6023 to GCR in Autumn

Just read about this visit in Steam Railway. While it's great that it is going, it's kinda lost lots of appeal being as someone thought it was great idea to repaint all the blood and Custard coaches into some unauthentic mess. So the prospect of a blue king hauling Blood and Custard coaches on double track will remain just a dream. Some things really are too good to be true. Congratulations to the 6023 boys though. She looks superb.

Steam Railway please can we have an appeal to repaint some coaches Blood and Custard before October?

 

Is not the Dining set still in Blood and Custard ?

Looking at the pic below they still are..

http://paulbiggsgcrailway.fotopic.net/p68343155.html

 

Wow, and people say I'm overly critical!

 

The GCR have not repainted the Blood and Custard coaches, if you find the thread on the GCR Pullmans and read through it all will be revealed.

 

how is 6023 getting on?

last update on there site was September.

Mike

 

Latest Steam Railway shows her as being very advanced. She will be visiting the SVR in September, another chance to see her on blood and custards...

 

Most of the blood and custard rake at the GCR are privately owned and its up to the owner's and not the GCR what colour they paint their coaches. The blood and custard rake is still there however a couple of coaches are under repair i.e. 3126 at Rothley and hence the use of 3092 from the Cromwell Tools set.

 

or with the GWR coaches

as when the blue livery was about, there would have still been plenty of coaches still in original liveries

Mike

 

Of course there are blood and custard coaches on other railways.

 

Although matching 6023 with a rake of Blood and Custard Mk1s will look rather nice - I'm not sure how typical that pairing would be for a representation of an early BR(w) express? Simply because photos in books tend to suggest a proliferation of ex-GW stock in early BR days with a comparatively late adoption of MK1 stock in comparison to other regions. Perhaps someone can argue for or against with some reference to dates, but I would wonder whether 6023 could've already been repainted into BR green before Mk1s were introduced onto the Western region? Aside from restaurant cars, 'sets' of Mk1s only seem to have been introduced from about 1954 onwards on the WR.

Stock wasn't repainted into BR colours overnight, so the pairing of 6023 with the GW set at the SVR, is in my mind, the one to look forward to.

Bottom line is that 6023 is going to be running at the GC and SVR next year - coach liveries pale into insignificance really. Although, what it would be to have the former BN91 blood and custard set for it to run with on the mainline...

 

I have wondered this when there is criticism of 60007 (in BR Early Blue) running on the teak set on the NYMR. Surely, as the blue was, I believe, sort of teh "second round" of livery trials, many carriages would still be in "Big Four" Colours - and Mark 1s would not have even been built. Remember, the first Mark 1s date from 1951, pre-Nationalisation designs being built in 1949 and 1950. The Mark 1s would have taken some time to end up everywhere, with crack Eastern Region expresses being nearly new Thompson Stock (in Blood and Custard) rather than Mark 1s for, I understand, much of the "Early Blue" period.

Whilst early Blue on Blood and Custard may feel right, it probably isn't and, indeed, the thing that strikes me about pictures from the 1950s and even 1960s is that trains tended to be a right mix of Big Four and Mark 1 stock; usually (except during the change over to maroon) uniform livery, just not uniform type!

Steven

 

So, are you going to suggest to 61624 that his beloved Gresleys & Thompsons are repainted in blood & custard, then?

 

:smile:

Not necessarily, although I think that there is a possibility, when it is no longer needed to provide more seats on the teak set, the 1950 built Thompson TK 1623 may well appear in Blood and Custard! 61624 may advise otherwise - I can't remember who from the LNERCA said they might not have a problem with Blood & Custard.

Steven

 

Only a few more months until 6023 is complete and running. From the picture in Steam Railway, it looks as if they're fitting the "mainline" lower safety valves from the start. I guess they'll be disguised underneath the correct taller safety valve cover, until she goes mainline and has the chimney and safety valve cover swap.

I predict that when 6023 runs in blue, the vast majority of people will say she looks stunning.

 

Well my personal preference is for things to be authentic, and the Thompsons really should be blood and custard as they were BR-built (and I think it suits them better than scumbled teak) but until the LNERCA has a few more teak Gresleys the Thompson corridor third will have to be teak to match the rest of the LNERCA set. What we'd really like is a Thompson train, whether scumbled or B & C.

 

Well 60007 looks amazing as did 35005 when she ran in blue. Very much looking forward to seeing 6023, I think she will sound pretty good too!!

 

cant wait to see this.

who would have thought, like 71000, that this engine would run again, the impossible task of making new wheels, I think its good to be reminded of it..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/90134546@N00/877167003

I think itll look fantastic in blue also.

Mike

 

this site is generally a little more up to date.

http://www.philneale6023.fotopic.net/