Hermanstad progress January 2015

[John Ashworth]

This is the site at the Eastern end gate that Les had the TLB working to increase the parking area there and ease the driveway at the sliding gate for the motor vehicles to enter.

Lots more work ahead. Jan 2015

Photos by Nathan Berelowitz, January 2015

[John Ashworth]

More photos, this time from Les Labuschagne, FOTR's project manager for the Hermanstad site and the driving force behind much of the latest work.

Hi all,

Further improvements to the site is the northern side between the stop block line and the "main" line has been leveled. Cleaning fire and servicing the loco prior to departure is much easier and safer now without tripping over the embankment built up in between the two lines.

Cheers,

Les

[Dylan Knott]

Can someone please provide me with the paint codes for the colours used on the subbies?

[John Ashworth]

I was busy with the civil works down at the tower end excavating the water logged area so that we can lay down track panels for a new storage line. A leaking water pipe was found and repaired but the main problem was the area affected was not leveled out previously, so the water from the leaking pipe and rain could not drain away . Some backfilling still needs to be done and then we can start laying panels. I will arrange a work party soon and ALL available members are invited to attend and lend a hand please.

[Steve Appleton]

Paint colours:
Dylan, unfortunately it is not that easy to provide paint codes for the colours used. In the pics the coaches look correct but I assure you they are not. We go to the paint supplier (who donates the paint -- beggars can't be choosers and all that) with swatches and say "mix these colours". A custom mix. This is massively inexact and has resulted in a variety of colours as each new batch is mixed and used. The result is that the red on most of our coaches is way too brown and the grey varies from a bluish tint to a greenish tint.

I tried some time ago to get exact CieLAB colour specs, but it seems none exists and since the SAR livery is no longer used, the colour specs the Railways had have been lost in the mists of time. I suspect that specifying colours in such a scientific way was probably never considered back then. Provided you got the catalogued colour names right and you stuck with just one paint supplier, all would be OK. Change suppliers and the hue would likely change.

All I got as an answer to my request was "French grey" and "Oxide red ". There many different shades of French grey out there. Red oxide varies too and is also generally too dark and too brown.

[Aidan McCarthy]

I was told once the red is Gulf Red

[Steve Appleton]

Quite correct, Aidan! My error. Got oxide on the brain. Gulf red it is.

By considerable further research I have found references to the BS381C colour series.

In 1930 the first range of standardised colours were produced by the British Colour Council and were named as BS381, the following year (1931) additional colours were added and it became known as BS381C. As these colours became more popular with the textile industry, the paint industry adopted the colour pallet and in 1949 the British Colour Council issued a new directory of 378 colours illustrated in matt, gloss and a fabric pile aimed at interior decoration. These colours soon became adopted by the armed forces and other government bodies. The colours soon had names added to them; names such as Oxford Blue, Middle Brunswick Green (often referred to as British Racing Green) and Battleship Grey. A cut-down version of this standard with fewer colours was used during WWII.

Difficult to find colour specifications given in "modern" colour measuring systems. However, according to one paint company:
http://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp ... Gulf%20red
Gulf red BS 381C - 473: CIE L* 25, a* 28.07, b* 18.2 .
Process CMYK (Coated stock) - C0, M61, Y66, K60 - colour will vary depending on ink hues, stock and print process used.
SRGB: R101, G39, B34. Hex: #652722. Colour will vary depending upon monitor calibration and viewing conditions.

http://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp ... nch%20grey
French Grey BS 381C - 630: CIE L* 63.95, a* -3.62, b* 7.9 .
Process CMYK (Coated stock) - C3, M0, Y10, K38 - colour will vary depending on ink hues, stock and print process used.
SRGB: R153, G157, B141. Hex: #999D8D. Colour will vary depending upon monitor calibration and viewing conditions.

Although many refer to these colours as industrial colours, no other paint companies that I have found give any technical colour specifications apart from inaccurate on-screen swatches. The BS 381C standard itself (BS 381C:1996) can be bought from BSI for GBP200 here:http://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail/ ... 0000961294

[John Ashworth]

I seem to remember reading somewhere recently that Brunswick Green is often referred to as the colour used on many British main line passenger steam locos, but that actually, according to the codes, it wasn't Brunswick Green but was a slightly different shade.