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Hornby 2021 - SR Bogie Luggage van


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During 1927 and 1928, the Southern Railway found itself with a large surplus amount of ex-LSWR underframes, as many of the former LSWR Bogie Block 4-coach sets were converted to EMUs on new 62’ underframes. The spare underframes proved an ideal base for the new Gangwayed Bogie Luggage Vans (GBL) that the SR were looking to build at the time. 

 

The GBL vans were mainly used across the SR’s Western Section, with just a few working in the Eastern Section on Parcels traffic and Chatham passenger trains. In the west, their use extended to Newspaper, Parcels, Dairy and Bicycle traffic, as well as for passenger baggage on the South Coast express trains and in 1939, at the Ministry of Health’s request, thirty were converted at Lancing Works for use in Casualty Evacuation Trains with more converted to ambulance coaches before the end of the war. 

 

The GBL vans were rapidly replaced in traffic by BR bogie GUV vans and virtually all were withdrawn during 1959 and 1960, with just a few survivors continuing in service as Pigeon vans until November 1961. Other examples were transferred into Departmental use, with some modifications taking place such as the widening of doors and the removal of gangways, however one van, No. 2464, found fame by being re-entered into traffic to convey Sir Winston Churchill’s body from London to Handborough on 30 January 1965.
 

 

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After his State Funeral at St. Pauls Cathedral, Sir Winston Churchill’s body was moved by train to Handborough station via train before being taken to St. Martin's parish churchyard in Bladon to be buried. The actual carriage used was Southern Railway luggage van No. 2464. Built in 1931, the carriage had an uneventful life until it was taken out of service in 1961. In 1962 the carriage was repainted into Pullman colours and stored in Stewarts Lane carriage sheds until Churchill’s funeral in 1965.

 

After its use as part of the funeral train, the carriage was shipped to California where it served as a historical display before returning to the UK for refurbishment at National Railway Museum in Shildon. More recently, the carriage has been moved to Margate, just metres form Hornby’s Margate offices, where it is hoped it will be displayed to the public in the future.

 

This model depicts the funeral carriage as it would have been in 1965 at the time it was used as part of Winston Churchill’s funeral train.

 

Slide191.JPG

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4 minutes ago, Tony Teague said:

Drat!

I've got 9 of the old ones, all 'improved' with the Roxey etched doors etc!

What to do.......?

 

Quick, start selling! I bought an upgraded one from Ebay, but later found out the builder/previous owner passed away before it could be posted (handled by his son). So i'll keep it as a form of tribute.

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24 minutes ago, Jack P said:

Excellent! These really deserved a retool from the horrific old margate version.

 

I agree entirely.

 

21 minutes ago, Jack P said:

 

Quick, start selling! I bought an upgraded one from Ebay, but later found out the builder/previous owner passed away before it could be posted (handled by his son). So i'll keep it as a form of tribute.

 

Might do but I'll probably keep a couple for old times sake!

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Hello everyone

 

Congratulations to Hornby on updating this welcome and undoubtedly popular model!

 

The vehicle has been High Polling in (what was) The Annual 00 Wishlist Poll for many years.

 

Brian (on behalf of The 00 Poll Team)

 

 

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1 hour ago, Tony Teague said:

Drat!

I've got 9 of the old ones, all 'improved' with the Roxey etched doors etc!

What to do.......?

Keep 'em ! I've given up replacing existing stock with new rtr unless I am both unhappy with what I have and the new rtr is demonstrably a significant advance. Most rtr from the past 20+ years can happily co-exist on my layout. I appreciate the triang based van is more than 20 years old but you've enhanced yours - I bet they are at least as good as Hornby's new version :)

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5 minutes ago, MikeParkin65 said:

Keep 'em ! I've given up replacing existing stock with new rtr unless I am both unhappy with what I have and the new rtr is demonstrably a significant advance. Most rtr from the past 20+ years can happily co-exist on my layout. I appreciate the triang based van is more than 20 years old but you've enhanced yours - I bet they are at least as good as Hornby's new version :)

 

Given that I have already weathered them as well, I might just - but I'll probably get a couple of new ones to see just how different they are.

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I’ve recently Roxyfied an old Triang GLV that had been hanging around in my round tuit box since god was in short trousers, but will spring for a new one for the recessed joins between the planks.  Nice to see this old stager retooled; I believe it was Triang’s first scale length coach and the first ever RTR NPCCS unless Hornby Dublo’s tinplate Fruit D beat it to the punch. 

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I'll have one for sure,  if I get one and put it with my Pullman and  a Maunsell composite break I've basically got my own version of that Hornby Airport service pack they did a while back , although mine would probably have an H2 on the front heading to Shoreham =) 

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The Triang body lines up exactly to the scale drawing provided with the Roxey improvment kit, so I would describe it as scale length.  The underpinnings were pure shorty mk1 of course, but there was no underframe as such; Triang used to have 'integrally built' bodyshells in those days that the bogies and an underframe detail section were rivetted to, the solebars being part of the bodyshell. 

 

The Utility Van was 'of it's time' and a brave piece of marketing, but it remained in the range for many years and must have made good money for the company.  The doors offered good 'play value' and were reasonably robust, but one of the major 'scale' issues. The plank join raised relief was typical of Triang, but were the only difficulty for anyone seriously working the model up; bogies, underframe detail, buffers, gangways, doors, handrails, electrical jumper cables, lamp irons, internal window grilles and the raised section of the roof could all be addressed, more easily when the Roxey kit became available of course.  It was a good example of a crude and basic model that, because of it's scale dimensions, could be done something about.  I rather enjoyed Roxeyfying mine, and despite only recently having done it do not regard it as a waste of time!  I did not go to the trouble of removing the plank relief lines and scribing the gaps, and decided to live with this. 

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1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

The Triang body lines up exactly to the scale drawing provided with the Roxey improvment kit, so I would describe it as scale length.  The underpinnings were pure shorty mk1 of course, but there was no underframe as such; Triang used to have 'integrally built' bodyshells in those days that the bogies and an underframe detail section were rivetted to, the solebars being part of the bodyshell. 

 

The Utility Van was 'of it's time' and a brave piece of marketing, but it remained in the range for many years and must have made good money for the company.  The doors offered good 'play value' and were reasonably robust, but one of the major 'scale' issues. The plank join raised relief was typical of Triang, but were the only difficulty for anyone seriously working the model up; bogies, underframe detail, buffers, gangways, doors, handrails, electrical jumper cables, lamp irons, internal window grilles and the raised section of the roof could all be addressed, more easily when the Roxey kit became available of course.  It was a good example of a crude and basic model that, because of it's scale dimensions, could be done something about.  I rather enjoyed Roxeyfying mine, and despite only recently having done it do not regard it as a waste of time!  I did not go to the trouble of removing the plank relief lines and scribing the gaps, and decided to live with this. 

The GLVs were built on recycled underframes and the length varied a bit (up to about a yard from shortest to longest IIRC)

 

Tri-ang lucked out in that one size matched their 9" coaches so they could use the same roofs and underbody detail mouldings. 

 

John

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