The LNER Encyclopedia

Good evening all!

Just a bit of help and advice if I may? Some background - Dapol are announcing that the new N gauge A4's should be released at the Alexandra Palace show in March (but they do add that they have their fingers crossed for this!) and that it will be released first in BR green versions with early and late crests. The remaining A4 liveries and the A3 will appear over the weeks that follow the show.

With regards to the silver Silver Link, this is a limited edition for club members only of 200. It will be in LNER Silver Grey, but not with full valances. They say that they haven't finished the valance version A4's yet (so there will be a valanced A4 coming later!)

Now - the bit I want to check up on - Dapol say that they have a photo of 2509 in silver grey livery - but without valances. Can anyone confirm this - the only pics I have of 2509 is with valances, and one says that it went to LNER blue in early 1939. From what I understood the valances were removed during the war to make maintenance easier, and were left off after 1945. Wouldn't this mean that Silver Link without valances would be in LNER blue and be post war?

I have looked through my (small-ish) book collection and also done online searches, but can't find any pictures of Silver Link in silver without valances so I don't know what picture Dapol are apparently basing their model on.

Can anyone help please? I am willing to admit to my ignorance if any of what I have put above is wrong - I must settle down and read more of my books, rather than just looking at the pictures to detail models!

Well, if they do have a photo of it in that condition it'll be a new one on me.

The RCTS green bible gives 12-1937 as the date for repainting to blue.
The only way Dapol can claim the above is if they have a building or perhaps a repairs shot, with the valance removed. It would not have been in service in that condition.

This is hopefully the explanation for their claim, anything else is....

John

Could the photo actually be of Bittern incognito, during the 1970s/80s?

BTW they had their fingers crossed for Christmas - but I think that was more wishful thinking than anything else - probably trying to steal some thunder from the competition or something like that.

Ay up!

I always understood that No 19 had the valances fitted BEFORE painting silver grey. Could be a piccie of it in Mr Hosking's ownership?

I took a photo of it in silver at York in 1988 and it certainly had valances then. Can't lay my hands on it right now, though.

I've just remembered there is a photo of Bittern at Loughborough inside one of the sheds. The piccie is from 1994/5 when the restoration was started and it shows the complete loco in silver - grey minus valances. I'm struggling to find it at present as it is deep in a blog / forum website. It might actually be on the watercress line's website now I think of it....

EDIT: or it could be from the 80's

With reference to the original post, I've now seen this posted on the Dapol website:

http://www.dapol.co.uk/index.php?option ... &Itemid=65

Silver Link delayed till mid summer due to liver issues.

Alan

Liver issues? Must be that Flying Scotsman Ale in the other thread.

That aside, it's a nice looking model, livery issues or not.

Ay up!

I found this:

http://glostransporthistory.visit-glouc ... ttern.html

Scroll down and you'll see a piccie of No 19 as Silver Link, minus not only valences but also boiler....

This is the photo I was on about: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iainrobbie9/4560776096/

Took the following in the NRM in 1988 Produced this in Photoshop using the classic ColourRail shot at Grantham as a guide.
So which is correct? The 1988 colours look far too light compared to 1930s pictures.

Steve

Have found some more pictures of no19 as Silver Link

http://www.6g.nwrail.org.uk/allanjuddpage3.html

Jamie

Norfolkman wrote:So which is correct? The 1988 colours look far too light compared to 1930s pictures.

...but there was more air pollution in the 1930s

Pasted from the discussion about A4 greys -The Precision colours were matched to the NRM model shown earlier in this thread. This model was built by the apprentices at Doncaster at the time when the A4s were new and, since it was painted at the same time, is acknowledged to be as near to a perfect match as one is likely to achieve. The model has not been repainted (or at least had not when the matches were made) and the paint finish has been under cover for most if not all of its life so that the effects of untra violet etc have been minimised.

I had the chance to go all over it in 1975 before the NRM opened and can confirm its apparent originality.