Brecon & Merthyr coaching stock livery

[NeilB]

I've been looking at D. S. M. Barrie's revision of the Oakwood history of the Brecon & Merthyr to try to get some information about the colour used to pain coaching stock. It would seem that the colour was "chocolate", though there appears to have been another interpretation of it as "reddish brown". Given that Victorian chocolate was a much darker colour than modern milk chocolate, I get a sense of a shade somewhere between GW chocolate brown and a very dark red.

Given that the livery vanished almost a century ago, defining a precise shade must be well-nigh impossible; but I wonder what sort of colour other modellers have used? In particular, is there a readily-available shade from a range like Precision Paints or even Humbrol which might fit the case?

[Newport_rod]

Neil
From Harold Morgan's notes from the 1880s (and possibly earlier carriages) were painted purple lake similar to the LNWR, from 1909 (when lining was discontinued) the colour was changed to a dark crimson lake similar to the SE&CR.

Ahrons in Locomotive and Train Working in the Latter Part of the Nineteenth Century Vol 4 describes the livery as a poorly applied chocolate.

The ex-Midland carriages were left in Midland red so presumably that colour wasn’t so different from the remainder of the stock.

Depending on your period I'd be tempted to go for Precision Paints P580 S. E & C. R. Coach Crimson.

Rod

[NeilB]

Thanks; that sounds like a good idea.

I must say there seems a lot of variation around shades of crimson lake, which I gather became a very popular colour not only on railways but on trams and many other public utility vehicles and installations from the 1870's. Either that, or variable colour perception made people conclude that the shades differed more than perhaps they did. However, this sounds like a "best working conjecture", so I'll give it a try.

[Newport_rod]

variable colour perception made people conclude that the shades differed more than perhaps they did.

Add to that ad-hoc paint mixing and priming and finishing techniques, the variable effects on the environment (Brecon Beacons vs Rhymni valley), the well known instability of red pigments and a drift over time then you can't afford to be too dogmatic.