BR VEA van livery

Hi,

Does anyone have details about the early bauxite livery originally carried by the BR 12T plywood "VEA" vans? Im specifically interested in why certain vans carried a large letter "S" on the right hand door and also what time period the name VANWIDE was painted on them?

Two are being restored at Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, one being already complete but some slight livery variations sought for the completion of the second!

Cheers,

 

It's many years since I was involved with wagon distribution and control, but I'll try to put events in some sort of order which might help your research.

The "VANWIDES" were the final production batch of 12 ton vanfits built by British Railways in the late 1950's/early 1960's. They had wider sliding doors which were designed for loading and unloading palletised goods. They probably carried the name "VANWIDE" from new, in the same way that fitted 5 plank opens were branded HYFIT. In the early 1970's the vanwides were classified CARKND "VWV" on TOPS to separate them from "VVV" (standard vanfits with hinged doors) of "VNV" (Banana Vans).

From the mid 1960's BR started building longer air braked vans which became CARKND VAB, VBA and VCA.

With the change over to "Speedlink" and the evolution of a separate trains services for MOD, there were certain sidings in MOD bases which could not accept long wheelbase AB vans. About 200 VWV's were refurbished and converted to airbrakes and reclassified VEA and were allocated to pools for MOD use. The conversion programme was completed just in time for the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the 'cold war' level of military activity. Many of the VEA's were quickly sold to the MOD for use as internal user wagons at various bases to replace a motley collection of internal user vans.

I have no idea what the "S" on one of the doors signifies. There were all sorts of semi official markings applied to rolling stock, particularly then they were allocated to pools. or clearly defined services.

Regards, Neil

 

Thanks for that, a very useful and concise history! I'll bear it all in mind as we a nearing the gloss paint stages on our 2nd van so will need to start lettering within a week or two! In that case, I will add the VANWIDE to the L/H door but omit the other, probably unofficial, markings.

Cheers,

 

What are the numbers of the two wagons at Manchester?

thanks

 

B782903 is the one we have done, B783709 is under restoration at the moment.