Livery

Hi all, can anyone please help, I am creating an early BR Branch (twig more like) off the Wisbech and Upwell tramway and need a Fruit Van traffic office, whilst in the current issue of Model rail Chris Leigh has painted his in BR Crimson as a departmental vehicle I think this is incorrect,however, the only pictures I have are in Black and White, after WW2 the vehicles remained in use until 1950 can any one please shed any light on their livery? Was it Oxford Blue (very faded) or grey - or perhaps something else? Thanks All.

Hi Simon

The original Departmental stock livery was black, changing in the 1960's to red - it wasn't crimson - it was a red oxide colour I think.  Late 1960's it changed again to the olive livery that appears on a number of newish RTR models.

Changes were slow and as these were not revenue earning stock, I imagine that they were low in the pecking order in the paint shop.  My engineer's brake/tool van (Ratio GWR 4-wheeled brake with repaint) is still in ex-LNER grey in 1960 and, frankly, may well be accurate!!

Hope that gives you some steer

Barry

Hi Barry, very many thanks, I concur with your view - the only post nationalisation picture I have shows one of the vans at the rear of a tram with an LNER fruit van coupled to it, given that these are brown the livery certainly appears much lighter and my estimation would be faded grey. Certainly 'our' S&T workshop van/mess coach at King's Lynn (an ex Pullman Car) was painted Grey well into the Diesel Era, although we did take time to paint it ourselves on quiet Sundays! Other mess vans I have known - especially in out of the way places were mostly a mish mash of blackish/greyish/woodish - except a couple of newly converted ex SR PMV's at Hither Green which were a very fetching Olive Green and nearly killed us as the chimney hole for the stoves hadn't been cut out properly! Regards, Simon.