Computer Coloured Monochrome

[Iron Duke]

These are all (to me) wonderful and anything (in my opinion) that "attempts" to bring a subject to life should be admired.
I also like B&W shots and look upon the colourised ones purely as a comparison for the viewer.

On the subject matter it is only right that the discussion should be kept within the bounds of the specific heading.
However, looking through the forum there have been some very interesting diversions from posted threads in particular when the heading has been a fairly general one. This is not the case in this instance.

It's probably better to just create another post / thread, making reference to the original, but giving members the chance to continue the discussion elsewhere rather than it just knocked on the head.

EG:- My post on "German Type Smoke Deflectors" has had the answer provided but has since been the start of an education (to me) on foreign locomotives.
Sorry, I seem to have drifted away from the discussion.....

ID

[Darwin4975]

I'm still hopeful that others will have a go at adding colour to b/w but it must be said that the starting point is very important. My negative collection amounts to thousands, many taken by myself but also those which are the work of other photographers. Very few meet the standards required for this work. When I see any negative I imagine it as a colour transparency first. If it looks OK as such then it becomes a candidate but there are other criteria too -the top one being sharpness. An unsharp negative, no matter how good in other ways is a non-starter given the large amount of work involved. Very contrasty negatives also are non starters. Here's one I took in April 1967 on a visit to Shap. One of my personal favourites but not one I will ever attempt to give the colour treatment.

[Iron Duke]

Lovely Jubbly

[Mickey]

Great photograph Darwin4975 it probably deserves to be on the front cover of a railway book.

Whats the Tebay 'banker' bringing up the rear or as it was called by the local railwaymen as "putting a sock on it" for banking trains over Shap.

By April 1967 would that be a B.R. standard 4 4-6-0?. Prior to the Standard 4s Tebay shed used the Fairburn tanks for banking duties over Shap.

[StevieG]

" The photo was described as being taken 'near Rugby'. .... "

Still OT, but as it concerns this part of a post of the OP-er, - if correct it might be somewhere between Rugby No.7 and Brinklow then.

[strang steel]

I'm still hopeful that others will have a go at adding colour to b/w but it must be said that the starting point is very important.

I have tried to add some colour to the sky on the 5638 photo, but thin clouds do not lend themselves to an accurate definition with square pixels that give a blocky appearance.

[silverfox]

Strang,

No offence mean at all, but the last thing i look at on a railway pic of a loco, is the sky!!!, or to put it another way, i dont look at the mantlepiece when i am stoking the fire.

I couldn't care if the cloud formation is cirrus, cumulus, status or any variation inbetween. As long as the colour on the engine reflects the weather conditions then thats all right by me. I still chuckle at the '100% sun or no photo' brigade who stand waiting for a loco to pass and then pack up the equipment when a cloud scuds over. Still each to his own.

Evryone have a good Xmas and New Year

[Darwin4975]

Here's another variant. Green red and blue engines are all obviously suitable subjects but what about dirty black ones? Again, so long as the original negative is very sharp there's still potential. It's rare to find no colours anywhere and so long as they show up, the whole image suddenly becomes a colour picture. I've already said that greyscale appears as such, so colour must still be applied -a light wash of dark brown usually does the trick over those parts which are dirty black (eg boiler). In this case the old LNER shaded transfers are good at injecting colour into the scene along with the blue backed totem. Definitely no sun here.

For those who want to see clouds in the 5638 view I have inspected the 9 x 6 cm negative closely. There are none -the sky will have been clear blue and probably bright also. This creates a problem for me as bright sky = few if any pixels = little if any colour.

More CCM in the New Year. Season's Greetings to all who are interested in this subject and thanks for the support.

[Darwin4975]

Some new year nostalgia. This picture was taken 52 years ago exactly, - 4th January 1962. It was a spot I frequented regularly as my home was about a 2 minute walk away. I took my 'A' levels later that year. The signal box in the distance (roof visible) was Norton East which was one of three boxes at the corners of the Norton triangle. This box still exists though unmanned and rarely used. Current plans to change signalling in the area would result in its demise. I knew the Teesside Q6s very well -all of them and this one was a favourite. Taken in b/w it was relatively easy to convert to colour as there was so little to add.

[Postman Prat]

Hi Darwin

Just to say what a 'cracking' photo, both as a photo and also the colouring job. I really enjoyed seeing it.

Thanks for posting it!

[Darwin4975]

This is from a b/w print. It shows the post-war inaugural return trip from Leeds to Kings Cross, of the Yorkshire Pullman in November 1946. The reinstated train didn't last long before being temporarily withdrawn again during the arctic winter of 46/47. Humorist at this time was shedded at Kings Cross and in immaculate condition having just been restored to LNER livery at Doncaster. I am fairly sure (99%) that the lettering on the headboard was black. Can anyone confirm?

[Darwin4975]

Anyone who owns the book Big Four in Colour by David Jenkinson will find this one interesting. On page 178 is a colour picture taken in 1949 by John Robertson at Dundee of a green liveried J36. A colour transparency. It is not a great picture and Robertson was clearly experimenting with colour at that time. A black and white negative was exposed concurrently. Presumably Robertson himself took it (but it could have been somebody else). This negative is now in my collection and has been given the colour treatment. The existence of the colour transparency has allowed me to produce an accurate result -assuming that the transparency can be guaranteed. A rare chance.

[S.A.C. Martin]

Both of those apple green shots are stunning! That J36 in particular is an utter marvel, I've never seen one of those in that livery before.

[Darwin4975]

This place will be familiar to at least some who read these posts. The picture was taken (in b/w) on 21st June 1959 by an unknown photographer and came into my possession subsequently. By a strange quirk of fate I was visiting Darlington scrapyard that same day -a Sunday, and recorded the presence of 62730 in my log of the visit. I was 15 years of age at the time. Did I see the person taking the photo? ...........That would be stretching coincidence too far and I certainly don't remember details other than which engines were present. Behind 62730 is 69842. Other occupants were 68263, 65783, 69835 and 61777 plus remains of 65655, 62708, 69822/28/40.
I didn't record whether or not the D49's nameplate had a red background but I do remember seeing many condemned Shire nameplates (eg Selkirkshire) thus painted in that scrapyard during 1958/9 so it is quite likely that Berkshire had a red background. My log recorded it as being a glorious sunny day and the picture shows that well. Whatever camera was being used it had a high quality lens as the picture is absolutely pin sharp.

[Albergman]

Again a wonderful offering. Very realistic to my old eyes. Any chance you could post the original black and white as I find that really helps us appreciate what has taken place. Keep up the good work!

I had some success doing this but will keep my cards close to the chest.

Frank