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Captain Birdseye


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Does anyone have evidence that Birds Eye livery appeared on the AF series of containers, or Conflat As were used for this traffic - as modelled here?

 

The only ones I am aware of - which includes an article in Transport Age when they were introduced - were AFPs. These were 9ft. 7 7/8 in over fenders so two of them could not be put on a Conflat A which were only 17ft. 6in. over headstocks. (Diagrams on the Barrowmore site). This is why BR had to rebuild B74xxxx series Pipe wagons as Conflat Bs (and also the longer Flat ED).

 

These containers were used to distribute finished product (not to deliver fish to the freezing plant - although Meat was brought into the factories by rail. They were distributed widely. The Transport Age article (Issue no. 18) explains that distribution is arranged with a firm called SPD which, like Birds Eye, were part of Unilever. SPD had 43 cold stores at their depots and BE also used public cold stores. Rail was used for the longer distance distribution from the Birds Eye factories. There were 5 of these - Yarmouth, Grimsby (and an associated plant at Hull), Kirkby (Liverpool) and Eastbourne. I do not know if all of these loaded BR containers.

 

There is also a photo of a container being unloaded at a Tees-side yard in a later Transport Age.

 

Googling Speedy prompt delivery ltd distribution throws up some useful links, and there appears to have been a book published about the company covering the period of the early 60s when these containers were in use. http://www.alibris.co.uk/booksearch?qwork=13279432

 

 

 

Paul Bartlett

Edited by hmrspaul
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Not happy about the price. I can appreciate that prices have increased since I placed the order , however:-

 

1. The advert in Railway Modeller said coming soon- so I kind of gathered they were imminent on placing order. The fact that they've taken so long and therefore subject to prices rises isn't my fault!

 

2.There has been no pre notification of price increase. I appreciate they are within their terms and conditions but really I would have thought a reputable company would have declared a 17% increase ,even if it was just a note in their latest advert in the Mags. If you think about it , on these t and c's, there is nothing to stop them advertising goods then doubling or even tripling the price on delivery. I won't contract with people with such an open ended possibility.

 

I'm going to let this one ride as frankly I can't be bothered with the hassle of sending it back, alerting credit card co etc. But TMC.....NEVER AGAIN. :nono:

Edited by Western Scottish
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I'd assume people could send it back if dissatisfied about the price rise under distance selling regulations though I don't think you'd get the postage for sending it back refunded.

 

As many will have ordered these and forgotten about it quite a while ago i'd imagine quite a few grumpy responses to a request for more money!

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Does anyone have evidence that Birds Eye livery appeared on the AF series of containers, or Conflat As were used for this traffic - as modelled here?

 

Paul Bartlett

 

It is clear that the models are AF containers on Conflat A wagons but it should be noted they are marked as AFP on Conflat B. Some modellers may wish for an accurate depiction of the Birds Eye container train and others may simply wish for colourful and (kind of) interesting addition to their stock. Since these models were announced I have been toying with the idea.

RP

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It is clear that the models are AF containers on Conflat A wagons but it should be noted they are marked as AFP on Conflat B. Some modellers may wish for an accurate depiction of the Birds Eye container train and others may simply wish for colourful and (kind of) interesting addition to their stock. Since these models were announced I have been toying with the idea.

RP

 

I had thought that single AFP could be worked on an ordinary Conflat A, but since looking further at the diagram not only are they longer they are also wider 8ft 3 7/8in over fender and 7ft. 10 1/2 in over body - which is too wide to fit between the baulks of the Conflat A which vary a little between diagrams but are about 7ft 4in to 7 ft. 5in.

 

Pictures of these BE containers in trains or yards (apart from the officials) seem unusually rare. There are many 1960s train photos showing up on the web (some lovely ones on membership Yahoo group sites) and I cannot think of any I have noticed in a train.

 

Paul Bartlett

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  • 6 months later...

If anyone is still looking for the 3 Birds Eye conflat/ container set and going to Warley tomorrow it may be worth a visit to TMC stand as they had several sets there today.I just happened to ask if they planned to do a second run of these and it turned out they had found more stock when getting ready for the show.

At £39.99 not cheap,but they do look nice when running in a complete train.

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  • 2 years later...

...and it looks like the bottom and top colours were silver not grey. (Although it looks like these containers appear to be of different (Fibreglass?) construction from others. [scurries of to check container diagrams]

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/35mm-Slide-BR-British-Railways-Wagon-Birds-Eye-Conflat-B740350-Lowestoft-1963-/371458377657?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=mA0amH1S7lvdf4JjOA5zRED7l04%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

So come on own up. Who paid 80 Squid for it?

 

P

 

Edit:

Made by Mickleover with no diagram Issued.  Hmmmmmm.

and an even further edit.

I should have known...

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/conflatbafp/h69bed35a#h2831fe

Edited by Porcy Mane
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I wonder what the people bemoaning the price of the first release will make of  the price of this one. Wasn't too bad a price after all, was it.

 

Still in shock! Glad I got them when I did now. Won't be taking up this offer

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I see that the Mac Fisheries version is now available from Harburn Hobbies,still on the same conflat as the Birds Eye one.

 

Apologies if this has already been mentioned on another thread.

Interesting, another model from my photos, :O I do dislike it when they are as incorrect as this - the wagon is numbered as an ex Flat ED, rather longer than a Pipe which is the usual donor for a Conflat B. :butcher: http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/conflatbafp/e1bb29b92        http://www.harburnhobbies.co.uk/

 

Mind it is remarkably different in price for much the same model!

 

Paul

Edited by hmrspaul
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I'll be waiting until somebody does a proper one, whatever the price......

 

John

 

Genesis Kits; http://www.genesiskits.co.uk/; did a scale length AFP container, for which I produced Birds Eye transfers; Sheet BL52 at http://www.cctrans.org.uk/products.htm . A call to Genesis may persuade them to produce some more kits.

 

The CONFLAT P can be produced with components from the Parkside PIPE and CONFLAT A kits.

 

I'll post a photo of a completed Birds Eye AFP kit when I return home.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

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Were the Genesis containers pewter, John? Based on my own projects for Grantham, I'd say resin would be a better bet now, if someone could create a decent master.

 

They were indeed - you'd need to make the CONFLAT Ps very free-running - but they wouldn't need weighting !! (That'll be my approach in due course).

 

I think that a certain fellow member with exquisite resin-casting abilities may be the one to approach for something less weighty.

 

Regards,

John.

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I have a feeling he may already have done something in that area, given that I sold on a pack of your transfers to someone else via him only a few months ago.

 

Crikey - my stuff will be traded on the Stock Exchange soon - I hope that there's been no insider dealing !!!

 

Regards,

John.

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What a fabulous slice of history.

 

I've been trying to date it - there's a Vauxhall Cresta PA up by the pedestrian crossing which makes it at least 1957.

 

However, I think the dark (black?) car turning right (towards camera's left) may be an Austin A55 Mk.2 (Farina), which didn't come out until 1959. 

 

There's enough pre-war stuff in evidence to suggest it's not much later than the introduction of the MOT test in 1960 which thinned out such vehicles fairly rapidly. 

 

So, probably 1959/60 but maybe a year or two earlier if I have incorrectly identified the dark car? Anybody got any other thoughts?

 

John

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However, I think the dark (black?) car turning right (towards camera's left) may be an Austin A55 Mk.2 (Farina), which didn't come out until 1959. 

 

There's enough pre-war stuff in evidence to suggest it's not much later than the introduction of the MOT test in 1960 which thinned out such vehicles fairly rapidly. 

 

So, probably 1959/60 but maybe a year or two earlier if I have incorrectly identified the dark car? Anybody got any other thoughts?

 

John

I would say pre 1960, the dark car I think is the older pre Farina Austin A90 the bonnet is too rounded for the Farina and the roof is casting shadows onto the boot making it look like wings of the farina.

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