[Trivia] Paint Colours/Livery Descriptions

[duncombec]

There is something about paint colours that just defy simple explanation: have you tried buying a tin of "white" paint recently? From Moonlight White to Urban Jungle (green), Sugar Sweet (pink) to Delicate Blossom (beige?), there are always wild and wacky descriptors. This got me thinking about paint colours, or livery descriptions, on buses.

The Amazon 'AZ' service operated by Go-Goach has a base colour of "Squid Ink" grey (isn't squid ink black?). Eastbourne Buses at one point had "Aircraft Blue and Biscuit" (do aircraft only come in one colour of blue?), and the official description of Arriva's former livery was, if I remember correctly, "Aquamarine and Cotswold Stone, with a Champagne separator". (Funny coloured champagne!)

Historic (anything not used now, including all those post-deregulation wonders) or modern, location not a concern... over to you!

(No prizes for 'Poppy red' and whatever the green colour was called by the NBC, unless they actually had other names!)

 

[Eyersey468]

NBC Green was called Leaf Green. Apparently it was a devil to match if the bus had a bump.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Newcastle Corpy and various Tyne & Wear vehicles were in Cadmium yellow

 

[Eyersey468]

EYMS original colours were Indigo and Primrose, the coaching side was painted Riviera Blue and Primrose

 

[Mal]

Edinburgh Corporation and Lothian buses have always been madder and white since 1919 except for that awful Harlequin livery, now gone, thank God!

 

[GusB]

"Strathclyde red" and black for the PTE of the same name, even though it was orange.

Alexander's and it's Midland successor used Azure blue and ivory (some say cream).

Highland Omnibuses were painted poppy red and grey until they adopted "Fife" red, which I believe Ayres red. I think the blue they used on earlier liveries was peacock blue.

Strathtay's livery was French blue, marigold (orange) and white.

 

[Flange Squeal]

I believe the colour traditionally used on wheels on London buses was ‘Indian Red’, and I think I’ve heard the overall red referred to as ‘Ayers Red’.

 

[jp4712]

Rochdale Corporation’s shade of blue was officially known as monastral blue, which is the same name as the 1964 corporate BR blue although the Rochdale colour seemed a bit deeper. Ribble’s main colour was cherry red - accurate, it was indeed the colour of a nice ripe cherry…

 

[Pit_buzzer]

South Yorkshire Transport was cameo and poppy red with a chestnut skirt

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Picking up on earlier posters, Trent Buses post privatisation livery was Ayers Red whilst Southend's pre Arriva livery was largely French Blue.

 

[DunsBus]

"Strathclyde red" and black for the PTE of the same name, even though it was orange.

Alexander's and it's Midland successor used Azure blue and ivory (some say cream).

Highland Omnibuses were painted poppy red and grey until they adopted "Fife" red, which I believe Ayres red. I think the blue they used on earlier liveries was peacock blue.

Strathtay's livery was French blue, marigold (orange) and white.

Of course, the reason why the Strathclyde PTE orange was called Strathclyde Red was to avoid the equivalent of World War III breaking out in Glasgow. Mention the word "orange" in some parts of the city and you risk yourself leaving in the back of a hearse!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Of course, the reason why the Strathclyde PTE orange was called Strathclyde Red was to avoid the equivalent of World War III breaking out in Glasgow. Mention the word "orange" in some parts of the city and you risk yourself leaving in the back of a hearse!

Hmmm....makes you wonder why the livery wasn't more red then?

 

[carlberry]

Hmmm....makes you wonder why the livery wasn't more red then?

It was red, what other colour could it have been! You'll be suggesting the bus operator supported a specific football team next!

 

[LiIo75]

West Yorkshire PTE was Verona green and buttermilk.

 

[DunsBus]

Lowland's green and yellow were described as Malachite Green and Canary Yellow.

 

[90019]

Edinburgh Corporation and Lothian buses have always been madder and white since 1919 except for that awful Harlequin livery, now gone, thank God!

It used to be madder but isn't anymore - when they tried it on the livery that replaced harlequin, madder was found to look too drab on the newer buses and was replaced with weinrot instead.

 

[lincman]

Oldham Corporation : Pommard and Devon Cream

 

[Leyland Bus]

Rochdale Corporation’s shade of blue was officially known as monastral blue, which is the same name as the 1964 corporate BR blue although the Rochdale colour seemed a bit deeper. Ribble’s main colour was cherry red - accurate, it was indeed the colour of a nice ripe cherry…

Rochdale and BR "Rail Blue" are definitely not the same! I've painted both and they are quite different.

There was a wonderful debate on Twitter awhile ago over the term "Monastral Blue" but I cannot remember the outcome, although I feel Monastral Blue isn't correct...

Hth

 

[CN04NRJ]

Edinburgh Corporation and Lothian buses have always been madder and white since 1919 except for that awful Harlequin livery, now gone, thank God!

Isn't it 'Weinrot' now? A slightly lighter shade?

 

[GusB]

Edinburgh Corporation and Lothian buses have always been madder and white since 1919 except for that awful Harlequin livery, now gone, thank God!

Wasn't it originally Madder and cream, as carried by the Volvo/E400XLB liveried for the centenary?

Isn't it 'Weinrot' now? A slightly lighter shade?

That sounds like something you'd suffer from the morning after!

 

[duncombec]

Some interesting replies so far - I've tried typing some of these colours into Google, and the variety of shades that allegedly go with the same name is quite something!

NBC Green was called Leaf Green. Apparently it was a devil to match if the bus had a bump.

Thanks! I have only heard the description a couple of thousand times, yet for some reason I could only think of "Apple green", which I knew wasn't correct! Trying to remember who used Brunswick Green, and feeling like I really should know...

Rochdale Corporation’s shade of blue was officially known as monastral blue, which is the same name as the 1964 corporate BR blue although the Rochdale colour seemed a bit deeper.

Presumably 'Phthalocyanine Blue', which is apparently another name for it (or at least a pigment in it) was too difficult to spell!

South Yorkshire Transport was cameo ....

What colour is a cameo?! Memory would suggest beige?

Isn't it 'Weinrot' now? A slightly lighter shade?

'Wine red'... Hmm.. Merlot? Shiraz?

 

[Eyersey468]

I'm not sure any bus company did use Brunswick Green, I know the GWR and BR did, and yes I also know they didn't officially call it Brunswick Green I believe they called it Locomotive Green.

 

[DunsBus]

The shade of dark green used by Eastern Scottish and its various incarnations was known as Lothian Green.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Thanks! I have only heard the description a couple of thousand times, yet for some reason I could only think of "Apple green", which I knew wasn't correct! Trying to remember who used Brunswick Green, and feeling like I really should know...

Wasn't it Southdown who used apple green?

I'm not sure any bus company did use Brunswick Green, I know the GWR and BR did, and yes I also know they didn't officially call it Brunswick Green I believe they called it Locomotive Green.

IIRC, the post-deregulation Crosville did use Brunswick Green.... and Zippy corroborates that. They did latterly use it with cream but as an early version, they apparently used "marigold"

Crosville - ENL950 LMB950P

In the post NBC era, Crosville experimented with this brunswick green and marigold orange combo before settling on cream for the orange areas. ENL950 was one such vehicle that gained the livery and is seen in Chester in the late eighties.

www.flickr.com

 

[Eyersey468]

Wasn't it Southdown who used apple green?

IIRC, the post-deregulation Crosville did use Brunswick Green.... and Zippy corroborates that. They did latterly use it with cream but as an early version, they apparently used "marigold"

Crosville - ENL950 LMB950P

In the post NBC era, Crosville experimented with this brunswick green and marigold orange combo before settling on cream for the orange areas. ENL950 was one such vehicle that gained the livery and is seen in Chester in the late eighties.

www.flickr.com

Thank you

 

[Simon75]

Eastern National Post deregulation, spinach and custard at one stage

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Eastern National Post deregulation, spinach and custard at one stage

Those were nicknames rather than proper paint shade names though

 

[LiIo75]

Yorkshire Rider had Brilliant Green and Jonquil

 

[CN04NRJ]

Cardiff Bus' previous livery, although green in appearance was actually called 'Burgess blue'. I like the new one but it's yet another Best Impressions copy and paste job.

 

[Mal]

Wasn't it originally Madder and cream, as carried by the Volvo/E400XLB liveried for the centenary?

That sounds like something you'd suffer from the morning after!

Edinburgh buses have never used cream in the bus livery but may have used cream on their old tour buses though. (Someone will correct me if I'm wrong!)