GW loading gauge in 4 mm scale

[Mikkel]

On 24/10/2022 at 10:22, Compound2632 said:

The lime-washed cattle wagon provides a latest date of c. 1927 (IIRC) for @Mikkel's photo. Now the one I'm making needs to be in c. 1955 condition - I was thinking grubby white with black for the first few feet above ground but would light stone / dark stone have survived?

 

Grubby white sounds right (edit - or does it, see links):

 

Henley in Arden April 1950: https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrha1396.htm

Another one here: https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrha1406.htm

 

 

18 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

Interesting to see that the bow is definitely painted white here @Mikkel, from above it makes sense, but how about against the sky in daylight?

 

Good point. Although this shot seems to show the same all-over light stone and the bow is visible enough. The bow looks white, I think?

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsf542a.htm

 

These also appear to be in the all-over light stone. Here the colour of the bow is more tricky:

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrls237b.htm

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by Mikkel

[Compound2632]

1 minute ago, Mikkel said:

Henley in Arden April 1950: https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrha1396.htm

Another one here: https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrha1406.htm

 

I've discovered that the Ratio kit, like the Smiths one, is for a gauge with a rail-built post, so I'm going to end up with something that looks like the one at Henley in Arden, which is fine. So I'm combining what I hope are the best parts of both kits, along with some straight wire. Photos later!

[Harlequin]

There's a short article about loading gauges in the current issue of Pannier, from the GWSG.

 

It says the bottom 3ft was Dark Stone in GWR days, Black in BR days, with all white above that and the fittings sometimes picked out in black.

 

But given the photographic evidence above it's clear that out in the real world there was a lot of local variation.

 

[corneliuslundie]

In Mikkel's second link, it looks as though locos have been standing under the loading gauges disgorging black smoke.

So should we weather ours to show something similar/

Jonathan

[Miss Prism]

I think loading gauges would weather quite quickly given their regular proximity to shunting locos.

 

[Compound2632]

10 minutes ago, Miss Prism said:

I think loading gauges would weather quite quickly given their regular proximity to shunting locos.

 

What about those out in the sticks with a once-daily goods?

[Miss Prism]

Particularly those shunted by a horse...

[bécasse]

16 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

What about those out in the sticks with a once-daily goods?

They would have been part of the same repainting schedule as the station buildings and doubtless the paint weathered to much the same extent. Many country station gauges would rarely have had a loco pass under them, even when the daily goods stopped and shunted.

 

As an aside note that the GWR had separate gangs for repainting anything that was the responsibility of S&T - so signals, signal boxes and ground frames and level crossings would have been on a separate repainting schedule to the station buildings, goods sheds, cattle docks, loading gauges, etc.

[The Stationmaster]

16 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

What about those out in the sticks with a once-daily goods?

Just the same I think.  I can only ever remember seeing loading gauges where the paintwork had deteriorated although of course they were very much out of use in their later years.  And eventually they ceased to be of any use at all - my Loads Inspector (in the late 1980s/early '90s) used a measuring stick for checking any loads which were possibly suspect for gauge infringement.

[corneliuslundie]

I only asked the question because of the image posted by Mikkel. I assume from comments that the situation there must have ben unusual. Goods news that I don't need to dirty mine.

Jonathan