RMweb Premium M.I.B Posted January 20, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 20, 2013 Apologies for not being able to research further but I am stuck with what the Web throws up. The GW Bullion vans (I now presume there were two: 819 and 820) had what seems to be a long life well into BR days. Where were they based? What sort of work did do ( apart from the obvious)? And where would you expect to find it in a train? What sort of protection did it have - any accompanying staff or Policemen in an adjacent vehicle? Many thanks from afar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium M.I.B Posted January 20, 2013 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 20, 2013 Thank you. I believe there is a copy of Vol 1 and 2 at MIB Snr's house down in Devon so I am loathed to buy another copy - I can't have that sort of book out here - the conditions kill books out here, plus I can now only get post from Amazon.com via the US Forces Postal service - a lengthy route. All down to a few scammers abusing the British Forces Postal system. I base my ponderings on the potential purchase of the Frogmore kit, and whether it would fit in. I now believe it would: at the head of the Paddington Bristol or Plymouth express, behind the engine and in front of the brake- suitably filled with a few lairy coppers with Webleys at the ready. I shall order, and this will be somethong to look forward to on my next trip home in 5 months time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 20, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 20, 2013 We have I think been here before on a past version of RMweb. There were still GW bullion vans (telegraphic code - not in the book - was noilvan) in traffic in 1965 and they required a bit of care as they only had doors on one side. At that time there was a fairly regular flow of gold bullion between Avonmouth and the Bank of England but I think the vans might have been loaded at Temple Meads and they definitely had no sort of 'heavy' escort - just a couple of Bank employees on the train. Always marshalled immediately behind the engine on Up trains to Paddington and probably similarly on other trains. They didn't need much of an escort in any case as you'd be hard put to get into one without explosive assistance and keys were never on the same train as the vans - they were sent separately as a 'Value' package. Each van had two sets of keys one of which was kept more or less permanently at Paddington, the other set was sent to the loading/unloading station and returned after use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyA Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I believe I photographed one at Paddington in about 1962. If an old b&w photo is any help, let me know and I will see what I can find. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stuartp Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 There are two photos of W819W in Railways in Profile No.6 "BR Non-Passenger Rolling Stock" by G Gamble (Cheona, 1998). They were taken at Leamington Spa in 1964 and it appears to have been tacked onto the back of a normal service train. There is a Mk1 BSK immediately ahead of it and at least one other coach, possibly two in front of that (lost in the gloom under the canopy). The caption doesn't say what service it is, it could have been on its way back empty of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Yes they had long lives, one of my earliest 35mm photos http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrnpccs/e2a704729 Paul Bartlett Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium M.I.B Posted January 21, 2013 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thank you all for your inputs. I love all of the different windows in that Royal Oak Bullion Van shot Paul. Thanks. I guess it would have been an interesting task planning the use of a vehicle with doors only on one side. I did notice that they were single sided, but never stopped to think about planning their use. So here goes: If they ran mainly East/West/East, Were the doors on the North or the South Side?????????????????? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Michael Baker's "Steam On The Western: The Final Decades" has a nice shot of the CRE in 1949 with a Bullion van just behind the loco. I am not familiar enough with these vehicles to identify the diagram though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 21, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thank you all for your inputs. I love all of the different windows in that Royal Oak Bullion Van shot Paul. Thanks. I guess it would have been an interesting task planning the use of a vehicle with doors only on one side. I did notice that they were single sided, but never stopped to think about planning their use. So here goes: If they ran mainly East/West/East, Were the doors on the North or the South Side?????????????????? That was the first question you asked when planning anything to do with them! There was a list at Paddington of which were which way round but they sometimes got turned so it paid to check as well (there was allegedly an incidence of one arriving, loaded, at Paddington with the doors on the wrong side and this was always quoted at strappers doing stuff for the 'Saloon List' - which also included the daily platform alterations - as a big hint to check first! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted January 21, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 21, 2013 The Bullion Van would appear regularly at Birmingham Snow Hill on a train from Paddington arriving just after 2pm. The train spotters could always tell it was coming by the policeman riding shotgun on the station pilot. It used to be detached and shunted into the dock at the south end of platform 12 for the containers of bank notes to be unloaded into waiting road vans. That must have been a bit grim as the loco had to stay coupled in what was effectively part of the tunnel. Alledgedly there was at one time a tunnel from the station to the old Bank of England vault in Colmore Row but I can't confirm this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Yes they had long lives, one of my earliest 35mm photos http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrnpccs/e2a704729 Nice pic. Can you recall if the livery was Maroon or Blue by this point? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium M.I.B Posted January 22, 2013 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 22, 2013 I believe I photographed one at Paddington in about 1962. If an old b&w photo is any help, let me know and I will see what I can find. Tony Love to see that posted if you can please Tony. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Nice pic. Can you recall if the livery was Maroon or Blue by this point? Thank you for the comment, but you appear to have missed the smiley off I thought I had rescanned this at high res. I'll repost it on the site at some time, if I can find the original. Paul Bartlett Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve fay Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Pulling this thread up to date I notice the picture on Paul's web site is Ranelagh Bridge. Is there a 7mm kit available for it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted November 19, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2013 Is there a 7mm kit available for it? There was a M17 diagram kit sold on ebay recently but not sure who's kit it was/is Steve. Found it.Its a Perserverance kit. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bullion-Van-M17-kit-/350921129121?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item51b4877ca1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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