Vale of Rheidol Liveries

Hello Folks,

Could anyone point me in the direction of digital information regarding the VoR's liveries, particularly interested in the immediate BR liveries from 1949 onwards.

 

I've just realised it says vole of Rheidol...sorry! This thread is not about small rodents.

 

That's a shame. Was looking forward to a wildlife thread.

 

I think the liveries are mostly mid-brown and furry ....

 

yes but difficult to get photographic evidence as they are camera shy - a bit like our resident Yeti.

 

found here: http://www.nwrail.org.uk/nw1107c.htm

 

Doesn't look much like a vole.

 

Collapse of stoat party...

 

A shot of No 9 from the early 1960s, same livery.

 

Interesting the coach behind the loco is green in that shot, given the loco is otherwise in standard BR Green with GWR fittings and plates, you'd think choc n cream or maroon would be more logical ?.

Plenty of shots of the "BR Blue Double Arrow" era on the net:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/david...ZgB8-agJagu-ahE1Wc-agxwrC-agxxhs-s8fV3-ag346U

https://www.flickr.com/photos/daffy...xQ7-dKa5cp-e4HvuH-e4HvVg-e4HwgK-dKfxL1-bLCvoa

<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77063...cp-e4HvuH-e4HvVg-e4HwgK-dKfxL1-bLCvoa/player/" width="75" height="75" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>

 

The coaches were plain blue and not blue/grey weren't they?

 

Yes

http://simonwhittinghamphotography.zenfolio.com/p610080031

 

When did the locomotives take on the BR green livery? Did they ever run in BR black in the early 50s?

I also understand that the coaches ran in carmine and cream for a very short period of time, is that right?

 

The coach does look green, but I'd expect it to be maroon, being as the LMR were in charge and not the WR at (presumably) this time.

 

Are there any pictures of them carrying the early BR emblem?

 

The carriages went from 'blood & custard' to chocolate and cream about the same time the locos went from unlined green with the 'cycling lion' to lined green with the 1956 crest. After the line went to the LM region the carriages were painted "Cambrian bronze green" as shown in the photograph. When corporate blue came in both the locos and carriages were painted in all-over "Rail Blue" with the "arrow of indecision". I'll have to look up if locos were ever B.R. black but I don't think so. Hope this helps. Ray.

 

According to WKJ Davies No. 9 briefly carried BR black after nationalisation, but unfortunately he does not give exact dates. Apparently this livery "lasted only a short time" before she was repainted green. He also does not specify whether the black was plain or lined but I suspect the former as I remember seeing a model of No. 9 in plain black.

No. 8 was repainted plain BR green with early crest on nationalisation. No. 7 retained "GWR" lettered tanksides until 1954, but was held back as "spare engine" for most of this period. Nameplates were added to all engines in 1956, and from 1957 the fully lined-out livery with later crest (as shown above) was applied. This was replaced by plain BR blue from 1968; from 1976 black-and-white lining was added.

In the early '80s BR began to apply "heritage" liveries to the engines but none of them were strictly authentic! No. 8 was turned out in GWR green with nameplate on the tankside, "shirtbutton" roundel on the bunker side and numberplate on the cabside. C.1987 this was replaced by plain Cambrian black with no nameplates. In 1982 No. 9 was turned out in original VoR "Improved Engine Green". No. 7 reverted to BR lined green but now with the crest on the bunker side and numberplate on the cabside, as seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/train...Big-bV1tXm-nfCHn7-jbNpNE-k8SJHX-78bHQf-e7tBNr

That takes you up to the end of the BR era

 

Didn't 7 carry a Cambrian "golden ochre" (ie orange) at some point or have I imagined that ?.

 

You're probably thinking of N0. 9 in her 1980s "Improved Engine Green". This was supposed to represent the original VoR livery, which in turn was inspired by LBSCR Stroudley livery. However, there is some confusion as to what the exact shade really was - Davies concluded that it was probably a very dark ochre (one contemporary witness described the engines being painted khaki!) so No. 9's 1980s livery probably wasn't authentic. Plus, of course, the original 1902 livery was never carried by the GWR 2-6-2Ts.

IMHO No. 9 looked very smart though, and I for one would love to see that livery revived!

 

It was totally unauthentic as No 9 is a GWR New Build ( The rebuild story was just a Swindon fiction to charge it to a different budget)