British Railways Wagon Decals
Early Period

1. Wagon Livery

The first step is to select the basic livery for your wagon:

Body Colour: Please Specify R322 Early Freight Grey R309 Later Freight Grey R206 Rail Grey R323 Early Bauxite R235 Later Bauxite / Freight Brown R236 Late Dark Bauxite White (transparent) R205 Rail Black R311 BR Crimson R306 BR Maroon R??? Ice Blue

Colours with an R-number are from the Railmatch range of paints. The Ice Blue paint appears to have been discontinued (and I can't find the original number), but I include it for those with existing stock.

Markings Colour: Please Specify White Black Straw Cream

Layout Type: Please Specify Standard, 2/3 lines 2/3 lines, separate code Single line

2. Lower Left Markings

Wagon Code: Some wagons had code names that occupied two or more lines. If this is required, indicate the position of the line breaks using ! characters.

Code Letter Size: Standard 6 in. 5 in. 4 in. 3.5 in. 3 in. 2.5 in. 2 in. 1.5 in. 1 in. The standard size was 3in.

Load Weight:

Load Letter Size: Standard 6 in. 5 in. 4 in. 3.5 in. 3 in. 2.5 in. 2 in. 1.5 in. 1 in. The standard size was 2in.

Wagon Number:

Number Letter Size: Standard 6 in. 5 in. 4 in. 3.5 in. 3 in. 2.5 in. 2 in. 1.5 in. 1 in. The standard size was 3in., with 3.5in. prefix letter(s). For non-standard sizes over 3in., I will assume the prefix letters are 0.5in. bigger. For smaller sizes, I will assume the letters are the same size as the numbers. Set to 3in. for 3in. letters and numbers.

Line Spacing: This is the height of each line; it should be greater than the letter height and often equal to the plank height for wagons with horizontal planks.

3. Lower Right Markings

Include XP: Yes No

XP Letter Size: Standard 6 in. 5 in. 4 in. 3.5 in. 3 in. 2.5 in. 2 in. 1.5 in. 1 in. The standard size was 4in.

Wheelbase: If present, typically WB feet-inches. Sometimes WB feet'-inches".

Wheelbase Letter Size: Standard 6 in. 5 in. 4 in. 3.5 in. 3 in. 2.5 in. 2 in. 1.5 in. 1 in. The standard size was 2in.

Tare Weight: Typically tons-cwt.

Tare Letter Size: Standard 6 in. 5 in. 4 in. 3.5 in. 3 in. 2.5 in. 2 in. 1.5 in. 1 in. The standard size was 2in.

Tare Style: Standard Italic Script

Line Spacing: This is the height of each line; it should be greater than the letter height and often equal to the plank height for wagons with horizontal planks.

4. Additional Instructions

Text:

Please use spaces and upper or lower case letters to to arrange the instruction text as closely as possible to how it should appear in the decal, and set the 'As Indicated' alignment option. Alternatively, standard left, centred or right alignment options are also available. If you wish to add special formatting instructions to me, start the line(s) with a ! character. I will then take the rest of the line as an instruction to me, not text to be included in the decal.

To request more than one block/panel of instructions, specify the first block as normal, and set the appropriate options below. Then provide the text for additional blocks by separating them with ! instruction lines, and specify any differences in option selections as ! instructions, using multiple ! lines as necessary.

Height: This is the overall height of the instruction panel, including any background patch.

Width: This is the overall width of the instruction panel, including any background patch.

Alignment: As Indicated Left Centered Right

Style: Standard Italic Script Mixed For the mixed style option, identify which parts use italic or standard letters using ! instructions in the text box above.

Letter Size: Standard 6 in. 5 in. 4 in. 3.5 in. 3 in. 2.5 in. 2 in. 1.5 in. 1 in. The standard size was 3in.

Border: Yes No

5. Shock and Mineral Stripes

Decals for mineral wagon bottom door stripes.

Decals for wagon solebar.

Shock Stripe Height:

Shock Stripe Width: The original standard width for shock stripes was 4 in.

End Door Stripe Height:

End Door Stripe Width: This is the overall width of the stripe between its ends, not the width (thickness) of the line. With the height, these define the size of the rectangle within which the stripe forms the diagonal. The standard line width (thickness) was 2.5 in.

Bottom Door Style: None No Patches Single Patch Double Patches Minimal Patches

6. Solebar Markings

Number Plate

Number Plate Type: None BR GWR LMS LNER SR

Year:

Works: Note, the works could be an independent manufacturer rather than a BR workshop.

Lot No.:

Standard: Yes No Only relevant for non-BR plates. Indicates whther the wagon was constructed using standard RCH parts.

Maintenance Data

Note: Maintenance markings generally consisted of L., P., or BO. followed by date as month.year and then / works code.

Lift Date:

Paint Date:

Brake Test Date:

Brake Test Layout: Above Below Left Right Split The brake test date was usually located close to the brake release star (itself located close to the release cord, near the vacuum cylinder), and positioned either above, below, fully to the left, fully to the right, or split either side of the star.

Brake Release Star: 5 points 6 points 7 points The standard was for a star with 7 points, but 5 or 6 points were also used.

Brake Test Background Colour: Black Body The brake test star and date were usually located on the solebar, and thus with a black background. In some cases the body overlapped the solebar in the relevant location, so the star and date could be located low on the body and require a body-colour background.

Ex-Private Owner Wagons

Decals for former PO wagon solebar plates.

Former private owner wagons were originally fitted with several cast plates, usually on the solebars. The registration and builder's plates may have survived nationalisation:

Registration Railway Company:

Registration Number:

Registration/Construction Year:

Builder's Plate Type: None Chas Roberts Chas Roberts Dated BRCW Rect BRCW Oval GRCW GRCW Dated R.Y. Pickford Stableford

7. Confirm Configuration

Finally, please specify the scale for your decals, together with a short label (name and/or number) that can be used to distinguish this wagon decal configuration from any others you may add to your basket:

The uniqueness of this label is important because if you add two different wagon decal sets with the same label to your basket the more recent specification will overwrite the old. You can, however, use this feature to update the specification of decals you have already added to your basket. The label you enter will be automatically prefixed with "BRWagonDecals ".

Confirm Configuration

Once you have selected the appropriate options above to configure this decal set, click on "Confirm Configuration" above to proceed to the next stage of the ordering process. (This will also temporarily store the information you've entered should wish to navigate away to another page, as will the "Save Settings" button above.) You will then be taken to another page showing the information you've entered. From there, you will then be able to either add the set to your basket, or return to this page to change your specification.