Private Owner Wagon Decals

1. Wagon Livery

The first step is to select a livery for your wagon. With a large number of liveries available, this is done by visiting a separate livery selection page, which shows each livery available, along with information about the prototype. Click on the button there associated with your chosen livery to select it and return to this page. This will also set default values for some of the configuration options below, which you can then change if you wish.

2. Wagon Type

The exact wagon type associated with your chosen livery may not be available as a standard kit or model in your scale. Therefore you can select an alternative wagon type that is available, and I will adjust your chosen livery accordingly (so if possible please choose a wagon similar in size to the original). Again with a large number of wagon types available, this is also done by visiting a separate wagon selection page, which shows each type available, along with information about the prototype. Click on the button there associated with your chosen type to select it and return to this page.

3. Original Livery Adjustments

Many users of private owner wagons operated several wagons in their common livery. The individual wagons were then identified by a number painted on the wagon side. The basic livery selected above includes one such number, and the livery description gives alternative numbers, where known. You are welcome to specify a different number here, whether one of those known or something different:

Wagon Number:

Note: If you do specify a different number, the short description for the decals once added to your basket will still reference the original number (to help me identify the original livery). The new number will appear as part of the detailed description in your e-mail acknowledgement (and be sent to me) if you place the order.

The tare weight of a wagon (it's weight when empty) could vary slightly even between wagons of identical construction. You are welcome to specify a different weight here:

Tare Weight:

Private owner wagons were generally fitted with several cast plates, usually on the solebars, but sometimes on the body side:

• Registration Plate: Wagons had to be registered with a railway company, and were assigned a registration number. As well as this number, the registration plate also identified the maximum load the wagon was approved to carry, the year of registration, and the railway company. The registration number, and presumably plate, remained with the wagon for the rest of its life, at least up to nationalisation.
• Builder's plate: Wagons often carried a plate identifying the original builder of the wagon. Such plates often included the year the wagon was built.
• Owner's Plate: Many end users, especially smaller companies, did not buy their wagons outright, but hired or leased them from a larger company, often the same company that built the wagon. Such wagons carried a plate that identified the owner, and also contained a number assigned by that owner.
• Repairs Plate: Some wagons carried a plate that identified who was to be contacted if repairs to the wagon were needed. This was originally usually the owner or builder, but once the Wagon Repairs Limited company was formed in 1918, this rapidly took over the wagon repairs business from the original builders. Their plates sometimes identified one of their depots too. Configuration of a Wagon Repairs Ltd. plate is covered in the modernisation section below, even if fitted as originally built.

The photos I've worked from to produce these wagon liveries are generally not clear enough to show most of the details on these plates. Some details (e.g. construction date, load weight, railway company) can be deduced from other information. Otherwise I've made a guess; in particular I've used random numbers for the registration and owner's numbers. You are welcome to specify these numbers here, or if you change the painted wagon number, I'll change the random numbers a little too. In the smaller scales, the contents of most plates will be illegible (other than as vague shapes) anyway.

Owner's Number:

Construction Year:

Registration Number:

Registration Railway Company:

4. Modernisation Options

Most of the liveries in my collection date from before 1920, the remainder from the 1920s and 30s. Where I have information about when the user ceased trading, or was taken over, I indicate this as well as the year of construction, for those who want historical accuracy for their model. Otherwise it is assumed the wagon liveries remained in use largely unchanged for many years, and I offer a number of options for updating a livery to a later period. These options are divided into three periods and illustrated in the following images:

1920s-30s	WW 2	Post-Nationalisation

1920s/30s

Replace references to pre-grouping railway companies (other than on the registration plates) with the relevant grouping one: No Yes

Replace other repairs plates with Wagon Repairs Ltd one, or add if none originally present: Default Replace Original Add New   Depot:

Add Commuted Charge label and/or star: Default CC label only Star label only Both  These will be placed towards the bottom left corner of the sides, as appropriate for other livery elements in the area.

Add end door marker stripe: Default Add Under Add Over  Add bottom door marker stripes: Default Add No Background Add With Background

The door stripes can be positioned "under" the other livery elements, as if painted on during a complete repaint, or they can be positioned "over", as if painted on later. The 1920s/30s illustration above shows the "under" type, while the WW2 and BR illustrations show the "over" type.

The bottom door stripes can optionally include a black background patch, as shown in the BR illustration above.

World War 2

The pooling of wagons and general lack of maintenance and repainting meant that the original livery elements gradually disappeared. Since it was intended that the wagons would be returned to their owners after the war, when key elements of the livery deteriorated too far, they wre refereshed by adding a black panel in the lower left corner nad the information painted on top in white.

Add panel(s) with: wagon number   user's name   user's location   tare weight   load weight

The full set of additions are shown in the WW2 illustration above.

Post-Nationalisation

After nationalisation, instead of being returned to their original owners private owner wagons were taken into British Railways ownership. The wagons were given a new number with a "P" prefix, which was painted on a black panel in the bottom left corner of each side, in the standard way as for other, previously railway-owned wagons. Other information was also added in the same way, in the standard locations and format: load weight above the number, tare weight towrds the bottom right corner. Owner's and repairs plates were generally removed too.

Add BR Number etc.:  Enter BR "P" number here, if required. The other values will be taken from the selected livery/wagon data.

To add end/bottom door stripes to a nationalised wagon, please use the 1920s/30s options above.

5. Weathering Options

In use and between repaints, real wagons would gradually accumulate grime from the loads they carried (e.g. coal dust) and brake dust from their own underframe. The original painted finish would also gradually fade from the action of the weather. The best way to simulate this in a model is to apply appropriate colours on top of the pristine finish using an airbursh (best for "dusty" effects) and/or washes of thin paint – thin paint will naturally accumulate in recesses (e.g. grooves between planks) and around raised detail (e.g. ironwork).

If you do this to your wagon, paint it to a pristine finsh first, apply the decals, and touch up the decal edges and any gaps. Allow to dry thoroughly (several days), then be sure to protect the finish with (matt) varnish or lacquer ‐ two thin coats are better than one thicker one, to minimise the risk of the decals lifting at the edges.

Again allow the varnish to dry thoroughly (especially if you are going to use washes of paint), then apply the weathering effects. Go slowly, applying colour thinly in multiple stages, allowing each stage to dry before proceeding to the next. Continue until you acheive your desired effect.

For those who do not wish to go to this trouble, I offer some short cuts by incorporating weathering effects into the decals. This is done in two basic ways: fading the original colours, and applying grime effects. You will have to modify the paint you use to touch up the decals by adding small quantities white, greys, and/or black, to match the colours of the decals. You will also still neeed to apply weathering effects using paint to those areas of your model that do not have decals applied, such as below the solebars and the buffers and couplings.

The strength of the weathering effect is specified as a number from 0 (no effect) to 4 (maximum), separately for fade and grime. These options are illustrated in the images below, for the three most common wagon colours.

Weathering effects can also be specified in 3 stages, corresponding to the modernistaion stages above:

1. Prior to WW 2
2. WW 2
3. Post nationalisation

Effects applied for the later stages are not cumulative, they are only applied to the modernisation options implemented at that stage. Thus the weathering specified for stage 1 gives the final appearance of the original livery, plus any 1920s/30s modernisation options. Any WW 2 modernisation options are then applied and the stage 2 weathering specifies their final appearance. Similarly, any post-nationaisation modernisation option are finally applied, and the stage 3 weathering specifies their appearance. Stage 1 should therefore be set to the strongest effect, with stages 2 and 3 progressively weaker.

Fade

Stage 1 (pre-WW 2) Fade: 0 1 2 3 4

Stage 2 (WW 2) Fade: 0 1 2 3 4

Stage 3 (post-nationalisation) Fade: 0 1 2 3 4

Grime

The grime levels are illustrated in conjunction with a level 2 fade.

Stage 1 (pre-WW 2) Grime: 0 1 2 3 4

Stage 2 (WW 2) Grime: 0 1 2 3 4

Stage 3 (post-nationalisation) Grime: 0 1 2 3 4

6. Dilapidation Options

The dilapidations considered here are the replacement of planks during major repairs. Prior to WW 2 it is assumed that such repairs would result in a repaint of the wagon, and thus not be visible on the outside if the wagon. During WW 2, the wartime restrictions and shortages meant that new planks would be left unpainted, except for patches for key information (as described in the mordernisation options above). This practice continued after nationalisation, except for the addition of BR standard lettering.

The dilapidation options available for my decals therefore represent the replacement of selected planks with unpainted ones. It is assumed that planks would be replaced in their entirety, not in smaller sections. The illustrations below show the available plank colours, and their interaction with weathering options, for fade and grime. The grime illustration also includes a level 2 fade.

You can specify which plank(s) are to be replaced using a code of letters and numbers:

• The first letter indicates the wagon side (A or B) or end (D or E). For a wagon with an end door, side A has the door on the right. End D is that with the door, E is the fixed end. For a wagon without an end door, end D is to the right of side A, E to the left.
• The next number indicates which plank: plank 0 is the curb rail, plank 1 is the bottom plank, with the remaining planks counting upwards. To specify a block of planks togther, use the lowest and highest plank numbers separated by a hyphen.
• The next letter identifies the position of the plank(s) along the side: L to the left of the side door, C on the door itself, R to the right of the door. Planks that extend the full length of the side or on the ends, should be specified as F.
• The last number indicates the base colour of the plank before weathering is applied, 1 to 8 as shown above.

For eaxample:

• a2r5 specifies side A, plank 2, right of door, colour 5
• B3-4L2 specifies side B, planks 3 to 4, left of door, colour 2
• A4C1 specifies side A, plank 4, on or over door, colour 1
• b7f3 specifies side B, plank 7, full length, colour 3
• D1F4 specifies end D, plank 1, full width, colour 4
• e2-4f5 specifies end E, planks 2 to 4, full width, colour 5

The upper/lower case of the letters is not important.

You can also specify two groups of repairs: during WW2 and post nationalisation. The WW 2 repairs are applied after stage 1 weathering, but before WW 2 modernisation options and they are subjected to stage 2 weathering. Similarly, post-nationalisation repairs are applied after stage 2 weathering but before post nationalisation modernisation, and are then subject to stage 3 weathering.

WW 2 Repairs:

Post-nationalisation Repairs:

To specify multiple groups of repairs at either stage, separate their codes with commas and/or spaces.

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 "POWagonDecals ".

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.