LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton

Berkswell and Balsall Common: lnwrberk4046

Looking along the up platform with the main line to Coventry branching left and the Berkswell loop line on the right during the winter of 1949. On the fencing on the left are two fire buckets which were filled with sand to deal with embers ejected from the chimney of passing locomotives. The station signage is looking worse for wear being uncared for and getting very dirty after years of neglect both during and after the Second World War. The two station name boards, or to give the correct technical term, 'Running-in Board' are LMS 'Hawkeye' or target boards. On the right the at the end of the platform is the sign directing passengers to the foot bridge and the 'way out', with only the latter clean enough to distinguish the word.

Peter Smith of 'Station Colours' writes, 'The LMS clearly did not see imposing a new corporate image in its stations as a priority, as until 1936 it continued to use the pre group colour schemes, gaining a reputation for shabby & run down looking stations in the process. In practice virtually no stations were repainted by the LMS before 1936. Even after the new standard schemes were introduced it took time before all the stations had been treated. Stations did not receive a standard painting scheme until 1936, a full thirteen years after the LMS was formed. Two light colours were introduced, 'cream' and 'Portland Stone' which were to be used with one of three darker shades, 'brown', 'red' and 'green'. The red was a dark shade similar to Midland read as used on LMS loco's and coaches, and the brown was very similar to the former LNWR colour. Poster boards on the LMS were always black with the framing and lettering in white; station signs were similarly painted. Running in boards were white on black until 1936, when black lettering on a yellow background was introduced along with the new 'target' nameboards'. www.stationcolours.info.

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