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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 8, Issue 4 (August 1, 1933)

The Art of the Carriage Painter

The Art of the Carriage Painter.

The art of the passenger carriage painter has made wonderful strides during page 19 the past few decades. The beautiful exterior finish given the modern passenger carriage is a decided asset in influencing traffic, while the various paints and processes employed in exterior carriage decoration give assurance of long life and ability to stand up to the most severe weather conditions.

With a view to increasing the durability of carriage paint, and lengthening the period between the successive revarnishing or repainting of vehicles, extensive research has been undertaken by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. It has been established by these experiments that this period may safely be increased to eight or nine years. The main problems to be tackled in the preservation of carriage exteriors are penetration of moisture, and contraction of the paint film during the normal ageing of the finish. After extensive trials the L.M. and S. Railway has devised a system whereby a mixture of calcium soaps, wax and mineral oil, is applied to the stock after the exterior finish has become hardened, this not only serving as an ideal water repellant, but also definitely arresting contraction in the paint or varnish film. The particular mixture consists of 44 parts by weight of mineral cleaning oil, 30 parts of paraffin oil, 16 parts of cerosin wax, and 10 parts of calcium stearate, the whole coloured to taste with oil-soluble dye. A further advantage
In the mountain lands of Scandinavia. Bjorli passenger station, a typical Norwegian mountain terminus.

In the mountain lands of Scandinavia. Bjorli passenger station, a typical Norwegian mountain terminus.

claimed for this treatment is that it materially simplifies cleaning operations during the service of the vehicle, as it makes it possible to do away with cleaning solutions containing acid in any form. The wax is applied at intervals of anything up to six weeks, and in the interval the coaches are washed with water alone. The beautiful finish of the exterior of L.M. and S. passenger stock is always a subject of comment among the travelling public. Here is a secret of this beauty.

While at Derby, experiments have been in progress with the idea of increasing the durability of carriage paint, at the Swindon works of the Great Western line research has produced a novel type of apparatus for purifying the interiors and upholstery of rolling-stock. The apparatus takes the form of a steel cylinder, 85 feet in length and 16 feet 6 inches in diameter, furnished with a track upon which the carriages to be treated are run in without dismantling in any degree. The cylinder is then sealed by means of an air-tight door, and the temperature inside raised to 120 deg. F. by steam-heating pipes, these completely encircling the carriage. A pump withdraws the air from the cylinder, until a vacuum reading of 28in. of mercury is reached. For six hours this temperature and vacuum are maintained, ensuring complete purification. Thus in addition to being perfectly cleaned, the vehicle is thoroughly fumigated.

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