The LNER Encyclopedia

The LNER Coach Association are having bodywork repairs undertaken to the Thompson Buffet Lounge Car E1706. We are planning the repaint the carriage in carmine and cream and have a couple of queries on the livery as would have been applied in 1953.
The cant rail cornices - would they have been black or painted the same colour as the roof (i.e grey). Photos of the time suggest they could have been either.
Solebar fairings - as originally restored at the Llangollen Railway, these were painted in the same colour as the lower bodyside (i.e. carmine). However looking at stills from the 'Elizabethan Express' BTF film, they appear to be a darker colour (presumably black?). These were definitely painted black when the carriages were repainted into maroon but have not seen an original colour photo of the carmine & cream period.
I don't know whether it will be permitted to upload stills from the BTF film here but it is freely available on YouTube for reference:
https://youtu.be/ghkqGfUy4xs

Any advice most appreciated.
Thanks
Dave Cullingworth, Secretary LNERCA

I would have thought that anyone associated with coaching stock would know better than to describe the BR Crimson as carmine

The solebar fairings were painted black, from the original 'simulated teak' livery onwards.

Harder to determine the finish of the cornice. With the simulated teak finish it was teak colour - easy to distinguish when roofs were painted white. The post-1956 maroon livery is reasonably clear - it was painted roof grey, there were many more colour photographs taken by this time.

As to the crimson and cream livery, it is probable that it was also painted roof grey. Not many colour photographs of this particular stock, but many more of non-vestibuled Thompson and other stock in the plain crimson, together with teak-panelled vestibuled stock, all showing the cornice as grey.

I thought the cornice rails were black in crimson and cream and possibly maroon liveries. See the freshly painted maroon Gresley on the left of this shot.
69504_EFinchley_RCTS_NorthKentRailtour_21-3-59_m by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

Fine picture in so many ways. Do we know the name of the grey coated man with a deathwish?

Surely it is R I P