Box Van Interiors

[JoelB]

I'm scratchbuilding a Welshpool & Llanfair box van and would like to know if the interiors were left plain or painted -- and if the latter, what colour was used.

Many thanks

Joel

 

[C&S]

On reading this enquiry I went straight to my copy of Boyd's "N.G. Railways of Mid-Wales" but there are no given details of interior painting, just of the external livery. My guess is that goods vans would have been left with a plain wood finish inside that would then gradually darken, with scrapes and scars from loading. The goods brake vans on the other hand could well have had a coat of paint inside - though not necessarily. I will try and locate my colour photos of the line (in preservation days) and see if there are any clues.

Meanwhile I seem to remember BR goods vans were plain inside, which may be the continuation of previous practice - perhaps others will have views, also.

 

[peterbunce]

Hi,

Plain with nothing on the wood - that way there would be no contamination from the lead based paints in use earlier.

 

[JoelB]

Thank you!

 

[dunnyrail]

Just out of interest I was reading the 16mm Association Handbook today and tehre in all its glory was the inside of the Tallyn Brakevan. It was painted a deep but not dark brown up to the side windows, creme above. The floor was unpainted. I would love to post a scanned pic to show this but copyright would probably forbid me.

Hope this gives you inspiration to make tours look good inside,
JonD

 

[JoelB]

I'd also built a W&L brake van a couple of years ago and at that time was able to figure out the interior colour from a Graham Whistler video. Although I modeled the van as it appeared in the early 1950's, I've had to assume that the colour in preservation was close to what was in use in GW/BR days. There aren't many W&L fans in North America, so I'm fairly confident that no-one will make any disparaging remarks if I've gotten it wrong!

 

[C&S]

Just had another peek at Boyd. Pictures are b&w but show the brake van pictured in late GWR period having a two-tone interior: dark (brown? red-brown?) up to the level of the bottom of the windows and what appears to be dirty cream above.