Buffer Stop Colour

[nberrington]

I recall a discussion a few years ago regarding buffer stop colour.
Those that I have seen are usually shades of rust.
I have been told however that they were in fact coated in thick black paint (for 1930's era)

Rusty sidings and buffers seem to look right to me - am I off base?

[John Palmer]

Neil, I guess the most promising source of information on Southern Railway stop block colours around 1935 is likely to be John Harvey's "Southern Style, The Southern Railway" which covers this period and is the first of his two works dealing with Southern liveries and paint schemes. As my interest lies in the period following Narionalisation I only have the the second volume, which deals with Southern Region liveries and schemes but includes a reproduction of the Region's paint scheme for infrastructure dating from 1949. According to my elderly HMRS livery register for the LSWR and Southern, infrastructure paint schemes remained largely unaltered through the Grouping period and were in many respects continued into Nationalisation days, suggesting that the 1949 structure painting guide for Southern Region is likely to have represented a continuation of Grouping practice.

The 1949 guide provides that the universal scheme for buffer planks was a 5" wide horizontal red stripe on a white background, whilst the steelwork of the blocks was to to be SR No.3A Mid Chrome Green ONLY (SR guide's emphasis!) in the vicinity of platforms, and elsewhere was to be tarred. As best I can recall, the tarring could be millimetres thick and sufficiently proof against water penetration as to preclude extensive rusting - at any rate until such time (if ever) as the protective tar layer was displaced. The three rail-built stop blocks on our Burnham layout all received a rattle can coating of matt black which I've always regarded as providing a convincing enough finish.

FWIW, I contributed to https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5607&p=56658 on this subject, which may be the discussion of which you are thinking, though mainly concerned with the buffer plank colouring.

Just to confuse matters, the Somerset & Dorset stop block forming the dead end of Platform 5 at Highbridge was formed solely of bent rails and was painted SR No.8 Grey overall - no trace of red or white in the absence of a a buffer plank. It's about the only recognisable item of S&D infrastructure now surviving at Highbridge.

[Noel]

From my limited acquaintance with the SR in the mid-1960s I would say that the painting schemes John gives were still in force then. Planks that had been in situ for a while sometimes had two dark patches on the white/red where buffers had made contact, presumably a mixture of dirt and grease. I think that the other faces of the planks may have been ordinary black paint, but the steel work was covered in something more substantial [as was the WR's], so tar/bitumen. The planks were mostly quite bright, so presumably regularly repainted or replaced?

[bécasse]

From my limited acquaintance with the SR in the mid-1960s I would say that the painting schemes John gives were still in force then.......... The planks were mostly quite bright, so presumably regularly repainted or replaced?

The plank faces (at least) would have been regularly repainted as part of the signalling repainting regime. SR buffer stops usually either had a lamp mounted on them or, if there was a sand drag in front of the stops, mounted on a vertical post sited approximately at the commencement of the drag.

I have appended my drawing of the lamp and post. Although this mentions red for the lamp ring and lens, these would have been white for sidings, red being used for the termination of running lines including bays.

SRsigsDwg1BufferStopLamp.jpg

[Hardwicke]

In 1983 at Clayton West the loop trap point buffer stop was definitely tarred black as was the track leading up to it.
The buffer stop behind Retford Thrumpton Station alongside the Maltkilns that had been taken over by Northern Rubber was also black but retained white (Just) horizontal buffer plate.
The one at the Sheffield end of Worksop ststion is also black and white.

[nberrington]

Neil, I guess the most promising source of information on Southern Railway stop block colours around 1935 is likely to be John Harvey's "Southern Style, The Southern Railway" which covers this period and is the first of his two works dealing with Southern liveries and paint schemes. As my interest lies in the period following Narionalisation I only have the the second volume, which deals with Southern Region liveries and schemes but includes a reproduction of the Region's paint scheme for infrastructure dating from 1949…….

Thanks for the tip John. I have the book in question and dug “Southern Style Part 1” by John Harvey. The book seems well researched, so I am going to believe him:

Pg. 74 … “…Horizontal stripes of red and white were used on the front face of the beam and the rest of the stop was usually black.”

He also has is useful info on signals etc.

[Serjt-Dave]

Here's an image of Polsham on the S&D, showing a freshly painted stop, photo dated 1949.

Hope this help's.

Dave

20230930_142118.jpg

[Noel]

Interesting that it's not a flat plank - there are raised blocks where the buffers will make contact.