David Bigcheeseplant

Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us Two photos of Princes Risbough the first shows the station just after completion in 1905 and has the three colours on the canopy ends just like High Wycombe the next photo which I would think is circa 1920s has all canopy valances both on the buildings and footbridge stripy later photos show the awing back in one colour again . David

A close up of the canopy at High Wycombe there does seem to be three colours again very light on the vertical planking a mid tone on some framing and what seems like chocolate on outer framing

A photo of Aylesbury station taken sometime after 1904 but this show the light dark stone on the valancing. other photos I have of the station building clearly show chocolate doors and windows.

I had a look in the Marlow branch by Wild Swan at photos of Borne End footbridge at the same period, the same painting style has been done with three different shades again the framing the darkest colour may or may not be chocolate, if the framing is dark stone then it would point to three shades of stone paint in use plus chocolate, so maybe stone no.1 was used as a main colour and not as an undercoat as stated by the HMRS which I has always had doubts about anyway, the lightest colour on early photos does seems to be lighter than light stone on the same buildings from the 1930s. Personally I think there were four main coulours in use on stations stone 1, 2, 3 and chocolate which is refered to at tint No.4, I think by the 1930s Stone no.1 and chocolate became less used, with Maroon Brown taking over the role of the chocolate. The photos I posted of Saunderton and West Wycombe show very dark paintwork on the doors and windows which I think is chocolate rather than any other colour, so I do think there was plenty of chocolate paint being splashed around at this period and plenty of stone No.1 which I think was more of a cream colour than the mushroom of stone No.1 David

One thing that may be worth thinking about is the death of Prince Albert in 1861 and Queen Victoria goining into morning till her death in 1901 colours tended in this period to be dark, and fashion in building colours tended to follow suit. with the Edwardian period and into the 1930s fashion changed and lighter styles came into use, think in the 1930s with art deco there was quite a bit of white which really either was not possible before or not fashionable. David

If you look at the photo there are three shades of colour on the footbridge the steel framing is very dark, hence chocolate the panels are lighter and the valanace lighter still, the same style is repeated in photos of other stations accross the system. have a look in Edwardian Enterprise for other examples. there are photos of lamp huts painted in light stone with windows painted very dark certanly not dark stone.

Uploaded with http://imageshack.us'>ImageShack.us An photo of Princes Risborough around 1900 the footbridge has light stone vallance although the framework is chocolate and the lower panels dark stone, except for the white painted panel behind the signal. I have a feeling that the light stone in the dark windows period was lighter than what we think light stone looks like maybe stone No1 rather than stone No.2

Uploaded with ImageShack.us Here is a close up of the Saunderton station image I obtained in the mid 1980s taken from the original plate glass negitive, the light colour you can see is the wall there seems to be a poster board on the wall inside you can zoom in quite a bit and see the detail and even read whats on the board and this is only scanned at 1200dpi. Do you think the photo was taken in Mowvember!

Princes Risborough was pure GWR until 1905 and seemed to be painted in the GWR colours till at least 1920, the ownership did swap around every few years hence I think it got LNER green paint in the late 1930s at least. I will scan in and upload the photo I have a bit later. David

I am sure I have seen poster boards at Didcot railway museum in their small relics building with gold or oche lettering shaded red. I first picked up the dark chocolate colour scheme twenty five years ago, raised the issue with a number of groups including a few years back with station colours website who said they would not update there site as there was no evidence!! As the alternative light/dark on valancing, I think it depended on the painters and may be a bit later circa 1920, Princes Risborough station I noted the following. early photo of station 1868-1870 white or light window casements and frames! by 1890 the original station had been enlarged a bit and now sports dark windows style. In 1900 the station is again photographed in the dark window style the covered footbridge has all iron work in chocolate, the steel panels in the lower half of the bridge are dark stone and all the valances light stone. The station was completly rebuilt in 1905 and was again painted in the dark door window scheme, the new footbridge again having light stone valances and dark stone panels just like the old footbridge, by 1920 the valances were alternative light and dark stone, by the mid to late 1930 there were one colour again. although the LNER took responsibilty in the 1930s for repainting so it may well be LNER as I did find traces of mid green paint when I did some scraping a few years ago. David

I think in the second photo where the door is open you are not seeing the door but inside the building the recesed panel is not the door but just part of the desk or wall in the room as you can see the floorboards.

http://www.transportarchive.org.uk/getobject.php?rnum=L2338&searchitem=west wycombe&mtv=L3&pnum=1 http://www.transportarchive.org.uk/getobject.php?rnum=L1824&searchitem=west wycombe&mtv=L4&pnum=1 A couple of photo of West Wycombe showing quite a bit of very dark paint (chocolate) also note there is no white paint on the poster boards. http://www.transportarchive.org.uk/getobject.php?rnum=L1694&searchitem=saunderton&mtv=L4&pnum=1 http://www.transportarchive.org.uk/getobject.php?rnum=L1797&searchitem=saunderton&mtv=L4&pnum=1 and above two photos of Saunderton in 1905 again no doubt about it those doors and windows are very dark and not stone which does apear on the footbridge panels in the distance, Great Western Way would have us belive the door panels were light stone with framing in dark and window sashes in white David

It's a pet niggle of mine as all publications and even the station colours make no mention of the style, Great Western Way on it's reprint kept on about no change of style from the formation of the GWR to the end, the chocolate brown window frames sashes seemed to be in use by 1880 through to the mid 1920s, when the white window sash style came in and a much less dark paint seemed to be applied. have a look through the Wild Swan book Great Western Enterprise and all buildings are in the dark window scheme. An exception are signal boxes that do have white sashes from at least the early 1890s but remember signal boxes were repainted by the signal department. What era is your model, as I will try and find some photo of poster boards for you. David

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa505b.htm Slightly off topic but this photo clearly shows the three colour painting of the buildings the woodwork is light stone the framing is dark stone and the doors and windows including all sashes and frames are chocolate a stile that lasted well into the 1920s

Not the best photo of the model but it gives an idea of what I was trying to achive, the David Geen Castings do not come with any etched fittings so the on off handle on the cast piller had to be made from wire as were the various stay wires to the top of the water crane. You do get the water overflow funnel that is below the bag but it seems that the water cranes on the platform had these the one in the shed road didn't, looking at all the photo I have there does not even seem to be a drain grill in the floor. John Reed who has made diary notes at the time says although the water cranes on the platform were a mid olive green that in the shed was a rather matt chocolete brown. David

Just before Christmas I built the water crane in the shed area from David Geen parts, I will post photos of my model later but the above photo shows the actual water crane at Aylesbury, the parts standing to the right are the remains of the coal stage, looking at the loco it has quite a bit of white staining on the boiler. David

Quite possibly, I would have liked to have it for 2013 which is the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the current station but as I am currently drawing up the floor plan for Railex 2013 and it's not gonna fit. so I expect it will be 2014. David

A colour photo of the shed, I need to blank out the background next time I take some pictures. The loco is a Martin Finney Kit not built by me although I do have one to finish off. My next build will be the coaling stage, well there are two in fact one under the old water tank for GWR locos and a slighly higher one for the hard coal users all topped off with a corrugated iron cover The photo below shows both coal stages plus a 41XX on an autotrain David

# A photo of the real shed but having the same sort of feel that I got with my camera phone. below another pic of the model.

It's a while since I posted but we have been progressing with the model of Aylesbury, all of the platforms are now in and Tim Peacock is building the water tank, also a large prarie has been added to the fleet, photos are not too good as were taken on my mobile phone but give an idea of where we are now. David

If anyone is interested the Risborough & District MRC has an open day this Saturday at the Community Centre Princes Risborogh 11-4, I will be there with our model of Aylesbury station, I will also bring along the photos I have which is quite a few! David

Nope nothing railway related think its the family planning clinic

How about this as a new use http://www.hollyfarmholidays.co.uk/#/big-red/4560903158

And also Aylesbury in 2014 for Railex

A rear shot of the station building David