Liveries!

"Matches SECR carriage stock" red - though I assume all manner of fancy shades of red panels in the lining out. At the time, 323 was painted red; one of the other P class locos was painted green but held back in the paint shop; and a set of carriages was painted green. Presumably all variations of red and/or green loco and red and/or green carriages were essayed together for approval. As far as I am aware, 323 never ventured outside the confines of the works yard at Ashford painted thus.

Tom

 

It's OK, I'm all done with bashing on. I'll just have to bring my wife to see the real thing again, live and unedited!

 

I looked up the relevant entry in the SER/SECR engine repair book. This lists dates arrival at works; into and out of the erecting shop; in and out of the paintshop, and sent to work, along with the shed, for each loco - so normally six dates in all.

Because new locos took the number of an old loco which would be struck off the register, a new loco normally appears with an "arrived at works" date, followed by the words "Condemned - New Engine Class X" and a "Sent to work" date.

But in the case of 323, the register reads:

Arrived at Works
4.1.10

Condemned - New Engine Class "P"

Sent to work
{ 16.7.10
{ 26.4.10 ,
Orpington​

With the two dates bracketed together one above the other. As I understand (and interpret), the loco was originally released from the paintshop on 26.4.10 newly constructed in Lake livery, but then didn't go straight to work, but was instead held back for livery trials. Interestingly, it must have had a second trip through the paintshop between 26 April and 16 July, but that isn't recorded, possibly because it came from a different budget for accounting purposes (that's a hypothesis, not fact). Looking at other records, painting P class 178 took a week for its first repaint, so presumably repainting 323 into proper livery probably took a similar period up to 16 July 1910, after which it was released into traffic for the first time.

(Interestingly, it's first overhaul takes place in the erecting shop between 2/4/13 and 30/5/13, after which it is returned directly to traffic without another trip to the paintshop, so presumably the paint was still in good condition).

Tom

 

A surprisingly short turnaround in the paintshop for that era. They must have had things down to a fine art during Wainwright's tenure.

I recall reading that on grouping, Swindon were unimpressed at the time taken to paint a MSWJR loco and the MSWJR men were nothing short of horrified with the Swindon allotments of paint and time allowed to turn out a loco, with a recorded comment that the green would need thinning down to the extent that the boiler would turn black in very short order. I can't recall the source, but it also mentioned the GWR coat on an old MSWJR tender wearing off, years after nationalisation, revealing the pre-grouping livery in all it's glory after around three decades.

 

Paint did wear off over time. There was a Fowler tender at Longsight until the mid 80s, which you could see quite clearly from Hyde Road and the BR paint had worn away and it was by then in LMS livery

 

So, Tom, when're we going to see 323 in this livery again...?

 

It would make a change! I guess that would make it "Redbell".

AFAIK, in preservation, appart form a short period when originally preserved, it has always run in some form of blue livery except for a few months at the end of 1999 when, in connection with the SE&CR centenary, it went into the austerity green livery:

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pics/991c001m.html

Tom

 

And very splendid it looks in blue, too. This is *one* loco I shan't be sorry if it doesn't appear in crimson lake.

 

Looks damn fine in green though. Really very fine.

 

I rather like this loco in this livery.

 

.... or any other .... only 'coz I'm happy it managed to survive. Such an unusual and memorable loco but since you mention it, yes .... I'd agree .... for preference, turned out just the way it is.

Putting "Bluebell" into red would hardly be the end of the world ..... so long as it was just for short spell. Another loco'd have to be blue in the meantime of course. Stands to reason..... Traditional, innit? Something in 'Maunsell's Proposed Engine Blue' perhaps?

 

Did WD500 ever carry the LMR blue livery in service at Longmoor? In preservation I think it has been LMS black and BR black.

 

Amongst the earlier british private railway companies this is my favourite livery! https://locoyard.files.wordpress.co...h-eastern-and-chatham-railway-h-class-263.jpg

kind regards
Knut

 

A man of excellent taste!

Tom

 

Thanks a lot Tom

Thank you very much Tom (if you meant me or the designer)

Also the model realeased of it sold like hotcakes (I missed one of this)

Knut

 

No, she was always black, at first as an oil burner but later converted to coal. She hasn't appeared as WD500 in preservation, but did appear as WD307 for a while a few years before the end of her last ticket, complete with Westinghouse pump and air tanks.

Her WD numbers were 307, 70307, 41.109 and finally 500.

 

Not bad for a modern livery, but why the obsession with upsweeps at the rear? I always think it looks ungainly... But then it's better than First Group's vile purple, pink and white abominations! To my eyes, this was what streamlined lining out on a PSV was all about...

Richard.

 

thanks

 

I picture from Heritage Painting shows a excellent painting work being undertaken to this BR standard class 4. I have not seen a BR standard class 4 in green colour before so this would be an impressive sight! Not sure where the picture is taken or which loco it is.

https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=e2b3a02e5be3238b6e11812ff2f4cfff&oe=5B56C5ED

Knut

 

My first guess would be 75029 at the NYMR.