The LNER Encyclopedia

Here is a really nerdy question, but, hopefully, someone might just have the answer. What colours were the curtains on the Coronation sets? I am trying to make my illustrations of the Coronation set on my website - http://www.elegantsteam.com - a bit more accurate. I have plenty of exterior photos but few interiors. The available books, eg, Haresnape, Mullay, Harris, don't have any information on the point. Viewers will note that I put blue curtains on the 1st class and green on the 3rd class, but I have a feeling that this is wrong. I have updated the colours on the set, ie, the blue shades, and illustrated every coach (these will be uploaded shortly) but the curtains defeat me right now.

As an aside, I'm aware that my Silver Jubilee set has curtains in the 3rd class - this is incorrect as there were no curtains in 3rd class. These will be corrected.

Any help gratefully received.

Don Marshall

Don,
Amazingly the NRM have just sent me a copy of their index to the "NRM carriage textiles collection", as I was looking for curtain colours for the D10C. The index does show they have info on the observation saloons and other Coronation carriages. As you are in the Colonies that might prove a bit difficult, but I might be going the the NRM soon and if you can wait a couple of weeks I could have a look for you....unless someone else goes sooner. Alteratively you could email the NRM and ask if they will look for you.

In the second version of Harris, Thomas & Lochar, 1994. The author states there were two decor schemes in the 'Coronation' sets first-class sections. Nothing on curtains, nor which coaches had which scheme.

John

The textile info covers the observation saloons, 3rd class saloons and spare Coronation train scheme No. 3 for carriages 1733 & 1734. they do not list any 1st class infomation.

The NRM have pattern books for some, if not all, of the streamlined sets which have swatches of the materials in them - you can't get much more definitive than those! There's also one for the 1938 Flying Scotsman train. I seem to remember one of the books for the streamliners being in an auction a few years ago as well - unless it was bought by the NRM. If only there was such a book for ordinary LNER stock!

Thanks, everyone, for the replies above. I emailed the Search Engine at the NRM and received a prompt reply. They sent photos of swatches for carpets, easy chairs, etc, and even the curtain pattern used in the 1st Class sections (but no photo). It appears that the poor old folks in 3rd Class had no curtains. However, they did have blinds and the NRM sent me the colours used.
These were from the spare set, but I am assuming that all 3 sets would have been furnished in the same fashion.

This was excellent. I find that the Search Engine staff are very helpful and prompt when I ask them questions.

I do agree that a comprehensive tome on LNER carriages would be a godsend to people like me - and many others, I suspect. Something along the lines of David Jenkinson's "An Illustrated History of LNWR Coaches" would be fantastic. Michael Harris's "LNER Carriages" (including the new edition) is a brave effort, but is rather frustrating in what it doesn't say.

Don Marshall
http://www.elegantsteam.com

The problem is that there just isn't much on carriage interiors generally in the NRM photo collection. Special vehicles were reasonably well documented, normal everyday stock wasn't. The LNERCA was very lucky to find a Holdsworth pattern number on a drawing of a Dia 186 open third and Holdsworths had a record of the design but not the colours but forunately we had small samples that could provide the colours. In fact, this design was produced in three variations, the brown material we have used, and blue and green versions which were used in the tourist stock. The LNERCA now has samples of all three , found in the remains of carriage bodies in Scottish farmyards. Unfortunately, recording the Holdsworths pattern number on the GA for a coach wasn't standard practice, we've never come across other drawings similarly annotated.

We are about to commission a batch of the material used in Thompson third class compartments - fortunately it was the same as the material used in the 1938 Flying Scotsman set third class compartments and a there is a sample because there is a pattern book for that set. Interestingly, rather like Eric Morecambe's piano notes, it uses the same colours, but not necessarily in the same order!

When it comes to Gresley third class, however, there is far less information. Harris describes the material used in the early days as "Fawn" moquette, but we have never seen a sample. The red and black check material commissioned by the North Norfolk for the Quad Art restoration does seem to have been used in some corridor stock (there's a picture of a non-stop Flying Scotsman crew in their reserved compartment in the Hulton Picture Library collection that shows it) and we intend to use the Thompson material in our later 1930s vehicles as the minimum order is for more than we need for our Thompsons, and we do at least know that it is contemporaneous. If anyone can help with further information we would appreciate it greatly - we like to get things right!

If Anyone wants to see all the swatches from the NRM they can be seen here:
http://share.ovi.com/album/andrew.c.dan ... achswatche

Sawdust.