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Post by 21146 on Sept 23, 2008 19:47:53 GMT
I'm finally getting to grips with painting my etched brass District Railway 'A' Stock 3-car. Period will be 1920s, just prior to withdrawal, so any ideas on colour scheme? I'm assuming black underframes, roof dirt grey and body base-colour Train Red, but what about the details (cant/waistrail, doors?). Otherwise it'll be an (un)educated guess I suppose.
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Post by tubeprune on Sept 25, 2008 9:19:29 GMT
Interesting problem this. From 1922, District cars were overhauled at Acton but they were not repainted there until 1928, when a paint shop was opened. There are photos of A stock being overhauled in Acton Works in 1924 which appear to show them with grey doors, waist rails and cant rail boards (they were originally called "letter boards") and window frames. Other cars appear similarly during the early 1920s. Roofs were painted white.
I do remember from the original specs that cars were delivered with wood varnished doors and window frames. Even the G Stock was delivered like this but with (I think) black door frames and waist rails. Only the F Stock was different because the doors were steel panelled and originally painted the same red as the bodysides.
My conclusions from all this are that the "grey" trim was a short-lived scheme started around 1921 at Ealing Common and that it lasted perhaps 3-4 years (one repaint).
The "red" was originally described as "engine lake" or "derby red", more maroon than the train red used in LT days. I think the change to the lighter red came in the late 1920s when District cars started appearing with maroon doors, red bodysides and black waist rails. Tube cars had it from 1922 with the cream upper panels.
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Post by 21146 on Sept 25, 2008 11:27:06 GMT
Hmm I think I'll settle for Train Red body, grey 'roof dirt', maroon doors (instead of bright red) and black waistrail (as per the covers of "Going Green" and "The District Line"). Maybe not exactly true-to-life but looks good to me...
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Post by 21146 on Sept 25, 2008 17:53:30 GMT
If "Train Red" dates from 1920 then would the A Stock were repainted in it if withdrawn in 1925? Probably not. Page 32 of Steam to Silver (2nd edition) [lower] seems to show the doors were a lighter colour than the body (red, grey, teak?) whilst in the other photo [upper] it appears to have both body and doors in the same colour, so I'm really confused now!
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Post by 21146 on Sept 26, 2008 9:59:50 GMT
Another thought...did they retain ratten seating until the end or gain moquette at some point?
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Post by tubeprune on Sept 28, 2008 11:55:58 GMT
Cars were repainted in a different cycle to overhauls until 1928. Repainting was done every two or three years on the wooden cars because the wood was in a bad way on many of them. The A Stock cars were scrapped as a result of the G Stock entering service and replacing the worst of the old wood cars.
If you look at the A Stock photos in "Underground Train Overhaul", it gives you some ideas for colours. Also, there is a photo of a motor car with a first class section in place of the luggage compartment. I imagine the rattan in the rest of the car was replaced then.
I think the train red came to the District later than other lines.
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