Compo 10,328 Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 Couldn't find a suitable topic in forums for this one so I'm putting it here. Railways used many different colour schemes for their rolling stock over the years but my favourite has to be the early 1960s Maroon; it's classy and smart. Any other favourites out there? 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheTramp 139 Posted May 26, 2015 Report Share Posted May 26, 2015 I know nothing about railway colours mate but that picture tells a hundred stories, the carriages are repainted, I DO like the dinky painted details, the diesel dragger is only smoking a bit, we can see the bloke in the window so the glass is clean (from the workshop , won't last long ) I reckon its near Leicester, and the wreckage at the trackside tells of upgrading to the signal system, new ballast and track but looks like WOODEN sleepers and chair blocks not springs. Yes maroon is classy and black is the tops but how can anyone keep black shiny? If you took the picture then you had a good lens and fast film. the toilet window is open, good idea. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Pullmans were'nt bad that brown was quite nice- did'nt like BR blue- loved that faded rusty brown of the vanguard- loco's were my thing - deltics/ warships. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Ps: Tipp station has chairs from 1926!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 LNER teak carriages looked beautiful when shiny, but I presume it faded and peeled eventually. Great Central French Grey and brown was nice too. Ian, if we must have diesels, then let it be 37's and 47's.... My two favs. I didn't like anything Western, and Deltics replaced my beloved A1's 2's, 3's and 4's....... So there...LOL 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Good option Fly- forgot about those colours!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted May 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Ian post#4: The oldest chairs still in use on the line outside our house are dated 1923. Things were built to last in those days! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Compo i'll have a look to see if there is any older- only used for sugar beet but now it is the Waterford line- major murdering of sheds etc.. here!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 Favourite livery got to be Caledonian (the carriage colours). Great Western locos had great colour also. If you want to see old track ironwork look in sidings. I remember seeing really ancient stuff at Etches Park, Derby. For the station with the most pre-grouping companies using it try Carlisle Citadel. The following could be seen circa 1900............... London & North Western Railway, Caledonian Railway, Glasgow and South Western Railway, Cumbrian Railway,; Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway, Maryport and Carlisle Railway, North British Railway, Midland Railway and maybe more. carriages in West Coast joint colours could also be seen. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mercurydancer 1,104 Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 I must admit to liking British Racing Green type of colour, although maroon is high up there on the class scale. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 This may be heresy, but to be honest I always thought the blue & grey introduced from the mid-1960s brought a much-needed modern look to the railways compared to the drab maroon which was a bit old fashioned by then. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted May 27, 2015 Report Share Posted May 27, 2015 The logo was certainly iconic.the engines and coaches here were orange and black- now a wee green. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted May 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 Brunswick green is my favourite loco livery. The arty folk say that the red end of the colour spectrum id rich and eye-sweet but the blues are cold and cheerless. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted May 29, 2015 Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 It wasn't just the colours but also the lining which made coaches and locomotives look so interesting. As well as the 'nuts and bolts' appearance of the stock. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Can anyone remember the ancient maroon rolling stock set that was stored in London Road carriage sidings during the mid to late 70's? It was only used for summer Saturday holiday trains to Skegness, usually hauled by a pair of Class 20's and I think for those Saturday cheap excursions that BR were fond of at the time. I read somewhere then that it was the last original set of maroon coaches on BR, would you know this Mel. They were in terrible external condition, particularly the roofs, the grey paint was peeling off in large patches revealing bare metal, God knows what they were like inside, I bet the toilets didn't work for a start. I wonder how many survived into preservation as there were still a considerable number of grey and blue Mk1's about at the time. As for favourite liveries, you couldn't beat a set of malachite green SR coaches, especially if it was Bulleid stock. The only thing that spoiled it were the Brunswick green painted Pacific's used to haul them, a very 'subtle' colour clash! Just out of interest, a very nice old boy came into our garden centre in Braintree the other day to pick up his fencing, he gave me his name, Graham Bulleid, so I casually asked him, 'Are you related to O V by any chance?' The look on his face said it all, 'Clearly you know about steam locos' and laughed, it was O V Bulleid's great nephew! We subsequently ended up chatting about chain driven valve gear and turf fired loco's, nice start to the day. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Nice one Firbeck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Pete! You always were that lucky. When I started at Nottingham CS in 1988 the four sidings nearest the mainline (or down goods) on the London Road side were no longer connected to the mainline at the east end. They were numbered 1 to 4GN (ie 1GN, 2GN etc). Apart from the paper train we didn't have regular business in the other London Road sidings although we had to fetch stuff from time to time, so we had to have thorough knowledge of the layout and also signalling over there. The GN roads were often used to store week-end stock during the week. We did have two sets of early mark 1 stock with only steam heating and vacuum brakes (as opposed to dual heating). They were clearly past there use by date but were painted in the then modern BR colours, definitely not Maroon. We fetched them over Friday morning to be cleaned and brake blocks examined, water tanks filled and toilets stocked up. Each set had eleven vehicles, mostly TSOs (64 seater second open plan) with the odd SKs ( second class corridors). Not forgetting the BSK (Brake second corridor) and FK (first class corridor). They were used on the Devon trains or mid week skeggys. I remember seeing them go out on the last trips of the season in September with the steam heat pipes leaking everywhere. Occasionally in winter they would be used on the odd Footex (football excursion). I think in the early 80s the local (persons of caravan dwelling) nicked all the heavy brass coupling heads on the steam heat pipes and they ended going to Leicester for scrap. They were very busy times with the whole sidings cleared on summer Saturday mornings to accommodate all the holiday trains which came in (and later went out). This often brought some unusual power units such as class 50s which were seldom seen around there. Also class 40s. It was a very busy time but it was real nuts and bolts railway work only seen these days on a very limited scale on heritage railways. I feel so lucky to have been there at the time before it all disappeared. Happy days. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 Class 50's often turned up on the Lawley St - Beeston FLT trains in the 80's, and occasionally heading south through Toton after overhaul at Doncaster. Class 40's were sometimes on the Beeston FLT - Glasgow trains too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Merthyr Imp 729 Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 #1 - The photo was taken on the East Lancashire Railway in 2008. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 LNER teak carriages looked beautiful when shiny, but I presume it faded and peeled eventually. How not to treat a 1930's teak Gresley Buffet Car, this was the one used in the Harwich Boat Train set which had somehow found it's way to Cambridge station where I came across it in 1976. I think it may have been the one that found itself on the NNR, subsequently restored to it's full teak glory and used as a bar selling Woodfordes draught bitter, but now inexplicably repainted 'Custard and Cream' and doesn't appear to sell beer anymore. Sorry I haven't been on here recently but I've been so busy, this picture is one of my very large colour archive that I still haven't had time to copy and upload yet. Incidentally Cambridge was built, rather strangely for a major city station, with only one through platform which caused terrible problems with pathing through trains. Only recently has an up platform been constructed and positioned exactly where this carriage is parked up. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Gresleys were beautiful. Another livery I liked was the green & cream excursion stock as used by the LNER. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Nice shot Firbeck!! Here in Limerick Junction poses same problem- locos have to back on - Waterford train is a nightmare, and its a fippin' long platform! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
firbeck 860 Posted June 5, 2015 Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 #1 - The photo was taken on the East Lancashire Railway in 2008. The East Lancs is a great line, you can't beat the signal gantry at Bury Bolton Street:- 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
StephenFord 866 Posted June 5, 2015 Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 Personally, I liked the mid-50s blood and custard livery for coaches. But in addition, at that time the non-corridor stock was painted plain red (or blood if you like!) - possibly an approximation to the famous Midland crimson lake, a bit lighter than the later maroon as in #1. It was always a bit exotic to see a full set of green Bulleid stock on the York-Bournemouth at Victoria, or crossing the viaduct over Midland. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FLY2 10,109 Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Stephen, did the green stock contain a restaurant or buffet car. Likewise the reverse ER stock. ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.