News from The Talyllyn

We have a Loco turning Green..

 

interesting headboard on the wall

colin green

 

Looks better than pillar box red.
...just have to make the most of it before its return to usual livery.

 

I'm afraid I missed that particular Express

 

For when it's stripped down, maybe...............


Cheers

Alan

 

Out in the sunshine..

 

Going back into the Railway's "house" livery I take it ?, does it mean Sir Handel is making a return or are the Thomas liveries being given a break ?.

 

I think it means those nasty despicable people with cameras are prepared to pay for a change of colour, and then another change back again before the summer season starts...

 

This is an Air Ministry Livery for photo charters in March. Duncan will be back for the main 2014 season!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks, looks smart either way.

 

More info on the temporary Green livery.. https://www.facebook.com/Talyllyn/posts/10152183196600450

 

Wow! I think it looks nice in that livery...

Out of idle curiosity how long does it normally take to paint one of your locos?

 

It's entirely the T.R.'s business but it seems a better shade of green than the railway's present one and worthy of changing the rest of the fleet to.

PH

 

The TR formally abandoned their traditional holly green livery a few years back - hence why only Nos. 4 and 7 still carry it!

(Personally, I think LBSCR umber would suit the latter very well...that's just me though... )

 

TR Standard Lined Green (actually Deep Bronze Green, not Holly Green) has never been "formally abandoned". Variety started with the "Skarloey" liveries several decades ago. Since then all the locos except No 7 have carried non-standard, but appropriate, alternatives at various times (e.g. No 4 in Corris livery).
These have all been for sound marketing reasons or (as with the current green on No 6) for photo charters - paid for by the individuals concerned. No6 will be reverting to red so that it can masquerade as "Duncan" this season - again a sound marketing decision. There is no formal policy that would prevent any (or all) of the locos reverting to TR Standard Green in the future.

 

I believe the painter who put No.6 into green is on NatPres and will correct me, but I believe it was around ten days.

Paint keeps the rust off, but always stirs a debate which is a good thing. Every past livery and colour scheme evokes memories of that time, and evoking memories is Heritage Railways bread and butter.

 

Couldn't agree more. Also, in a way, you're creating a whole new set of memories for a different generation, living history.

 

It makes sense to me to paint locomotives in different colours for pure commercial reasons.
If the average non-enthusiast cannot tell one green engine from another but can identify with six locomotives in six different liveries then the argument is that you could sell six illustrated souvenirs rather than one.

Kind regards,
Gareth

 

Eric Gibbons observed many years ago that the best selling lapel badge in the shop was of Cambrai. As that was not itself an intrinsically appealing loco (no shiny bits/slabby/uncared for look), the reasonable assumption was that it was the fact that it was red that appealed to the public. Notwithstanding, ISTR that when a slate of different liveries was put to the AGM in around 1970 with each loco to be painted in a different colour, that was considered too avant garde at the time.

 

There is certainly other evidence to support the "red engines" theory. For example, I remember buying a HNGRT mug of Cloister some years back and being told by the stallholder that the Cloister mugs were selling faster than the Wendy ones! I am sure I have also read that, back in the days of 0-gauge tinplate, the best-selling Hornby loco was Royal Scot, rather than Caerphilly Castle, Flying Scotsman or Lord Nelson.