GWR - Interior colours

[jls_s4]

Just completing the interior of a GWR Diag A7 all first from 1902 but depicted as in service in the mid-thirties. Anyone have any ideas on likely seat and panel colours. Panels and corridor would I imagine be varnished but not sure.....seats? no idea.

[Paul Willis]

Just completing the interior of a GWR Diag A7 all first from 1902 but depicted as in service in the mid-thirties. Anyone have any ideas on likely seat and panel colours. Panels and corridor would I imagine be varnished but not sure.....seats? no idea.

Appendix II of Great Western Way lists carriage interiors "through the ages". Depending upon whether the coach would have been re-furbished in the intervening period, the colour changes were as follows:

1900 - Dark green leather with walnut panels
1911 - Dark dreen cloth and walnut panels
1923 - Chocolate coloured cloth originally with gold trimmings, walnut panels
1925 - Brown cloth, unpanelled
1929 - Grey and black moquette
1935 - Tartan pattern in blue and green

HTH
Paul Willis

[Russ Elliott]

Here's a couple of pics of preserved coaches, the first (sorry a bit out of focus) of a late Collett open 3rd, the second being a Hawksworth corridor 1st with an intricate and fussy royal blue and white moquette:

DSCF0020(small).JPG

DSCF0018(small).JPG

Some pictures of preserved Toplight interiors are:

http://www.gmnabooks.co.uk/tcg/corridorrestored3930.jpg

http://www.gmnabooks.co.uk/tcg/Luggagerackrestored.jpg

http://www.gmnabooks.co.uk/tcg/Surviving1st7545.jpg

[jls_s4]

Thanks guys - it seems to me that in the poorly illuminated interior of the model almost any subdued colour would be sufficient - I wonder how long the new fit leather seats lasted in service; not I imagine from 1902 into the thirties. I therefore assume re-upholstering would have been carried out with the then current scheme.