Blood and Custard coaches

Hi Dave, this may surprise some folk but the correct shade for BR Carmine "Blood as in the custard" is actually Post Office Red... that is the early spec and not the later brighter shade, so Steve's listing which shows Ford Rosso Red as an equivalent colour match would be as near as damn it correct.

cheers Yorkie

 

I read somewhere that the BTC chose Carmine as the house colours for British Railways in an effort to brighten up drab and run down post war conditions making train travel appeal once more to the general public, sadly Carmine and Pale Cream was not a combination which could weather very well having an almost opposite effect. This is why the regional colour scheme introduced in 1956 was a PR attempt to reverse the situation again in the same way that the Corporate Image was devised for the then modernising new image of British Rail.

 

What ? No NSR madder Lake?

Just also be aware when putting your colours on, that it may not look the correct shade till both are together.

An example I had when repainting model buses..

We took the EFE Plaxton Pointer bus in Metroline livery and wanted to change it to our local Trent livery. (Now Trent Barton)


Quite a dark colour red with the dark blue. (This one is a little bright in the photo)


Although this is a factory one, once you added the cream, the red changed shade and looked correct without a full repaint..

Also if your back to the base material, some colours of primer are better for other top coats. Yellow is apparently best under a red

Good luck!

 

Its hard to believe the Dennis Dart is now consigned to history having been industry standard for over twenty years, you can see how the design of the National had influenced Plaxtons.

 

If I had time, money and space, I’d have a Leyland National... in 7mm scale

 

The long Nationals were big

 

2 door, long pod Mk1 in NCB Midland General blue or NCB Trent poppy red.

 

I’d go to railmatch or Phoenix paints and get the proper shade for that.