Hornby BR A3 Windsor Lad colour

[ColinB]

I recently bought a Hornby A3 "Windsor Lad" loco body off EBay, it was really cheap and as the chassis get sold quite cheaply, it is a cheap way of creating a loco, eventually I was going to rename it. Anyway I won the body bought a chassis and this morning a tender arrived which I also bought off EBay. When I put them together I noticed the loco is a totally different colour to the tender. For me to notice (I am colour blind) it must be quite obvious. Anyway I already have a Windsor Lad from another purchase, except this was bought complete in the box. The complete one matches the new tender in colour.

So my question is did Hornby make a batch in an experimental colour, I would say this colour has a blueish grey tinge, although still green. The loco body is the latest motor in loco type as it fits the new chassis, so I suppose it was originally R2341 but why the different colour?

[Fazy]

Well with out a image I’m not going to say if it’s any particular colour. But you and me both know Hornby’s repatriation for livery’s shade changing from one run to the next. Even when they are supposed to be the same. Though off late the matching has improved. Looking on the web R2341 dose look standard green.

[ColinB]

Well Fazy as I said in the original post I do have the original R2341 in its original box and it is the right green. This new body I would have said is the same body type but it is a totally different colour. I wondered if Hornby did a set with it included. I will take some photos, but the trouble with photos is that they don't always show the true colour.

[ColinB]

[ColinB]

As you can see from my photo, the colours are totally different. The one on the left is the original R2341 the one on the right is the body I bought off EBay. I suppose someone could have repainted it but they did a really good job as all the lining is in the right place.

[Fazy]

Yes young man that’s blue!

[LTSR_NSE]

Might it have got sun-bleached? (if previous owner kept it out on a layout)

Alternatively might it be a rename/renumber rather than a repaint? (the cab number and lining colours look very different from your other model - but this might be due to camera flash/exposure?)

[Fazy]

it dose look like a experimental BR blue, don’t know if it’s prototypical would need to double check my books but I like it. It suits it

[Ruffnut Thorston]

In the early years, BR used a blue livery for express passenger locomotives.

The blue loco is in this livery.

It is an authentic colour for the A3 class.

I cannot say personally which of the A3 locos carried this livery before the decision to stop using express blue, and instead use the green livery which was being used on most other passenger and mixed traffic locomotives.

This decision was in part due to the difficulty in matching colours after repairs, and maintenance of the livery, which could weather badly.

In is understandable, that someone with colour blindness could have problems distinguishing between BR Green and Blue liveries.

[ColinB]

I did wonder about the renumber as the numbers on the cab are slightly bigger than the one on the left. I must admit I thought experimental blue was different again. I have a Flying Scotsman in that colour in experimental blue. To me it looks more like RAF blue.The sun bleached sounds the most realistic answer that would explain that the windows have gone opaque. I am never going to find a tender top to match that.