British Rail mk1 open vehicles

[davidw]

My question is did Mk1 open stock with tables always be in white? Or were there differences?

[31A]

I seem to remember the tables in ordinary Open coaches (TSO etc) being covered in dark grey lino-type material (for want of a better description!).

[45568]

My memory tells me that initially the table tops were a light to mid-brown wood grain pattern Formica, and that white came later on, (1962 onwards???).

Cheers from Oz,

Peter C.

[PatB]

I seem to remember the tables in ordinary Open coaches (TSO etc) being covered in dark grey lino-type material (for want of a better description!).

That's my recollection too, although I was criminally unobservant in my days of regular rail travel so I may be wrong.

[Alex TM]

Hi,

 

I have the book on the Mk1s but don't have the time to look it out just now (work calls) so I'll have a look later today.  It may have some answers.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[eastwestdivide]

Crop from a 1984 railtour shows a very dark blue smooth surface with an aluminium-looking surround. Faces obscured to protect the guilty.

 

But I think I also remember older Mk1s with a kind of textured faux-leather top in a very dark green, and the tables having a shaped wooden leg on the aisle side.

 

Edit: searching google for Mk1 coach interior is half-way useful, but most of the pics seem to be recent ones of Mk1s that have survived into preservation and charter use, and not necessarily representative of earlier periods (notably in the dayglo upholstery on some!).

Edited October 13, 2018 by eastwestdivide

[Alex TM]

Hi again,

 

Managed to get a moment to look at Parkin's book on Mk1 Coaches.  He doesn't seem to say what colour the table surfaces were, however photographs in the book suggest some of the TSOs were a pale colour (grey?) while others were darker (tan?).  Unfortunately the images were b&w.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[BernardTPM]

I doubt they would have been in white as built, though a fine, pale grey patterned Formica was used by 1960 or so. This seems to be what is represented on the Peco coach interiors that were made for the Kitmaster coaches. The colours are good representations of the then contemporary interiors.

The 'lino type material' mentioned could have been a leathercloth. This would have been used before Formica.

[Clive Mortimore]

My early memory of tables in coaches was they were a dark grey colour. The lighter and brighter colours coming into use circa 1970.

 

They all had a strange irregular pattern of brown sticky circles about 2 inches in diameter.

[45125]

Crop from a 1984 railtour shows a very dark blue smooth surface with an aluminium-looking surround. Faces obscured to protect the guilty.

84-3-25 crop.jpg

 

But I think I also remember older Mk1s with a kind of textured faux-leather top in a very dark green, and the tables having a shaped wooden leg on the aisle side.

 

Edit: searching google for Mk1 coach interior is half-way useful, but most of the pics seem to be recent ones of Mk1s that have survived into preservation and charter use, and not necessarily representative of earlier periods (notably in the dayglo upholstery on some!).

 

Faux leather came in black and very dark green. The grey formica early 60s build mk1s which usually had the formica panelled interiors. The dark formica style tops with the aluminium edges in the photo were a later style developed from catering vehicles and Southern region vehicles.

[31A]

Hi again,

 

Managed to get a moment to look at Parkin's book on Mk1 Coaches.  He doesn't seem to say what colour the table surfaces were, however photographs in the book suggest some of the TSOs were a pale colour (grey?) while others were darker (tan?).  Unfortunately the images were b&w.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

 

In my copy there are colour photos of interiors on p.53 - the upper one shows the dark grey colour I was thinking of.  I think the other pictures on the page show more recent versions.

 

I think 'leathercloth' might be the word I was looking for - it tended to peal at the edges and you could see it was a thin material.

Edited October 13, 2018 by 31A

[davidw]

Thanks for the answer guys. As I model 1960 +/- 2years looks like I can go with some white light grey.

Edited October 14, 2018 by davidw