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12 ton vent vans


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Hi guys

 

I originally started this in preparation for a video for my YouTube channel www.youtube.com/c/MikesMovies but like many things it took on a life of it's own!

 

I spotted these sad looking vent vans around my location in West Sussex UK.

Lot's of farms have them but this one has 7!

Talking to the son who now wants to sell six of them, his father acquired them in the 60's.

 

What I am trying to find out is how and exactly when and also what they did in their railway career.

One has some clear markings, all seem to have 'XP' on them

P1040371_zpsxjpnreoq.jpg

 

Here is a link to my photobucket site where you can view them.

 

 

http://s86.photobucket.com/user/mikesndbs/library/Lost%20box%20vans

 

If anyone can fill in the many blanks that would be great, if anyone wants to buy some of them, I can put you in touch.

 

 

 

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The van shown is from lot 2422 to diagram 1/213 - ie plywood sided standard BR 12T box van , built Faverdale (nr Shildon) 1952, B765481 - 766400 (And it's a plywood 12 T van - if it was a planked van we'd be starting to question the records...)

 

Full listing of running number numbers against diagram and lot number is given in the back of Rowlands, British Railways Wagons - The first half million

 

XP marking indicated it was fitted with continuous brakes and 10' wheelbase and passed to run in passenger/parcels trains

 

The other vehicles seem to be standard BR 12T vans, planked and plywood - except for one which is the ex SR type (identifiable by the different and distinctive roof profile and the wooden planked ends)

 

They would have been bought off BR at withdrawal - the railway and railway goods traffic was contracting fast in the Beeching era

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Thanks very much for the info! Amazing how they have survived all this time, don't build them like they used to :)

 

Is it possible to tell where this van was used?

They'd be 'Common User', so would be seen anywhere on BR. One reason they may have survived so well is that they were built from decent timber, rather than ply; the ply would have probably de-laminated over the years. I'm not sure how well they'd react to moving, though; the solebars and headstocks underneath, made of mild steel, have probably rusted, as they'd have been very difficult, if not impossible, to repaint in situ.

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