The Leyland Sherpa van was manufactured between 1974 and 1982. Apparently, it was originally designed to be built on the car production line, which meant it had a narrow back, a feature which was to prove useful on narrow roads. It was launched initially as the Leyland Van but in 1975, the name was changed to Leyland Sherpa. The first examples consisted of vans of 1.85, 2.15 and 2.40 tons. In 1978, the 1.7 and 2.0 litre engines replaced the original 1622cc and 1798 cc petrol units and the range was redesignated as 200, 230 and 250.
Our van is classed as the SHERPA 200, which appears on the rear of the model. The Sherpa proved to be very versatile too as its bodyshape lent itself for use as crewbuses and minibuses, as well as various chassis-cab options. Its large load space was also an advantage for small commercial van operators.
For this release, decorated in the corporate yellow and black British Rail colour scheme, it ticks all the above boxes. It is registered CAU 790T from 1978.Exterior trim is finished in black and silver and the interior is moulded black too.
It will fit right into a railway yard of the 1970s-1980s era, joining an ever-increasing fleet of Oxford lineside and light commercial vehicles.