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GWR Poster boards and early Structure Colours


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...not too sure where the grey reference came from.

Little more than a guess, really, David. Suggestions for a grey as a possible colour include the surviving 19th century crane at Didcot which shows little sign of any other colour, the availability of a grey amongst Swindon paint lists and, apart from the 1974 Vaughan photo, the Newbury crane looks to me to be a bit different from the dark stone or chocolate in the photo.

 

Nick

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Hi Ian, I've not really got anything new to contribute regarding the internal colour scheme, but would like to say that the goods shed is looking great! Have you got any other pictures of the model? I for one would love to see some, it would make a great blog entry!

 

Dave

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Thankyou for your input guys.  I have looked once again at the threads you've all highlighed.

 

If I paint the window frames chocolate (and the goods office door), what colour(s) do we think that the large rail and road doors would be, would they also be chocolate or light stone with dark framing? 

 

Dave,

I've not put anything on my blog for ages, I've tended to add entries in the 2mm section.  A couple of entries relating to the goods shed are here : http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/65499-whats-on-your-2mm-work-bench/?p=1098981

and here :

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/65499-whats-on-your-2mm-work-bench/?p=1102447

 

Thanks.

 

Ian

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I have nothing on the actual GW poster boards, but I do have here an interesting article scanned out of an early '60's Model Railway News on poster sizes. This describes how several standard size sheets made up into various larger sized posters etc, and also gives the standard poster board sizes etc. Contact me micknich2003@yahoo.co.uk if you think a copy of interest. 

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A couple of contrasting examples of exterior doors:

 

Bishop's Lydeard, undated but prob. no later than 1920s, matchboard end wall in very pale colour, could be white but prob. light stone as it looks the same as lighter part of station awning, large double doors like lower half of stable doors in same colour as wooden fencing on platform, prob. dark stone, dark hinge straps on doors (chocolate?).

 

Congresbury c1904, end doors look white but photo is a bit over-exposed resulting in similar barge boards and awning on station so could be light stone.

 

I don't think Edwardians liked to waste their film on goods shes, but when they did the doors are usually open :scratchhead:

 

Nick

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Just a thought... wouldn't the ironwork have been black?

The hinge straps? Quite likely, but I've seen dark stone straps on a white yard gate that clearly contrast with the black ironwork on an adjacent level crossing gate (Monkton Combe, c1910).

 

Nick

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Thankyou for your input guys.  I have looked once again at the threads you've all highlighed.

 

If I paint the window frames chocolate (and the goods office door), what colour(s) do we think that the large rail and road doors would be, would they also be chocolate or light stone with dark framing? 

 

 

 

Hi Ian, Paul Karau's Great Western Branchline Termini has a couple of good shots of the shed circa 1907-9. The doors are light stone with dark stone framing (framing being the outer planks on each door). There are no shots of the windows, but judging by the other period shots of the main building, they would be chocolate.

 

Just a thought... wouldn't the ironwork have been black?

Looking at the 1907 photo, yes. The ironwork hanging the doors to the runners (sliding doors at Moretonhampstead) appear darker than the dark stone, so entirely feasable it is black.

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I've just come across this thread, and I would observe that the photo on post 45, Has what appears to be the later parallel sided milk churns on the platform, unlike the older conical ones shown in post 75 which would help dating the picture in post 45.. My only other note is that the MSWJR also used something like light stone dark stone on valences, but when taken over by GWR, certainly by photographic evidence I've seen, by the 30's they had gone all White.

The Q

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I've just come across this thread, and I would observe that the photo on post 45, Has what appears to be the later parallel sided milk churns on the platform, unlike the older conical ones shown in post 75 which would help dating the picture in post 45.

Well spotted! IIRC the parallel-sided churns were introduced in the early thirties so perhaps the stipey valance lasted a bit longer than folk thought.

 

My only other note is that the MSWJR also used something like light stone dark stone on valences, but when taken over by GWR, certainly by photographic evidence I've seen, by the 30's they had gone all White.

There's an interesting collection of MSWJR photos starting here, some showing the early stripey valances, but I'm not sure why you think the post-grouping ones are white. To me they look like very conventional light/dark stone. For example here.

 

Nick

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Although far outnumbered by the conical churn, small (probably 10-gallon) parallel-sided churns did exist in the early '20s, so I think DC's date ascription of the second pic in post #37 is correct.

That's interesting, I'd not noticed the 10gal churns in that photo before. Mind you, at the bottom of the churns page, it does say

 

 

Conical churns began to be superseded by the 10-gallon parallel-sided cylindrical type of churn introduced in the 1930s...

That and this site are the only sources I've found for their introduction date.

 

Nick

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Well spotted! IIRC the parallel-sided churns were introduced in the early thirties so perhaps the stipey valance lasted a bit longer than folk thought.

 

There's an interesting collection of MSWJR photos starting here, some showing the early stripey valances, but I'm not sure why you think the post-grouping ones are white. To me they look like very conventional light/dark stone. For example here.

 

Nick

Going slightly off topic as the MSWJR only became GWR after 1923, and not on the line the originator was discussing, The photo that comes up first from the Burbage site is pre 1923,  so try this one  of Ludgershall about 1930 from the swindonsotherrailway site contributed by Mike Barnsley http://www.swindonsotherrailway.co.uk/mike188.jpg

 

I've got copies from the  Burbage site and Swindons Other Railway Site and any other  I can find, on my computer at home,  as I am researching to build Ludgershall 1940, but want to be able to back date it to 1923 ish

 Thanks Q

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Going slightly off topic as the MSWJR only became GWR after 1923, and not on the line the originator was discussing...

Don't worry about that, we've long moved on from Dave's original question.

The photo that comes up first from the Burbage site is pre 1923,  so try this one  of Ludgershall about 1930 from the swindonsotherrailway site contributed by Mike Barnsley http://www.swindonsotherrailway.co.uk/mike188.jpg

For the end valance facing the camera, I would suggest light stone with dark stone on the upper horizontal piece. It's definitely not white, compare it with the posters on the end wall.

 

Nick

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Don't worry about that, we've long moved on from Dave's original question.

For the end valance facing the camera, I would suggest light stone with dark stone on the upper horizontal piece. It's definitely not white, compare it with the posters on the end wall.

 

Nick

I agree I should have said all light not white ( meaning not alternate light stone dark stone), and since GWR used light stone that would be it, I must admit I hadn't notice the top plank being a darker colour, I'll have to remember that when  the station building is ready for painting just the basic shell done so far.

The Q

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  • 4 months later...

I have just received a new book "Great Western Railway structure colours 1912-1947 from official Sources by Richard North and published by the Great Western Study group" it is quite a book with 88 pages, although I have only just flicked through and not read it in detail it does look good, It seems that tint No. 4 was in use from early on and was changed to a brighter colour a maroon brown although keeping the name tint No. 4, no mention is made of the four colour application with chocolate doors and window sashes as discussed in this thread although I may have missed it.

 

One thing it does confirm is that colours were brought in and not mixed on site listing the suppliers and make up of the paint so there would have been little variation in the colours.

 

David 

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  • 3 months later...
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  • 9 months later...

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/52409-blogentry-5869-0-67722200-1358517373-thumb1/

 

This model seems to have been painted in the early structure colours with chocolate windows and doors and to my mind looks spot on, and entirely different to how the later period stone colours were applied.

 

David

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http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/52409-blogentry-5869-0-67722200-1358517373-thumb1/

 

This model seems to have been painted in the early structure colours with chocolate windows and doors and to my mind looks spot on, and entirely different to how the later period stone colours were applied.

 

David

 

Dave is the originator of this thread, so has probably taken his cue from here. I certainly will too on future buildings (where appropriate). I know that not everyone agrees with the chocolate windows theory, but personally I find the evidence convincing.

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Dave is the originator of this thread, so has probably taken his cue from here. I certainly will too on future buildings (where appropriate). I know that not everyone agrees with the chocolate windows theory, but personally I find the evidence convincing.

 

I should have noticed that!

 

The building looks great and in the early colours it really looks nice.

 

On some layouts that have been set in the Victorian and Edwardian period and have GWR buildings painted in the later style look quite odd to my mind. I look forward to seeing a 517 with Indian red frames running in to a GWR station with the earlier structure colour application.

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On some layouts that have been set in the Victorian and Edwardian period and have GWR buildings painted in the later style

 

Mine included I'm afraid, I claim ignorance at the time!

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On some layouts that have been set in the Victorian and Edwardian period and have GWR buildings painted in the later style look quite odd to my mind. I look forward to seeing a 517 with Indian red frames running in to a GWR station with the earlier structure colour application.

Hopefully I will be able to satisfy your desire at some point, although an open cab 517 will be a challenge in 2FS - will a Metro Tank do? :-)

 

Ian

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