Caledonian Railway Dia.67 Van from Rapido

[JShow]

3 hours ago, Fredo said:

Hi,

I am intending to purchase the Cadburys van, did they last in the late 60’s, and does anyone know when Cadburys bought them?

 Thanks Fred

The July 2023 Railway Modeller, vol 74, Number 873, has scale drawings of the vans that replaced them. The article states the new vans were "constructed in the 1960s," so, depending on how much time-bending you can tolerate, you're probably okay.

 

The replacement vans look like they'd be a straightforward scratchbuilding project. The biggest barrier would be that the wheelbase is 10' 6" rather than the more common 10' wheelbase.

 

34 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

Apologies for not reading back through the whole of this - but were the Cadbury vans to be seen out an' about or were they internal users ?

Rapido's artwork shows "for internal use only." The replacement vans were also branded as internal user.

Edited February 25 by JShow

[Wickham Green too]

2 minutes ago, JShow said:

... "for internal use only." ...

Rather what I expected - thanks .......... Rule 1 fodder unless your layout smells of chocolate !

[Garethp8873]

6 hours ago, Fredo said:

Hi,

I am intending to purchase the Cadburys van, did they last in the late 60’s, and does anyone know when Cadburys bought them?

 Thanks Fred

 

This is speculation but looking in the background of one of the photos on the Transport Library website, there are photos of several ex-NER examples and possibly a Caledonian one in the very back but I cannot say for certain if it's Caledonian or not. The date of the photos is around 4/3/61 so if the van in the background is indeed a CR Dia.67, we can say the vans at least had 6 years service with Cadbury prior to them being donated to the fledging Severn Valley Railway in June 1967.

 

I would suggest that like many pre-grouping wagons, the Caledonian Vans that went to Cadbury with withdrawn from possibly BR service in the mid-50s or maybe earlier. There is another photo where a CR Van is in the background but I cannot put my hand on it. All I know is the loco in front which is the No 10 Saddle Tank.

 

Edited February 25 by Garethp8873

[Dungrange]

On 24/02/2024 at 16:08, Fair Oak Junction said:

In the pre-grouping days wagons got everywhere, it's not hard to find ones well out of region in photographs.

 

Although it does depend on the date of the photograph.  In the later part of the pre-grouping period that is certainly true, but a bit less so in the period prior to the Great War.

 

On 24/02/2024 at 16:05, Garethp8873 said:

I know of this photo of one Dia.67 in a goods in LBSCR territory.

 

That photograph is dated 1925, so that's six years after the Railway Clearing House (RCH) Common User agreement for covered goods wagons, so in essence the Southern Railway could use a Caledonian wagon as though it was one of their own.

[JShow]

9 hours ago, Fredo said:

Hi,

I am intending to purchase the Cadburys van, did they last in the late 60’s, and does anyone know when Cadburys bought them?

 Thanks Fred

I've found a photo in Mike Hitches' Bourneville: Steam & Chocolate with a partial view of a Caledonian van. The Cadbury script logo is visable, but the van itself looks a bit scruffy. A different van in the photo shows the logo and appears to be more freshly painted in a dark livery. The photo is from March, 1955.

 

 

[Garethp8873]

51 minutes ago, JShow said:

I've found a photo in Mike Hitches' Bourneville: Steam & Chocolate with a partial view of a Caledonian van. The Cadbury script logo is visable, but the van itself looks a bit scruffy. A different van in the photo shows the logo and appears to be more freshly painted in a dark livery. The photo is from March, 1955.

 

 

 

Thank you, that's the one I was referring to in my post earlier. With that in mind roughly 12 twelve years service the vans gave Cadbury then. Whether they were withdrawn by the LMS or BR is another question.

[Quarryscapes]

On 23/02/2024 at 20:03, SteamingWales said:

Not sure this has been asked yet here. Would these wagons have easily made it onto other railway networks?

 

Thinking through workings onto the Highland Railway (for the Jones Goods to haul) as an example?

 

Yes. If you search Barmouth in the HMRS photo acrchive, then there's a series of lots and lots of foreign wagons all shot on what appears to be the same day there. At least one Caledonian van amongst them.  https://hmrs.org.uk/photographs.html?location=16680

[justin]

Two photos from my Flickr feed of Cadbury's wagons at Bournville, one a CR diagram 67 van

 

 

 

[JShow]

3 hours ago, justin said:

Two photos from my Flickr feed of Cadbury's wagons at Bournville, one a CR diagram 67 van

 

 

 

It's interesting to see the "replacement" internal user vans and the Dia.67 vans in use contemporaneously. Interesting brake gear on No. 265.

[57xx]

The LMS grey livery should really be described as pre 1935, not pre 1936. 😉 Which of the two grey's prior to 1935 did you opt for; 1923-1929 or 1929-1935 ?

[gwrrob]

EP images to be seen in this months newsletter.

 

 

[57xx]

Do I spy improved short couplings?

[gwrrob]

15 minutes ago, 57xx said:

Do I spy improved short couplings?

 

Much neater for those who use them.