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Insulated van


nanniag

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Hello everybody.

 

I write my first post to kindly ask an help. The subject are the isothermic van that, coming from Italy, reached England into '50 and '60.

My problem is: which kind of manual lever brake was installed? I went through the net looking For some info. I found the the manual lever brake is a world with a lot of variants.

Looking at the below pictures you can see an example. I know also the some van was hired by LNER.

Somebody can put me into the right direction to get a schematic or some detailed pics in order to reproduce it?

 

Thanks in advance and best regards

Antonio

 

All the pics taken by internet

post-27837-0-08427900-1481707264.jpg

post-27837-0-95112300-1481707323.jpg

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There may have been a schematic drawing in a Model Railway Constructor annual. There are a couple of photos showing the brake levers on page 15 of 'Non-Pool Freight Stock, 1948-68 Volume 2', by David Larkin. Incidentally, the term for such vehicles in UK parlance is an 'Insulated Van'.

I remeber seeing long rakes of these vans, awaiting scrapping, between Roma and Napoli. That would be  20 years ago.

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These are the ones I remember seeing around and modelled originally by Airfix as a kit:

 

http://Dapol.co.uk/image/cache/data/C42-800x800.jpg

 

Keith

That was the design that came out in the late 1950s, though the Airfix one is actually a Berne-Gauge wagon, modelled in HO. The last design to run in the UK was longer, and had the roof ends tapering down, a bit like a Hawkesworth coach. The last I saw in the UK was in the early 1990s.

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Many thanks for the reply and the informations.

I will buy the mentioned book. But, since I guess the MRConstruction Annual cannot be purchased anymore, that kind of manual brake had a particular name? So I can look for the schematic drawing in another way...

 

Thanks again

Antonio

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Many thanks for the reply and the informations.

I will buy the mentioned book. But, since I guess the MRConstruction Annual cannot be purchased anymore, that kind of manual brake had a particular name? So I can look for the schematic drawing in another way...

 

Thanks again

Antonio

I've only ever known them as 'lever brakes', though they may be of a sub-type known as 'lifting link'. There are probably similar levers available from one of the UK aftermarket suppliers.

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  • RMweb Premium

The two parts of each link need hyperlinking together.

 

Cheers

 

Keith

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Hello all.

 

Many thanks to everybody for the replies and the links. The pictures of the NRM are great! Soon or later I have go there...

I'm a donkey, because I've already downloaded a pic with the brake system of these kind of van... It cames from Rotaie.it website.post-27837-0-15365700-1481799485_thumb.jpg

As you can see, it is a mess. You can brake manually from three several points and there is at the same time the vacuum and the air brake. Just to close the story, I've made a sketch to simplify a little bit.

 

Thanks again to everybody, merry Christmas and happy new year.

Antonio

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I'm pleased you found that diagram - it illustrates how complex the brakes on these vehicles were. As an aside, contemporary accounts by shunters and yard workers seem to consistently say that brakes on Continental vehicles were almost always badly worn and ineffective.

 

When I built mine I simplified the brake gear enormously, as most of it is invisible.

 

iv_6_zpsa807d43f.jpg

 

If you can find them (forgive me if you already know this), the authoritative books on the subject are by Giovanni Leone. They are hard to track down, though. I believe the diagram you reproduce above is also in there.

 

The first of these vans appeared as early as 1926 and the type was in use until the 1970s.

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Hello Jonathan, all.

Thanks for the picture, that give me the possibility to look in some details.

The rods in which the external manual lever are spliced are not long as the width frame? From the above drawing seems that one is long as the frame width, the other is a little shorter. Am I right?

The vacuum cylinder can rock on a pivot to follow the rotation of the brake rod.

 

Have you some other pics of the van or there is a dedicated thread? It is interesting.

 

Thanks

Antonio

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Hi Antonio,

 

I used some components which I had to hand, which are shorter than then van width. As you can't see the end of the V hanger which is behind the lever on the opposite side on photographs, I wasn't too bothered about it =not being close enough to the other solebar.

 

I built the vans some years ago for a layout which is now retired. I'm afraid the pictures have gone from the original build thread after I stopped using Imageshack. This is how they turned out:

 

itrake_zps7994b72b.jpg.

 

The lettering is still available from Precision Labels.

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Hello all.

Jonathan, thank you for the picture: it seems a beautiful set of insulated vans.

Thank you for the indication on the lettering: but I guess that they are in 00 gauge. Since I do H0, I will do by myself, it's not a problem.

Anyway, all these info's will help me on the build of this van, I think in brass e some other details printed in 3D. Something like this prototype:post-27837-0-27612700-1481893461.jpgpost-27837-0-78677400-1481893486.jpg

 

 

BR

 

Antonio

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello all and happy new year.

 

So let's start with the design of the van. Here below a couple of examples of the sprung frame, made with photoetched and 3d parts.

 

I have a question, maybe somebody can help me. Which destinations were reached by these vans? Have you an idea with the detailed good yard name (like London Bishopsgate)?

The question arise because I have to prepare the decal, and I would add one with the final destination, that on the real van was written on the side with a white pencil.

 

Thanks and best regards

Antonio

post-27837-0-68864200-1483632621_thumb.jpg

post-27837-0-98263700-1483632634_thumb.jpg

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Bishopsgate would have been one, but most big cities would have had a 'green market', specialising in fresh produce, or part of a large goods depot dedicated to such traffic. Examples might include Sheffield Darnall, Liverpool Spekeland Road or Glasgow Salkeld Street. Less obvious would be  jam and conserve manufacturers; examples come to mind include Tiptree in Essex, and others near Cambridge, Bristol and Dundee. There were also pet-food manufacturers, such what is now Pedigree at Melton Mowbray; I believe they were the last regular destination for 'Interfrigo' wagons in the UK.

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Thanks for posting that link, Adam; examination of some of the other photos in the gallery show other Interfrigos (including French-registered 'STEF' ones) at Hove as well. I wonder what the traffic was? I believe there was a factory producing/ assembling either scooters or bubble-cars at the near-by Brighton Works, but I can't imagine these vans as having been used for that- apart from anything else, the doors are too small.

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Thanks for posting that link, Adam; examination of some of the other photos in the gallery show other Interfrigos (including French-registered 'STEF' ones) at Hove as well. I wonder what the traffic was? I believe there was a factory producing/ assembling either scooters or bubble-cars at the near-by Brighton Works, but I can't imagine these vans as having been used for that- apart from anything else, the doors are too small.

 

Not a problem, Brian; it's a wonderful collection of pictures. Consulting the OS map of the area it's not immediately obvious. This picture was taken from the platform and the building in the background is the Dubarry perfumery which I suppose might be a plausible recipient of long distance perishable goods in quantity? 

 

Adam

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Hello all.

 

Finally i discovered how to modify the topic title...

Thank you all for the precious informations. I'm drawing the photoetched parts of the roof, the frame and the body. I hope to show something quickly.

 

Regards

Antonio

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