Does anyone know the correct colour for the inside of the window eyelids - have seen them red, grey and grubby ? - thanks

My bus number (if any): RML2747

They should be exactly the same red as the bus exterior.
In my experience the surfaces need to be properly cleaned and given a good coat of primer before top coats as these areas wouldn`t have been fully exposed to the paint hardening process at Aldenham and are thus quite susceptible to flaking.

Thanks for that Neil - best to remove to prepare I think - also the drop windows and slides for a thorough clean up prior to paint.

My bus number (if any): RML2747

Definitely Red and rarely ever painted so generally found with a mix of dirt an overspray.

There is often an anti rattle buffer strip glued on these usually on the upper deck valances.

But if you clean these carefully with some spirit and cutting compound you will find the original shade of red the bus was first painted in.
These were pre painted red at PRV. Pink ones were replacements fitted at overhaul or garage repairs.

They were originally Grey - as they were intended to match the grey plastic insets around the interior windows. However,over the years they generally have been painted red.

Hope this helps!

My bus number (if any): RM 1699 Eastbourne Regent III (AHC442) Regent V (KHC369)

Hmmm I disagree. I would put my neck on the block here and say the INSIDE of the eyebrows should be dark grey. When viewed from inside the bus the grey should match the "Chinese Green" window surrounds. They are usually covered in filth and red over spray, but clean them up properly and you will find the original colour to be grey. At least mine were, when I took some of them off 531 during repanneling.

My bus number (if any): rm531

It seems we have yet another 'grey' area.

My assertion that they were red was based on flatting down seven of these for a restoration.
All were red. I stripped two right back and they went down to the base primer which was the zinc etch primer
One though, went to Chiswick Pink.

But it is correct and I had forgotten this, These were painted Chinese Green - The name given for the grey shade used on the plastic window surrounds and seat backs.

It does make sense as it provides a continuity for the window surround.

However, as I had panels that clearly did not have this shade, was this deleted at some point as an economy?
Was it red on main production RMLs?

Some of those seven came off the upper deck of RM408, the remainder from a batch of unfitted spares which were in Chiswick Pink.

So Correction. Chinese Green is the correct colour for red RMs

Thanks for the reminder from M'learned associate!

They were/are red. The "grey" is the primer the window manufacturer used as opposed to LT "pink". You can still find this dark grey gloss primer on RT window pans under the rubber.

The window valences were hand painted red at overhaul in the Paint Prep shop and touched up on the Finishing Line. When replaced at garages they were often left untouched as out of sight etc.

The felt stick on strips ate supposed to be on all valences for anti-drumming.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RMC 1458 RM 1585 and several RTs

Took a look at a Routemaster that has not been touched since withdrawal in 1982 having been overhauled at Aldenham in 1981 -Just one year earlier!

It's undergoing a major overhaul for RM60 but does give a window into how an LT overhauled RM was.

As for the windows - well under the overspray, they are Chinese Green. Picture enclosed I hope!

They were not painted Chinese green.
That's not overspray, it's red paint.
The bit that could be got at was painted red by hand as it could not be sprayed in the paint booths. I saw the hand painting of these many times when I worked on the Finishing Line at Aldenham.
Window valences changed at Aldenham would have had the Aldenham brown primer under the red.

The RMCs and RCLs which had different colour window shrouds had their valences painted green, also by hand on overhaul.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RMC 1458 RM 1585 and several RTs

It just isn`t credible that, if the colour was supposed to be Chinese Green, red over-spray would be routinely left on it. That`s not how Aldenham worked. As I`m sure Brian would readily confirm, a combination of carefully planned systems and a pride in doing a job to a decent standard would never have allowed such a thing to happen on one bus let alone all of them. If it was meant to be grey it would have been grey. The extra work involved of hand finishing these areas that effectively `missed` the paint spray process would have been timed and costed as part of the overhaul and if grey was deemed to be the colour needed on the finishing line it would have covered any red `overspray` not that much should have got in there given the way that the window boards were positioned to protect the glass. But as I said in my original post, the insides of these valances were known dirt traps and as the paint applied didn`t get the benefit of the hardening process it was always going to be more likely to flake. I would put money on it that if anyone who has an RM body that once carried a colour other than red on the outside of the window valences (Shillibeer cream for example) decided to closely examine the inside of the window valences, they would find traces of that other colour because that`s how precise the Aldenham systems were.

Don't agree about the paint process not hardening any paint on the window valences Neil, there was nothing to stop the heat getting to the paint on RMs as window boards were not used, on RMs an emulsion paste was applied and scraped off afterwards. One thing we did find was the heat in the ovens made the anti vibration foam pieces fall off!

I can't see how a bus that has not been touched for over 30 years can be held as an example of what paint was like on in service buses. The paint on this has flaked because it's 30 years old! If the paint on valences did flake and I'm not aware it did, it's more likely that vibration from wind and washing machines and condensation caused it, given also it was brush paint and not hot spray and not hardened in the ovens.

You are right, under the valences is a dirt trap and also for buses stored out of use, particularly in the open, a trap for moss which does paint no good at all.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RMC 1458 RM 1585 and several RTs

Sorry Neil, see what you mean now, thought you were saying the window boards only used on RTs and RFs stopped the hardening process in the ovens.
I have a "Chinese Green" RT window pan about somewhere, when I get a chance I'll photograph it. I don't think Park Royal made the windows for the RMs and so the undercoat primer would not have been the LT pinky brown by then adopted by Park Royal.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960, RMC 1458 RM 1585 and several RTs

Well, this is one for the grey matter if you can excuse the pun.

As I mentioned much earlier I was sure they were red having stripped back and prepped for painting seven of these off vehicle.

But I am assured that the spec was for Chinese green. That comes quoted from LT records. Which I might add I've not seen.

The bus that I photographed on Monday has all flaky paint but I can assure you all that it is grey under the dirt and flaky red paint which is more overspray than actual coating.
What's more it polishes up and matches the Chinese green plastic surround very closely.

I also have to say that I can only remember these always being filthy dirty and with dusting of red overspray.
Dirty enough to not notice the colour grey.

So if these were Chinese Green when new, what colour were these on RMCs which had a different colour window surround?