Colonel Stephens Livery

[Marquis DeCarabas]

I've just learnt (grade 1 source) that there was definitely yellow paint floating around in the mix of liveries, rather than yellowed varnish. I shall scan up some pictures to-morrow.

[Marquis DeCarabas]

As promised - here are some more details.....

It has been reported that a surviving plank (in 1990) of Old No 2 Van (commonly known as 10 Van - after its use during the early 50s) has the following layers of paint:

[outside]green, thin layer of yellow, green, brick red, darker shade nearly black [wood].

The person who reported this also commented that the way paint was peeling indicated that it wasn't just primer.

I can believe this with first-hand experience of looking at Brown, Marshalls liveries from the 1860s. :0

So where does that leave us? - a little refreher of Van 2 all sparkly after its repaint:



We can now be fairly certain that the panel colour is yellow in this photograph.

So how about this little selection?:



Now, I'm not suggesting that every vehicle bar one *is* yellow, but, it's quite likely that the third bug-box back could be yellow as it matches Van 2.

So what about this?:



[Note the ex-NWNG coach on the left....]





The image of 12 is useful, as it shews the transition between a screw-coupled bugbox and a norwegian chopper coupled [probably 26] coach.

Now - how about a couple of Welsh Pony in blue with one of the Ashbury's in yellow:





Note that the colour of Van 5 is subtly different to Welsh Po, and the very distinctive bananery sag of the Ashbury: how apt that it was in yellow!

A really, really colourful train at TyB:



[Note Van 2 and the ex NWNG coach in the middle] I think I can get a number or a pair of numbers to almost all the carriages in that picture.

And finally an little exercise for the reader.... Glan-y-Pwll crossing, LNW engine shed in the background, train passing site of second Glan-y-Pwll No 3 box , head of train by the two-lever groundframe that controlled the end of the double line:



It is left as an exercise for the reader to decide exactly what's going on in this picture.


Aside from the copyright subsisting and acknowledged to the original photographers, there are a few little things:

• all of these photographs are dated 1934 - 1937, in a fairly narrow window.
• dated photographs of some of the vehicles before and after this slot indicate that they were plain green/red ends
• be very careful with bugboxes - don't confuse the square and round corners or the rebuilt round corner. Look for your portholes...

Have fun..

[david bailey]

I am completing an FR 1930's set and I have used Humbrol 76 for the Green and Humbrol 100 for the red, I have made coaches 20, 16, 10, Bug Boxes No1 3 and 4, I also supply the Rub Down Transfers for this livery.
I will have a complete train when I have completed my model of Welsh Pony.
David Bailey www.djbengineering.co.uk