour. As well as the mix, can also give a Pantone

for an ink, which is what I am looking for.

 

Thank you for all the suggestions.

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Considering that the paint would have been mixed up in the paint shop using basic ingredients by weight then the resulting colour would have been anything there-or-there about grey.

 

So mix some white and black paint together until it looks right to you - as there will almost certainly have been a wagon painted in that shade.

 

Just study some photos and you will see the variation in shade of the wagons.

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It seems a bit dark to my eyes especially when compared to the Railmatch version.

How do you know it looks dark?

 

I haven't seen a sample of genuine GWR wagon grey but seeing as Precision was first, while Railmatch followed about 20 years later, I go with Precision. The latter is all any sensible modeller has had to go by since its introduction many decades ago, unless they have been fortunate enough to get genuine samples of transport paint as supplied to the railway companies.

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Unfortunately Jack Slinns bible on the matter The Great Western Way does not have a colour swatch at the back for freight grey. and of course the works photo's of wagons are in "works Grey".

 

I have always assumed that GW freight grey was quite dark when first applied and like most other colours over time fades, especially as there is no varnish on wagons unlike coaches and locos.

 

I have to say that I am with Coach on this one.

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I read somewhere the GWR wagon grey is seven parts black and one part white.

 

At Didcot we use a ratio of approx 14:1 black to white (2/3 of a baked bean can of white to 5 litres of black).

 

The result can vary depending on who's doing the mixing & whether the black is a true carbon black or nasty yuck with all blue in it, but it gives a very dark grey that's pretty close to original samples 'excavated' from Mogo 105742 and vac-fit Toad A 17447.

 

Pete S.

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How do you know it looks dark?

 

I haven't seen a sample of genuine GWR wagon grey but seeing as Precision was first, while Railmatch followed about 20 years later, I go with Precision. The latter is all any sensible modeller has had to go by since its introduction many decades ago, unless they have been fortunate enough to get genuine samples of transport paint as supplied to the railway companies.

I was not aware of that. I am learned.

But as you ain't seen 'Genuine' either, how do you know it isn't ? ;-)

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Personally I think GWR wagon grey would vary.  Add in wear and tear and the elements and how many shades of grey would you find.

 

For me when I build GWR stock I use Tamiya 'German Grey'.  See link below.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blog/1338/entry-12168-mr-fawkes-receives-a-delivery-parkside-z2-gunpowder-van-build-and-a-few-other-bits/

 

I've also heard that Humbrol German Grey is good as well.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

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Revell do some very dark greys.  If you need that effect, Anthracite (9) is nearly black. Tank Grey (78) is the one I usually use for newish GWR stock. There's also Granite Grey (69) but I haven't tried that. I use darkish medium greys 74, 77 and 79 for more faded stock. Those colours give a good variation in an all-GWR train. Also, Revell are slightly cheaper than Humbrol and just as good as H were before various recent inconsistencies in quality.

 

Pete

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The OP did explain why he had a valid reason for wanting the Pantone reference. I don't think we have helped him much, as we don't have Pantone numbers for any of the paints we commonly use. However, the BS quoted above may be an intermediate step as it gives colour samples and Munsell references which it may be possible to correlate with Pantone. The other possible reference is RAL. There are several old British Standards giving Munsell references and paint swatches though they have mostly been withdrawn. However, GWR grey won't be among them although BR colours may.

 

Jonathan

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Has anyone got the Pantone references for the various GWR Wagon Grey?

 

 

Which wagon would you want to match?

 

The grey paint used on wagons was mixed from lead white and lamp black. However lead white is notorious for oxidising in the presence of sulphur, e.g. burning coal, and becoming a charcoal grey colour. Somewhere there should be a recipe that will give a starting colour, but the wagons would become darker as time went on. Note also than modern titanium white paints are much 'brighter' than lead white, so if you are mixing greys it is better to use a cream, or fawn colour to lighten the black.

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  • 1 month later...

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I am going with Testors #1237 Flat Gray Enamel because
it is more generally available in Model Shops around the

World.

Pantone are now working on categorising common paint

colours into their reference system.

There is also an "FS Chips" system used since WW2 on

US Government contracts and still very popular in the US.

 

N.

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