White stripe along platform edge?

[signalmaintainer]

Merry Christmas to all!

 

A quick question while you sip another eggnog or hot buttered rum: I've just read where station platforms received the white striping along the edge beginning in the late, late 1930s and continuing through the 1950s.

 

Did this striping appear rather quickly at most stations or was it a gradual progress, perhaps with some outlying BLTs never reaching compliance status before the Beeching axe struck?

 

I'm thinking some 3/16" white decal striping will do the trick, with MicroSol to settle the striping into the paver grooves.

[grahame]

I'm thinking some 3/16" white decal striping will do the trick, with MicroSol to settle the striping into the paver grooves.

 

That might be a bit stark and regular. I'd suggest (and use) a hairy brush and acrylic paint. That way you can get a more random, worn and faded look with bit's touched up or missing where flags/edging have been replaced.

 

G.

[DVLR Dave]

As Mickey says. it was probably a wartime measure to increase the visibility of the platform edge during black-out conditions-similar moves included white edging to the mudguards of buses. I have had a quick look at some of the photographs in various books, and its application seems to have been universal, even down to remote halts, but its also apparent that in most cases it was applied in a hurry (and probably by whatever medium was to hand), so that by the early fifties is many cases the white line was almost vestigal-blackout restrictions started to be lifted in 1944, so after that date I suspect maintainance of the white edging would be at the disgression of the station master / local management.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

We chewed this one over on an earlier incarnation of RMweb, with several contributors reviewing the available photographic evidence. What emerged as I recall it was practically an 'anything goes' conclusion. There are good photographs with the platform in focus in the foreground showing where a white platform edge stripe has been applied, in every condition from pretty fresh to very dirty and worn. And there are equally good photographs where there is no discernable white platform edge stripe: whether worn or washed off, obscured by dirt, or never applied, who can say?

 

Grahame's point about 'not too neat' is good one; fairly regular with dribbles down the platform face would be my attempt at a description.

[28XX]

I can recall seeing a special right-angled brush with a broom-length handle for this job which would paint the top and side of the copings simultaniously. Unfortunately the file in my brain is corrupted and won't tell me where. Dribbles down the face and on the ballast below, very definately. Use grey not white, there was no such thing as white as we know it today, until fluorescing optical whiteners were introduced in paints (and soap powder), probably in the 1960's.

 

Yuletide greetings.

[Oldddudders]

Don't forget how the stripe was applied. Imagine a sort of broomhead-paintbrush, on a full-length handle. Two-thirds of the bristles have been cut back a couple of inches, leaving the final third at full length. The platform staff would use this with a bucket of whitener, and hopefully some regard for passing trains! The coping stones would ensure that there were regular indents into the edge stripe,and equally uncertain levels in the face stripe. When staff cuts began to make real inroads in the 70s, this was the sort of job that got forgotten, but prior to that, yes, local enthusiasm or otherwise would have been the main driver in recent years.

[Coombe Barton]

I remember seeing the broom and bucket process on Reading Station in the early 1970s, admittedly being applied as quickly as possible. Whitening was the target, not neatness.

[PaulG]

The first notice I have is from the Great Eastern Railway dated September 12th 1913. (Instruction No. 1110, 1913.)

 

"Edges of Station Platforms To Be Kept Whitened During Foggy Weather.

 

Notice to Station Masters, Inspectors, Foremen-Porters and others concerned.

 

In future, as a precaution during foggy weather the edges of Station Platfroms must be kept whitened with whitewash; the work to be perfomed by the Station Staff, as required.

 

F.G. Randall

Superintendent of the Line."

 

Regards

Paul

[signalmaintainer]

Thank you, everyone, for your informed responses and advice. I'll incorporate all of them. What a knowledgable bunch you are!

 

Merry Christmas!

[JZ]

I masked off a suitable amout of edge, then using white with a very small amount of black added and with a fairly dry stiff brush, I just quickly worked along the edge.

 

 

I didn't worry too much about the face. Looking back at old photo's I could find some where it was neatly painted on the face and others where it was barely touched. I suppose in depended whether it was done during the week or last thing Friday afternoon

[Colin]

I masked off a suitable amout of edge, then using white with a very small amount of black added and with a fairly dry stiff brush, I just quickly worked along the edge.

 

 

I didn't worry too much about the face. Looking back at old photo's I could find some where it was neatly painted on the face and others where it was barely touched. I suppose in depended whether it was done during the week or last thing Friday afternoon

 

That looks dead right to me! Gaps and inconsistencies were the norm on the real thing; like weathering it's all to easy to overdo this on a model.

 

PS I like the nice urban feel to the layout!

[pH]

That looks dead right to me! Gaps and inconsistencies were the norm on the real thing; like weathering it's all to easy to overdo this on a model.

 

PS I like the nice urban feel to the layout!

 

Having actually done this in 1965, I would agree that this looks pretty realistic. The brush was as described earlier - L-shaped, with bristles pointing down and to the left when in use. It was set up for a right-handed person, so you had to brush with your back 'to the traffic', depending on drivers to give a whistle on approach! The 'paint' was whitewash, made up with water from powder immediately before use. Since the aim was speed (there were other more interesting things to do), the mix was usually pretty runny, so no sharp edges, and lots of drips down the platform face and onto the ballast!

[plarailfan]

I worked at Huddersfield station during the early 1980's and one day, parcels traffic volume was unusually slack, so the foreman decided myself and a colleague had to do the white line on platform 1, to keep us busy, this was a very hurried affair, with passengers and trains about My colleague used an ordinary sweeping brush with very short and many, missing bristles, I had a proper platform paintbrush, with two sides, but still plenty of missing bristles!! We used a large tin of ordinary white paint, and dipped both brushes into that!!! A very uneven job resulted, not much paint from my workmate, but too much paint from mine, with plenty getting onto the ballast, as the entire brush head was covered in paint every time I dipped it in the tin!! We did the job in under an hour, and it looked a bit messy, but after a couple of weeks, footprints, muck and rain took their toll, and it blended together fairly well. Where there were nicks and chips in the platform edge, the paint often missed but nobody cared!! (I did) I expect the unstaffed stations on the Penistone branch, had similar treatment, as they came under the three (strewth, nearly more gaffers than staff!) Huddersfield traffic managers at the time. For more info, see my profile on Flickr, photostream.

[BOARD OF TRADE]

White platform edging certainly predates WW2 and I think it became a Board of Trade requirement.I wondered about this myself some time back but never got to the bottom of the subject.

Talking about the blackout in WW2 something I have never seen modelled are the white rings painted on the trunks of trees by the roadside.There are more than a few trees around where I live which still faintly bear evidence of this even to this day.

[The Stationmaster]

As far as the GWR is concerned I have yet to run to earth any pre 1948 instructions (I think I have some wartime stuff but not sure about blackout regulations etc).

 

On the WR the following applied from July 1949 -

The edge of the platform to be whitened for a width of approximately 5 inches. The white lines must be renewed not less than once a month in summer and weekly in winter.

 

A further instruction was issued in September 1954 -

 

(That) the edges of ramps must not be whitened.

 

The reason for frequent remarking was, of course, a consequence of using whtitewash. In the mid 1970s staff at one of my stations experimented with using a paint intended for brick and stone but it was found that it very rapidly went a sort of pale yellow colour. The next idea after that was to try road marking paint and we found that to be very satisfactory as it held its colour and lasted for months, thus saving a lot of work.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Taking a quick break in the "Festivities" for some peace and quiet.....

 

This is how they do it today, at least in Bournemouth. Note that only the top of the platform edge is being painted, not the sides.

[letterspider]

Here is how I did it. The pen was about £4 on eBay - it for tyre marking

 

Notch cut into the nib

 

I was able to drag the nib along the edging to produce a consistent line, it was very easy

 

[letterspider]

Make sure the edging is clean or the nib gets clogged by dirt - it can be solved by cutting another notch!

[kevinlms]

There is a photo in the book 'LMS Reflections', which shows how it was done in March 1925 at Wembley & Sudbury.

Depicted is a 4 wheel cart, main wheels front & rear with outrigger wheels to the sides. There is a lever arrangement on the LHS, presumably to control the paint flow. There are gaps and chips, but none appears to have dropped onto the ballast. Perhaps the photo is a non working demonstration?

 

Also in the photo is a platform light, with a suitable long pair of steps leaning against it!

[Ray Von]

For my N Gauge layout, I use this pen:

 

 

I use the edge of the nib (rather than the tip) rested at 45 degrees on the platform edge, and drawn gently along - this gives a nice and even fine line.

The white can be weathered, added to, or scratched off when dry.