Spray painting at Inchicore - when did it start?

[Mol_PMB]

As you'll know I'm interested in liveries and this has led me to a question about spray painting.

The book 'The Works - Celebrating 150 years of Inchicore Works' contains many reminiscences of works staff and one of those relates to the introduction of spray painting for carriages (page 54).

This notes that the traditional method of painting required 6 coats of paint applied by brush by skilled painters. This had been identified as one of the most labour-intensive and time-consuming practices in the works but carried on "through to the late 1950s".

The tale in the book says that many spray-painting trials were carried out, using a wide range of paints, but the paint would never stick properly to the coach surface. Eventually this was traced to a chargehand who had been deliberately contaminating the paint with paraffin. Presumably over a fear of job losses if a quicker, more efficient painting process was introduced.

I'd be interested to try and date this more accurately, as there may be a connection to observed changes in livery in the 1950s.

The method of application and the number of coats can influence the appearance of paint, even the same colour paint can look different. But often the change to spray painting was accompanied by a change in paint formulation and supplier too. 

I've also seen some 1950s photos of carriages where the paint appears to have peeled off, and there are other mentions of experiments in the 1950s with different shades of green paint which could not be kept clean in service.

Can anyone give a more definitive date for the introduction of spray painting at Inchicore?

 

Many thanks,

Mol

 

P.S. It's worth remembering that for the 1956-8 period, new-build carriages from Inchicore weren't painted at all on the body. Older carriages would still have needed repainting though. Green was reintroduced as a livery for new carriages in late 1958 - might this tally with the introduction of spray painting or was it more to do with the departure of Bulleid?

Edited Tuesday at 16:57 by Mol_PMB
PS