Livery choices would be welcome

[david_abramczyk]

It seems a bit odd for me that some engines, that were Grouping or even pre-Grouping in origin, are now sold (to paraphrase Henry Ford) in "Any Colour you like, as long as it's BR Black"; take for instance the Thompson B1's; it seems like LNER liveried versions have been AWOL for ages, and are rarer than hen's teeth- heck, even the BR versions seem to be getting thin on ground now.

[Cosimo Damiano-1213298]

I agree with you!

Generally speaking, I think Hornby should let customers choose the livery.

For example, Hornby could make 3D models which we can paint with historical liveries or fantasy liveries!

[malB]

Whilst, yes I totally agree. Didn't you know railways in the UK did not exist before the 1st of January 1948, when they came into spontaneous existenceopen_mouth! At least that's the way certain magazines would almost have you believe with their constant campaigning for this or that locomotive to be turned out in British Railways colours............

[david_abramczyk]

It reminds me of that famous occasion back in 1985, when City of Truro was visiting the Severn Valley Railway for an overhaul; as a joke in collaboration with the magazine Steam Railway, the yard boys painted one side in BR lined black, and stuck a BR style number plate on the smokebox.

Back then, it apparently got a ton of people riled up; but if that stunt was tried again nowadays, I genuinely would not be surprised if some group or another tries to get her painted in the full BR Black livery, and mean it sincerely.

[Postman Prat]

Hi David

Over the years I've been here I have seen several requests for locos to be produced without numbers/names to allow us to make our own choice.

Hornby always say there is no demand (Rubbish, I'm demanding) so I doubt if a full repaint will bring any different response.

[LCDR]

The livery debate will undoubtedly run for eternity. With an infinite range of opinion.

Every time there was a change of ownership or policy the railway would paint its locomotives and rolling stock (and stations too) in a new set of colours, but this was never an instant process and it would be several years before the old order was removed and replaced by the latest style. If fact livery policy might have changed again before the transformation was fully complete.

One of the most enduring livery styles of all time was the corporate BR blue (and grey). Introduced in 1965 it was gradually applied to all of BR so by 1975 nearly all locomotives and carriages were in this colour.

By the 1980s it was all change again, with Sector liveries appearing on Network South East, Provincial and InterCity but it would not be until the 1990s when corporate blue had all but vanished.

Steam era technology lasted longer than modern image, so the changes in livery will appear more noticeable as locomotive classes passed from one era to the next.

It is fairly difficult for model manufacturers to cater for all tastes. The variety of liveries applied to the LB&SCR A1 class (Terrier) over the years being a great example. Stroudley's "Improved Engine Green" (Yellow Ochre) , Marsh Umber, WW1 austerity black, Southern Maunsell Green, Bullied Green, WW2 austerity black, and BR lined black, with all the various changes to lining and lettering styles in between. Then there were those sold to other railways such as the Kent and East Sussex, Weston, Cleveland and Portishead, Isle of Wight Central, just to name a few!