Liverpool and Manchester Railway Lion
A goods engine with a remarkable second life.
Bring the engine
to life.
Start with the suggested palette or choose your own colours. Build gentle layers around the engine's distinctive shapes.
Suggested pencil shades and approximate screen swatches. These are not historical paint specifications.
Start lightly and build the darker surfaces gradually. Preserve the printed details.
Leave fine white highlights to separate the moving parts.
Keep the surroundings quieter than the locomotive. Retain light sky areas.
Look a little closer.
Lion on museum display with a brown boiler barrel, black smokebox and bright brass-coloured fittings. Read each caption before using it as a colour or configuration reference.
Lion on museum display with a brown boiler barrel, black smokebox and bright brass-coloured fittings. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
David Dixon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Front view of Lion's black smokebox door, tall chimney and front buffers. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
El Pollock · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Three-quarter view showing Lion's brown boiler covering and black front end. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Reptonix free Creative Commons licensed photos · CC BY 3.0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Museum view with brown boiler panels, dark running gear and a tall black chimney. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Close view from the footplate end, showing bright brass-coloured fittings and boiler backhead details. Photograph of the named locomotive. Preserved appearance may differ from its original working condition.
Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source photograph. Resized and converted to WebP.
Know the version.
The source below supports the locomotive identity and history. The photographs record the finish visible when each image was taken. A preserved or replica finish does not establish the original paint specification. Exact original paint shades and all period marking details have not been established for this guide.
The pencil example uses ochre and warm brown. Its palette is interpretive. The gallery records the particular appearances described in its captions; preserved engines, replicas and monochrome photographs cannot establish every original shade or marking.
Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Lion engineering heritage entryDid you know?
Lion became a film star as the elderly locomotive in the 1953 Ealing comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt.
Make the details count.
Reserve fine highlights on the chimney and bright fittings.
Use separate tones for timber surfaces and iron framing.