Bluebell Railway General Discussion

Probably, I understand that support coaches are exempt from the central locking requirement providing only support crew travel in them

 

Doesn't the Royal Scotsman have wooden bodied stock? I'm sure there is an LNER teak in there!

 

It may have grandfather rights as the stock of the Belmond Pullman does

 

Not any more, its all Mk1s and Mk3s. This is the one I think you're thinking of: http://www.cs.rhrp.org.uk/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=945

 

Unless the main line in question is the Metropolitan!

 

The photo was taken in evening (reddish) light, so shouldn't appear quite as red as the photo shows. It's the same paint code as we did it in 2002. Over the following 20 years it faded from "Vivid Reddish Orange" to dull reddish-brown.

 

Swanage pointed out that their Bulleids would have been far closer to period than a formica Mk.1 interior with 1990s seat moquette, but the director wanted the Mk.1...

 

For the amount of money on offer, they could have had whatever coaches they wanted. No reason at Bluebell end why they couldn't have had the three Maunsells. But lined Maunsell green is too ornate for WW2, and Bulleid Malachite more appropriate (even if our Bulleids are actually in BR green, they're not that different a colour).

 

Yes, the consideration was the shape of the window, from what I'm told!

 

Yes, SR Engineer's Wagons were painted "Orange Oxide". Red or Orange Lead Oxide (the terms are interchangeable for the same colour) is of course no longer used, but what's now sold as red oxide primer is a very dull colour compared to the real (poisonous) version! The spec we are using is NCS 2080-Y70R, selected after several experiments, by the late Alan Blackburn who led the original restoration, because he'd had these wagons in his engineering fleet when he was a BR Engineer (and was a co-author of the SR wagon books).
This is the 20-ton capacity version. It was the 15-ton version which was called "Tunny". The "return to Angerstein Wharf" enamels have been very carefully researched and recreated by Matt Lander.
Top - the plastic recreation carried for the last 20 years. Middle an original shorter Redbridge plate - the red edge is painted on, and not part of the original enamelling. Bottom one of the two re-created new enamel plates.

 

Bloody revisionists!

 

What enthusiasts like us often fail to appreciate is that there is a difference between making a drama and a documentary. Sometimes directors will want a particular aesthetic for a scene in order to achieve a particular 'mood', which reinforces the atmosphere of a particular scene or the feelings/state of mind of a particular character. Sometimes they will knowingly use some artistic licence in order to achieve that.

Some time ago I went to a very interesting lecture given by an academic historian who often works as a historical consultant on TV/film productions. She said, "I see it as my job to help directors make choices, not mistakes". It might be irksome for us as enthusiasts but for the majority of the population, such choices ultimately help to make a more dramatic and watchable film.

Sent from my SM-A125F using Tapatalk

 

Fair comment, but that isn't consistent. Two that bug me are the Merchant Ivory "Howards End", where a lot of effort has been invested in getting the period right but the GWR presentation (Bewdley?) is completely wrong for what Forster very clearly writes as a GN location near modern day Stevenage, and "Dunkirk", where even without relevant knowledge, the Swanage Mk1s don't give any sense of period.

 

And certainly not in "GWR Coach Green" whatever that may be

Mind you Woking has changed a lot since 1940 as well.

 

Woking has changed a lot since I went to live near there in 1956. And boy oh boy, did it ever need to!
Pat

 

My impression, town centre redevelopment and all, is that it needs more change yet.

 

I believe the Bulleids were rejected because they wanted a fully open coach, rather than the semi open Bulleid. The Maunsell TOs would have been perfect but unfortunately restoration was not complete at the time.

One of the main criticisms I hear about Dunkirk, even from those clueless about railways, is that the coaches used were obviously far too
modern.

 

But at least that is balanced out by a beautiful canal.

 

A Gresley open third would have been even better!

 

Where Dunkirk is concerned, just about any rolling stock correct for the period would have been fine.
Any spare carriages from the 4 main line companies were requisitioned, as the photographs taken at various stations during the evacuation roundabout still testify. The filmmakers really were spoiled for choice, yet still made a naff one.
Worth reminding ourselves that our own late Bernard Holden was deeply embedded in the staggering logistics of Operation Dynamo, at central control, Redhill.