Parkside Kits O Gauge PS110 SR Insulated Van 1477
This kit builds a model of the batch of 75 insulated vans built by the Southern Railway in 1931 under diagram 1477. These vans were insulated only, built using the body design of the small batch of refrigerated vans built in 1928, but without the ice bunkers and associated roof hatches.
Insulated vans might be used for chilled meat (mostly imported) and banana traffic, when the fruit did not need to be ripened enroute. The carrying capacity was increased to 11 tons in the early 1940's. Examples lasted in traffic until the mid-1960s.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings.
While the LSWR lost several refrigerated meat vans during WW1 there seemed little hurry to replace them, none being built by the Southern Railway until 1928 when a small batch of ice refrigerated vans appeared to SR diagram 1476.
In 1931 a further 75 very similar vans were built under diagram 1477, these vans being insulated only as the insulation alone had proven sufficient to maintain a consistent temperature inside the van suitable for pre-chilled meat. Meanwhile carbon dioxide 'dry ice' which could be hung in bags from the meat hooks inside the van was being introduced for refrigeration purposes, eliminating the need for ice bunkers and their associated drains to clear the melt water. Externally this larger batch of insulated vans was very similar to the 1928 design, excepting the elimination of the roof hatches. Below the solebar the chassis was fitted with the neatly engineered Southern vacuum and clasp brake system with its' distinctive triangular compensating link, making the vans suitable for running in express goods trains.
Initially painted in the cream coloured 'stone' livery with large red lettering by the Southern this was replaced by the small lettering in the bottom left corner of the side after 1936, again in red. After nationalisation insulated vans were painted white with black lettering, this later being changed to light blue. However it seems unlikely older vans already repainted white then received the blue livery, with most being painted in goods bauxite colour if a late 1950s repaint was done.
The diagram 1476 vans had the 4-shoe RCH type brake system with the Southern's favoured slotted reversing link on one side, The kit can be altered to model one of these vans with the change to RCH push-rod brakes and adapting a brake lever for the slotted link side. A representation of the ice bunker hatches would be needed for 1930s appearance, but it is likely the ice bunkers were removed in later years. Some of these vans were recorded as allocated to butter traffic from Chard to London in SR service and it is believed the last example was withdrawn in 1961.