61306

Oh for judges like that on the current cases being brought by Zara...

 

I'd settle for a few more editors with the guts to say "I'm not running that sort of meaningless bilge as news".

 

The NER in earlier times had loco works at Gateshead, Darlington, Leeds & York, who apparently produced four slightly different versions of NER livery.

With green having been such a popular locomotive colour, railway companies seemed to produce an almost limitless variety of shades, light green & dark green, with bluish, yellowish or brownish hues. It is interesting at the NRM to see a wide variety together. I have to confess that I could not detect any difference between GNR green and NER green as seen inside the NRM. Whereas they were quite distinct from other varieties of light green, such as seen in the attached.

 

Ah, but the question you have to ask of that locomotive is which works painted it, and at what time, with what paint, when it was retired for the museum...!

 

I'm not so sure that there is much difference in the shade of green between these two locos. The difference is that one was painted fairly recently and its varnish is still new. The other was painted 50 years earlier, prior to going to Clapham Museum, and its varnish has all but disappeared over the intervening years. Headly a proper comparison. Alas the T3's paint work is typical of many of the older Museum locos as any form of maintenance of the larger exhibits has now ceased in favour of Wonderlab and highlighting future railway technology. History and conservation seem to be alien concepts to the Museum's Masterplan for the future. Such a pity in my opinion.

Peter

 

It will be interesting to see what colours are carried by the T3 when it emerges from its current overhaul.

The NER engine colour was sometimes termed "Saxony Green". I wondered about the origin of that term. Looking at the fine photo of "Morayshire" posted by Simon at #92, I think I see an affinity with the green of Saxony's flag:

https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de-sn815.html
https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/de-sx.html

Anyway, I always like to see an engine in a shade of green different from the prevailing GWR/BR standard. Now if only Mr Thompson had painted a B1 in blue like he did with "Great Northern" .....

 

From what I've read, Aerolite in the NRM always seems to be the loco referred to as being the best example carrying NER saxony green, which to my eyes is quite different to that carried recently by Morayshire and Mayflower.

 

I always thought that 251 and 990, both GNR atlantics wore markedly different colours. Presumably this is more down to when, rather than where the museum prep paint job was done.

 

Well they look pretty much the same to me. Surely any difference is likely to be down to the age of the paint as much as anything. Even in museum conditions 40 year old paint will fade to some extent. Or is it just that I'm colour blind?

Peter (who wasn't colour blind at his last medical six months ago)

 

The NER paint swatch acquired from Darlington be the North Eastern Railway Association over 60 years ago is a different colour from all the NER locos in the NRM collection. This swatch is kept in darkness so won’t have faded.

According to the railway’s good doctor you don’t go colour blind. That is, unless you drink meths, which I’m sure you don’t.

 

I assume that Mayflower has now been fitted with air braking at Crewe? Was just watching some video of the test runs on the SVR today and she now sports some tanks on top of the back of the tender which I can't see in my photos of her from before this year.

 

That’s the reason it’s gone to the SVR, to test the Air braking system.
And as ever I seem to miss out on B1 action!

 

Autumnal colour at Hampton Loade this morning was mostly green. Test running of 61306 continues.

There is a path to Crewe on Tuesday https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U64102/2022-11-08/detailed with a corresponding (l/e) movement from Crewe in advance.