BR Dia.1/801 Fish/Parcels Vans from Rapido Trains UK

[Rivercider]

On 04/06/2024 at 18:18, The Stationmaster said:

That sounds very like what had begun as the Paddington Goods - Bristol TM Goods  service which used repainted (in bauxite)former Insulfish Vans to give greater capacity and higher running speeds than the standard Vanfit.  It started running c.1967 and was created in response to an NCL proposal to introduce road trunking between Paddington and Bristol TM.

 

It only lasted a few years. (I doubt until 1974 but can't be sure) and the vehicles then probably moved to other remaining freight services.     But NCL were moving ever increasing volumes of their traffic to road trunking around that time so most freight work for the vans would have vanished fairly quickly and they were then turned over to use on Parcels Trains before finally being re-branded and repainted as SPVs (or turned over to departmental use?).  

I did not move into Bristol TOPS until 1978 but several of the clerks I worked with had been there from the beginning (1974?).

When Bristol TOPS first opened there was still significant traffic out of Temple Meads Goods NCL if only for a brief period. They told me that the low tech solution to get information from the NCL to the TOPS office was a clipboard dangled out of the TOPS office window on a piece of string down to the High Level sidings.

Rail traffic in volume from Temple Meads Goods must have ceased very quickly though, probably within a year or so.

 

cheers  

[JSpencer]

On 04/06/2024 at 15:41, greatcoleswoodhalt said:

A further exclusive release by the Bluebell Railway Goods Division (in partnership with The Wagon Yard): -

https://www.facebook.com/Rail.Goods.Division/posts/pfbid02hmSXUzknEZbwmvq5jEzRbvTRoFtjt5ovofREJtBfDrHxs65GP2iPoZAvpj2ox7yl

https://bluebell-railway-goods-division.square.site/product/-pre-order-rapido-trains-exclusive-br-s-diagram-801-fish-van-oo-gauge/183?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false

 

 

No 87720 is preserved, though the exact identity is uncertain.

 

This is the one I'm really after !!!!

[RapidoCorbs]

Here's a video about this upcoming range. The order books for the fish/parcels/departmental vans will close on 15th July so pre-order now to avoid disappointment :)