The Southern was the most colorful of the ‘Big Four’ when it came to buildings, and it used the same color scheme throughout the grouping period from about 1926 when the standard color scheme was introduced. On woodwork such as the underside of canopies a warm buff color was used, known officially as ‘Stone No. 1’ a very slightly darker stone color with a pinky tint, ‘Stone No. 1A’ was used on planking, canopy exteriors, etc. For doors, framing, canopy pillars, etc. a bright chrome green, (Green No. 3A), was used with a light apple green (Green No. 4) for the canopy brackets.
Building interiors were cream apart from the green doors and the lower part of the walls. Window glazing bars & frames were white…the white was official color no. 2. The ‘Odeon’ stations built by the SR had wooden window frames finished in ‘oak’ rather than white, which was simply the wood varnished or oiled, while metal frames were white. The wooden doors on these stations were also ‘oak’, with brass kicking plates at the bottom.
As it aged the green tended to turn blue, especially near the sea, and the stone went brown with age and as it got dirty so that a Southern station in need of a repaint could have looked most odd.
Signal boxes were painted in Stone 1A (dark stone) for the planking, and Middle Chrome Green (Green 3A) for the framing, steps, etc.
Poster boards were the chrome green all over with ‘SOUTHERN’ or ‘SOUTHERN RAILWAY’ lettering in white. Fencing was painted in the light stone.
Cast iron warning signs were painted red with white lettering for mandatory signs such as ‘No Trespass’, otherwise green with white lettering. The SR introduced enamel station signs during the mid-1930s which were a darker green with white lettering.
Buffer stops – the planks were painted white with a red stripe across the middle, each a third white-red-white.
PAINTS FOR MODELLERS
Precision P93 SR Middle Chrome Green P88 Light Stone P89 Dark Stone. P95 Interior cream. Light green; no exact match but LSWR Adams loco green is close, and may have been what the SR were using up! The Precision Light & Dark Stone seem rather dark to my eyes, in which case using the color patches or BS references is perhaps a better option.
COLOR MATCHES
see ‘COLOURS’ page for links to BS color charts. No. 1 Light Stone BS381C shade 358 Light Buff No. 1A dark Stone BS381C shade 359 Middle Buff. No. 3 Dark Green (used on poster boards only) BS381C shade 276 Lincoln Green No. 3A Middle Chrome Green BS381C shade 226 Middle Brunswick Green. No.4 Light Green BS381C shade 217 Sea Green No. 10 Cream BS381C shade 352 Pale Cream
Many thanks to John Russell for much of this information.
BEST PLACE TO SEE IT
Horsted Keynes station, Bluebell Railway, Corfe Castle, Swanage Railway
HORSTED KEYNES STATION ON THE BLUEBELL RAILWAY – A SUPERB RESTORATION.
EQUALLY AS GOOD IS CORFE CASTLE ON THE SWANAGE RAILWAY.
TWO DETAIL SHOTS AT HORSTED KEYNES
TWO VIEWS OF THE BOOKING HALL AT CORFE CASTLE.
LONDON & SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY
The LSWR used a scheme not unlike its coach livery, with a salmon color for planking, valencing, etc and dark brown for doors, framing & metalwork. A cream color was also used which could take the place of the Salmon, often on the same station, particularly on canopy valencing. Window frames & glazing bars were supposed to be white, but photo’s show that some were a dark color, probably brown.
Poster boards were painted in the brown, with the top panel in cream with black lettering; this could be ‘LSWR’ or spell out the company name in full and may have been enameled metal. Cast iron signs were painted white with red lettering.
PAINTS FOR MODELLERS
- Brown – Tamiya flat brown or Precision LMS buildings brown.
- Cream – Precision SR buildings cream.
- Salmon – Either Precision LSWR coach salmon or Precision SR light stone
CREDITON STATION HAS BEEN RESTORED TO LSWR COLOURS (MAY 2013)
LYNTON & BARNSTAPLE RAILWAY
This seems to be the best place to deal with the L&B, as it was so closely associated with the LSWR. The four postcards shown below give a good impression of the line, but sadly are not much help when it comes to the colors of the buildings; I would be tempted to use LSWR brown, salmon & cream in the absence of any more definitive information.
LONDON, BRIGHTON & SOUTH COAST RAILWAY
The ‘Brighton’ used a very pale cream for most of the woodwork on stations, with a deep red for doors, metalwork, etc. Window frames were painted in the cream color. It was a simple yet attractive scheme, reproduced well at Sheffield Park station. Before it was covered with tiling to keep out the damp, the timber frame & plaster panels on the upper part of the house section of these stations were finished in black & white; the tiling was put on during the 1880s.
Poster boards were painted in the red, with the lettering in white. Footbridges, water columns, and other steelwork were black.
There is a suggestion that in later years some green was used on LBSC stations, possibly a precursor for the SR color. A 1912 specification for a motor train halt specified a green door, and adverts for the ‘overhead electric’ had white letters on a green background. There is also a possibility that seats and trolleys may have been painted green, but unless specific information comes to light I would hesitate to do this on a model.
PAINTS FOR MODELLERS
Cream- Precision P355 Midland Railway lining straw.
Red – Precision P18 GWR coach lake.
BEST PLACE TO SEE IT
Sheffield Park station, Blubell Railway.
SHEFFIELD PARK IS THE PERFECT RECREATION OF A BRIGHTON COUNTRY STATION, AS LONG AS YOU IGNORE THE MODERN LOCO SHED!
SOUTH EASTERN & CHATHAM RAILWAY (S.E.R. & L.C.D.R.).
The SECR seems to have been unique among pre-group railway companies in that it didn’t have a corporate color scheme for its buildings, in fact, it doesn’t seem to have had any guidelines at all. In this, it seems to have followed the practice of the South Eastern & the London Chatham & Dover from which it was formed in 1899.
The only written references to building colors refer to stations on the SER being painted white, but photographs clearly show a two-tone scheme in most cases and from studying numerous black & white pictures I think the common buff & brown is the likeliest combination. Window frames seem to have been painted white. The cream may have been used in place of the buff in view of the cream panel seen on poster boards. Some signal boxes had the dark color on the bottom 6′ or so of the walls and the lighter shade above.
The LCDR colors from what I can tell from B&W photos were buff/stone & brown, possibly the reddish-brown seen on the preserved poster board.
The SECR had a reputation for not keeping its stations well maintained, so paintwork might have looked rather shabby, in which case a cream paint might appear rather darker.
Three styles of poster board have been recorded; they could be painted brown, with a cream top panel lettered in black (which may well have been an enameled plate); they could be painted cream with a brown panel, lettered in cream.
Thirdly, a preserved board is black with the framing painted a reddish-brown which may have been the color used on the buildings: an enameled metal top panel is white with blue lettering. Station signs could also be enameled in blue & white. From postcard evidence, it seems as though station running-in boards were painted cream with brown framing and black or brown lettering, probably the former.
PAINTS FOR MODELLERS
I would use Buff – Precision LMS buildings cream or Tamiya Flesh. Brown – Precision SECR loco frame brown or Tamiya flat brown. (See note below pictures).
THE BROWN PAINT ON THIS RESTORED TROLLEY AND UNRESTORED POSTER BOARD ARE THE SAME SHADE WHICH MAY INDICATE THE BROWN USED ON BUILDINGS;
IF THAT IS THE CASE FOR A MODEL I WOULD USE A MORE REDDISH SHADE THAN I HAVE SUGGESTED ABOVE, SUCH AS BAUXITE OR INDIAN RED.
SOMERSET & DORSET JOINT RAILWAY
Once the joint line was in the hands of the SR & the LMS, the SR was responsible for the stations so they would have been painted in buff & green. Before that, however, I have no information about the color scheme used beyond the postcard reproduced below which shows a stone/cream & light brown livery. As it also shows the loco in brown, it may not be entirely accurate! Poster boards seem to have been all over black, with white lettering.
KENT & EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY
The preserved buildings on the K&ESR are painted in an attractive scheme of cream and red; whether this is authentic I don’t know, but I have no reason to believe that it isn’t. If it is accurate, it might also give a clue for other Colonel Stephens light railways.
ISLE OF WIGHT RAILWAYS
The only information I have is this painting of Newport station on the Freshwater Yarmouth & Newport Railway in about 1916; it shows the station in buff and brown. The running-in board is white with black lettering, with the wooden frame and supports in brown. The poster board on the right is from the GCR and has a red top panel with white lettering, a color that the GC never used. Sir Sam Fay was the General Manager so that may well explain the connection. Of course, it’s equally possible that the artist just made the colors up!
Thanks to Alan White for help with this section.
BRITISH RAILWAYS SOUTHERN REGION
The Southern Region used the standard BR cream as a base with a green shade that was exactly the same as the SR Middle Chrome Green; the paint continued to be supplied by the same manufacturer and the specification did not change. For a full painting, specification goes to the ‘BR SPEC’ page on this web site. BS381C references are thought to be BS381C 369 Biscuit and 226 Middle Brunswick Green; for color patches follow the links on the ‘Colour Patches’ page.
Poster boards were painted green with ‘BRITISH RAILWAYS’ lettering in white. Station signs were also green & white.
PAINTS FOR MODELLERS
- Cream – Precision SR buildings cream
- Green – Precision SR Middle Chrome Green.
BEST PLACE TO SEE IT
Swanage Railway, Kingscote station on the Bluebell Railway, Ropley station on the Mid Hants.
WATERINGBURY SIGNAL BOX IN BR COLOURS, WITH ENAMELLED NAMEBOARD.
ROPLEY STATION ON THE MID HANTS RAILWAY, BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED.
THE BOOKING OFFICE INTERIOR AT ROPLEY; OOZING ATMOSPHERE!
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