The Kernow Model Rail Centre have today announced two new model livery releases based on Bachmann models both are now in stock and available for immediate delivery.
The first: for BR Southern Region western section modellers, is a BR Mk1 General Utility Van (GUV) as number S86804 in BR (SR) green livery complete with SURBITON – OKEHAMPTON CAR CARRIER roof-boards. The car carrier train ran between the 18th June 1960 and 12th September 1964 as a way of encouraging holiday traffic to the South West without the hassle of driving all the way there, especially avoiding the then notorious A30! The GUVs had end doors for loading / unloading, and those for car carrying also included hinged flaps to go over the tops of the buffers. They were originally delivered in lined maroon but the Southern Region soon repainted them green as per the Kernow Model Rail Centre release.
The standard formation of this train was eight (initially 7) of these roof board branded GUVs that could contain up to 32 cars (i.e. three or four cars in each GUV and once loaded the cars were held in position by a securing bar across the front and rear wheels of each car) along with usually three passenger coaches either of Bulleid or BR Mk1 origin. Referencing an Ivo Peters photograph taken in 1964, the three coaches at that time comprised of a Bulleid brake second open, Bulleid Kitchen/Restaurant (although for the first year of operation the resturant car was not provided and was an ordinary coach) and a BR MK1 second open.
The summer 1960 timetable showed the Down train leaving Surbiton, the end loading dock being located in the coal yard, at 8.03 am arriving at Okehampton 12.28 pm. The GUVs were shunted off the passenger coaches to the loading dock at the sidings known as the ‘military sidings’ just to the west of Okehampton station. The corresponding Up working left Okehampton at 3.55 pm reaching Surbiton at 8.11 pm. The fare for a driver and car was £20 plus £4 13s for additional adult passengers.
This type of service was one of the forerunners of the ‘Motorail’ branded service that was introduced in 1966 lasting until 1995, initially with GUV’s but later often replaced by ‘Carflats’ and many of the GUVs were reassigned to parcels and newspaper traffic.
The model code number for this release is 39-273Z and is priced at £44.95 each
The second release is a class 47 locomotive D1670 in two tone green livery, named “Mammoth” as she would have run between 1965 and the early 1970’s. Although primarily a Western Region engine she was the locomotive that worked the inaugural ‘Clayfreighter’ service from Burngullow in Cornwall, then over Southern Region metals to Sittingbourne in Kent conveying clay slurry to Bowaters for the production of paper products.
The model code for this Class 47 is 31-650L and is priced at £149.99 for DC version, £169.99 for DCC fitted or £249.99 for a DCC sound fitted version. There is also an limited period additional special offer of the Bachmann Delabole Slate Presflo wagons Triple Pack being available for an additional £49.99, a saving of £30 per pack, provided they are bought and sent at the same time as ‘Mammoth’.
I take it after 1964 they entered general parcel traffic minus the roof boards?
Yes and were used on the subsequent Motorail services but as you say without the roof boards