Hello. Relative newby here to British rail heritage and, full disclosure, an obsessed rivet counter. I am trying to ascertain a few things with respect to all matters markings and information plates for the LMS and its constituent railways – in particular Midland, S&DJR and L&YR. Some specific questions I am hoping the board can yield answers for, and recognizing there may be general considerations and more detailed, railway-by-loco by build year responses:
Numberplates and Shed Plates: These were typically cast iron, and the raised characters were either polished iron or painted white on painted black plates. Was the difference between polished iron vs. painted white more a matter of era -- as in later in LMS days into BR, or for example was it common for Midland, S&DJR, L&YR, NCC and early LMS to have painted white numerals? B&W photos showing very bright characters are often difficult to discern as to whether it was a high polish or actual paint. Was there a difference by railway? For example the few period photos I’ve seen of S&DJR steam suggest painted white even in the 1920s or earlier. Finally, when did shed code plates first make an appearance? For example, S&DJR does not seem to ever have had them up to 1930 (could definitely be wrong on this) and Midland very late pre-grouping if at all.
Tender Number and Capacity Plates: I must admit these have me baffled for LMS and its constituents. I have seen examples of cast brass, blackened with the raised rims and characters polished to the brass, and cast iron painted black with the raised characters painted white. I cannot say I have ever seen cast iron plates painted black with polished characters, but I am not sure if that is a possibility as well. It seems, based on extant examples, that there are both cast brass and painted cast iron (even pre-1948) in the same timeframe, for the same types of tenders/bunkers. Was this a question, at all, of individual railway practice, timeframe, builder works' preference, or passenger vs. goods as primary purpose?
Builder/Maker Plates: No real questions here, as they generally seemed to always be polished caste or engraved brass with occasionally polished iron depending on works, until later LMS when they were black painted cast iron with white painted raised characters. However, when one looks at some of the OO offerings out there from Bachmann or Hornby, one sometimes sees white painted works plates (in addition to white painted tender plates or number plates) on early examples where one would think they would be brass. Examples include the SDJR 4F 0-6-0s and 0-6-0Ts from Bachmann, whereas their Midland 4F 0-6-0 has brass works and tender plates as would be expected (and white numbers on the smokebox).
I have much of the printed matter, including most of the rather excellent LMS and Midland Locomotive Profiles from Wild Swan and several of the LMS series from Essery et al. The questions above extend beyond this source material and are an attempt to fill in some gaps in my knowledge and reconcile reality with how specific models are depicted. Hopefully, this also engenders a discussion that contributes to the knowledge of British steam heritage and modellers alike.
