The LNER Encyclopedia

I have been painting my LNER vans and brake vans with Humbrol colour 37 (matt dark red) which is the colour I think of red oxide as being - i.e. just about the colour of the red oxide paint I put on bare metal when restoring my old cars. Coincidentally Halfords have big economical aerosols of red plastic primer in virtually the same hue. However, comparing these with the colour used by Bachmann and Hornby on their RTR brake vans, theirs' is a darker more purplish colour. Are they right and have I made a huge mistake please? Thanks.

Steve

I use Halfords Red Oxide virtually id to Precision version

Much has been written about livery colours but I don't think we need to be too precious about the colour of goods wagons. Notwithstanding inevitable variations of shade initally applied the effect of the weather and the filth produced by steam locos soon changed the colours. Have a look in an album of colour shots and note the wide range in any goods train.
In Don Rowland's book "British Railways Wagons" he tells of cleaning a patch of dirt off a BR van to find out what livery it was painted in. I quote "A gentle rub with a wet rag was necessary only to reveal not white, blue or red bauxite but the original crimson lake of a meat van." So whatever colour you paint your wagons they will only be truly realistic if they are grimy.

Chaz

Were LNER brake vans always red oxide/bauxite, whether fitted or unfitted, or were unfitted ones ever/sometimes grey please? I have seen differing advice on this point.

Also, is there any difference between bauxite and oxide? Again, I have seen different advice on this point - one article I have read says bauxite was just a different name for a later remix of the oxide, but I understood it to be a more brownish colour.

In relation to the LNER, if bauxite is a different colour, when did it come into use? Around 1939?

Thanks.

Steve

My understanding is that all brake vans on the "LNER proper" were in red oxide or the later bauxite. Possibly unfitted (or all) LNER designed brakes owned by the CLC (and maybe M&GN if any, but I really don't know) were grey?

For better or worse, I've always finished my LNER 1930s fitted stock in a slightly browner/darker colour that is given by Halfords aerosol red oxide primer, but then they've been wethered to varying degrees do that as has been pointed out above, the original colour becomes a moot point!

I was under the impression that real bauxite, one of the mineral ores of aluminium, is a more orange/brown colour than is real red iron oxide (as per haematite / iron ore / ironstone). As these ore colours will vary with purity anyway, and the accuracy with which the original paints would have matched the true colours of the minerals cannot now be know, and the individual LNER and contractor wagon works may have mixed their own shades "near enough", and the stuff would fade and weather with age.......... then I'm not sure there's too much to worry about when it comes to painting a model, which may never be seen in the same lighting conditions as the real wagons were.

PS I understand the official change to Bauxite may have been 1937, when small wagon lettering also replaced the large stuff on new or repainted stock, and official colours used on repainting buildings changed too.

Personally I use Humbrol "Hull Red" (dunno the list number, sorry) and several similar colours from Precision, Revell and Railmatch.

Put simply, the colour varied according to the environment the wagon had been in, the length of time since its last paint job and the batch of paint to begin with.

So, as yer man said - no need to get "precious" about the colour.