Colour of Splasher tops on A3's in the early 1930's

[Robpulham]

Hello all,
Could the learned amongst you tell me what colour the splasher tops were painted in the early 1930's? I have got to painting in the black on the A3 build and after starting to paint the splasher tops black I started to wonder.

I looked through lot's of photo's and I cannot get a consensus - some (admittedly B&W) seem to show green and others definitely look like they are black. To be fair there are not that many photo's that even show the splasher tops.

Thanks.

[mick b]

Hornby do them Black on the 1930's versions. Their NRM version has them in Green.

[Robpulham]

Thanks Mick, I may not be wrong after all then - that makes a change at the moment.

[mick b]

Google search showed preserved Scotsman running with Black tops. I would go for a Black version personally.

[jwealleans]

Looking through The Big Four in Colour and the Colour-Rail colour album of LNER locos, I only found one black example (on a C1). Plain green with no lined edge or panelling where there are individual splashers.

The only obviously black ones I consistently found were on locos with a single long splasher. That may be a Gorton thing since they were all Robinson locos.

[JASd17]

Early 1930s, green. There is a painting spec. in RCTS Part 1.

The post-war green applied to the GNoSR section B12s seems to have black splasher tops.

John

[Bill Bedford]

Early 1930s, green. There is a painting spec. in RCTS Part 1.

Yes, but it doesn't say anything about the splasher tops. The fronts have a black edge, which suggests the tops were black. It was likely open to interpretation in different ways by different works.

[JASd17]

Early 1930s, green. There is a painting spec. in RCTS Part 1.

Yes, but it doesn't say anything about the splasher tops. The fronts have a black edge, which suggests the tops were black. It was likely open to interpretation in different ways by different works.

It says splashers green. Then describes the lining on the front face. Having looked through Yeadon's Register and The Big Four in Colour, where the splasher tops are clearly visible, all are green, including one in post-war green. In the early 1930s nearly all the A3s were shopped at Doncaster.

John

[2512silverfox]

It was a 'works' thing - Doncaster Green, Gorton Black and Darlington Black.

[JASd17]

It was a 'works' thing - Doncaster Green, Gorton Black and Darlington Black.

There is clear evidence in East Coast Pacifics at Work by Townend, pages 28 and 31, of a green lined panel on the top of the Raven Pacific splashers, Nos. 2404 and 2404. This is confirmed in Yeadon's Register Volume 3 page 2 with 2401. All would have been dealt with at ex-NER shops.

There is further evidence of a lined green panel on the top of the splashers of B14 2115, Figure 130 RCTS Part 2B. See also fig 120.

John

[Bill Bedford]

There is clear evidence in East Coast Pacifics at Work by Townend, pages 28 and 31, of a green lined panel on the top of the Raven Pacific splashers, Nos. 2404 and 2404. This is confirmed in Yeadon's Register Volume 3 page 2 with 2401. All would have been dealt with at ex-NER shops.
There is further evidence of a lined green panel on the top of the splashers of B14 2115, Figure 130 RCTS Part 2B. See also fig 120.

These are all pre-1928 liveries.

[JASd17]

The photo of No. 2404 City of Ripon, page 31 'East Coast Pacifics at Work', shows the loco with Gresley boiler and eight-wheel tender - with LNER on the side. The photograph is dated 1935. This seems OK as the new tender was paired with the loco in January 1935.

John

[Robpulham]

Thanks for all the replies and input gent's much appreciated.

Since my loco is to be Papyrus, a Doncaster engine then it looks like Green splasher tops are in order. Not a problem as I haven't gone too far on this.

Thanks again.

[Bill Bedford]

I don't think so.

I had a quick look through the Locos Illustrated editions on the A1s. What is clear is that those in GN and very early LNER livery (with the ampersand) had black splasher tops. As did The Tetrarch in 1937. This was a Doncaster engine. So as a rule of thumb I would say the the colour of the splasher tops followed the cylinders. Doncaster painted locos had with black cylinder panels and splasher tops and Darlington painted locos had green.

[Robpulham]

I don't think so.

I had a quick look through the Locos Illustrated editions on the A1s. What is clear is that those in GN and very early LNER livery (with the ampersand) had black splasher tops. As did The Tetrarch in 1937. This was a Doncaster engine. So as a rule of thumb I would say the the colour of the splasher tops followed the cylinders. Doncaster painted locos had with black cylinder panels and splasher tops and Darlington painted locos had green.

That makes lot's of sense when you put it like that thanks Bill.