Now the dust has settled on the announcement of the Hornby 2020 range, we can take a look at one of the ‘New Van’ items announced last January as part of the 2019 range, the LSWR/SR/BR(s) Warner 20 ton goods brake van. 75 of this type of van were built between 1915 and 1921. They were known to staff as ‘New Vans’ a name which they kept well into the 1950’s! They were up-rated to 24T by the Southern Railway and became SR Diagram 1543.
The highly detailed tooling allows for detail variations including buffer shanks, different lamp bracket positions (and actual side lamps on the LSWR version) document holders, welded and riveted guards duckets as well spoked and disc wheels.
Those that have arrived just before Christmas with most most retailers from the 2019 range are as follows:
- R6911 – LSWR 20 Ton Warner ‘New Van’ goods brake van, No. 9646, in LSWR goods brown livery
- R6911A – LSWR 20 Ton Warner ‘New Van’ goods brake van, No. 5359, in LSWR goods brown livery
- R6913 – SR Diagram 1543, 24 Ton Brake Van, No. 55062, in SR Pre 1936 goods brown livery
- R6913A – SR Diagram 1543, 24 Ton Brake Van, No. 55009, in SR Pre 1936 goods brown livery
- R6915 – BR Diagram 1543, 24 Ton Brake Van, No. S55040, in BR unfitted grey livery
- R6915 – BR Diagram 1543, 24 Ton Brake Van, No. S55032, in BR unfitted grey livery
A further three versions have been announced as part of the 2020 range (and yes I have spoken to Hornby about the colour!)
- R6911B LSWR 20t ‘New Van’ Goods Brake Van No.10124 in LSWR livery – available Aug
- R6938 SR Diagram 1543 24t Goods Brake Van No. 55052 in post 1936 (small lettering) SR livery – available Aug
- R6915B BR Diagram 1543 24t Goods Brake Van No. S55063 in BR grey livery – available Aug
So in summary an excellent model with a good range of detail variations let down on this initial batch for the LSWR and SR livery by the wrong brown colour, ironic as they used the correct SR wagon dark brown on the previously released Diagram 1529 and 1530 cattle trucks. The BR(s) unfitted grey version is I state again totally correct.
I will resist the temptation to buy the SR and LSWR versions and repaint. Why should one have to pay £20+ for a wagon and then devote several hours to putting it right? If folks don’t buy the milk chocolate version maybe Hornby will issue them in the proper dark chocolate shade. Certainly I will wait 9 or 10 months to see what happens. Maybe TMC will take their excellent work one stage further!
Great models but I am currently repainting the SR and LSWR ones. The OPC Southern Wagons Pictorial states that the LSWR lamps should be red, the only reference I have seen on this detail. Glad the shade of brown error is receiving publicity as we do not want this perpetuated. Is there any news on the Kernow Vans?
The Kernow vans are still going ahead and are being worked on but I dont have any further information on timescales
Many thanks on the Kernow update. I have painted the Hornby vans with dark brown around the existing numbers and letters so there is a still a very slight caramel colour backing to them. This is surprisingly effective as the high contrast with the white makes the lighter brown “disappear” at normal viewing distance. Not for the purist but its a quick fix at my age.
Thanks Graham, a very helpful overview of the Hornby brake van. Do you know if these were ever used on the S&D? I like the model and I am looking for an excuse to get one!
Regards Mark
Hi Mark
I do not know for certain and dont have any photographic evidence but as there were 75 of the vans constructed I would feel the likely hood of at least one making it on to the S& D (assuming you do not mean the Salsibury and Dorset!)
I was thinking the same! Thanks Graham
Hi Graham, have Hornby made any comment on the colour of the LSWR & SR vans ? Kevin
It’s been noted and passed on apparently
There’s nothing like colour to cause a bit of controversy…. Interestingly I have a Slaters pre painted kit for an LSWR 3 plank wagon which is about the same colour as that Hornby have used. I also have a tin of the old Gloy railway paint for SR Brown (same as LSWR) which is also much lighter than the Precision Paints colour that we are all conditioned to think is correct. I note for 2020 Hornby have an Engineers Dept LSWR wagon yet to be released. Perhaps we should all note that in the OPC book of LSWR wagons (page 7) it notes that the Engineers Dept wagon colour was changed from brown to red oxide. We should also note that some appear quite light in colour in old photos despite the fact colour film was not sensitive to red light, so dark brown would have appeared almost black. I’m not declaring one way or the other, but merely noting it isn’t the open and shut case we might think.
One of the authors of the above book was a personal friend and told me a very interesting story about what we perceive to be SR olive green, but that’s one for another day….
Hi Graham, I too was very disappointed by the colour – made me wonder if I had checked the SR cattle wagons when they came out a while back. However, here is something interesting – I was at the Kendal show yesterday and on one trade stand my eye was drawn to a dark brown brake van… turned out to be a Bachmann Midland van, supposedly in LMS late bauxite… and a strange thought dawned on me – have both Hornby and Bachmann been using the same manufacturer – and the colour instructions became crossed? Because the brown on the LMS van INCLUDING solebars is definitely LSWR/SR brown – and the bauxite [you can’t call it anything else!] on the Hornby LSW vans with BLACK solebars is very definitely LMS livery!!
Definitely not the same manufacturer as Bachmann’s only manufacturing facility is their parent company Kader and certainly not used by Hornby.
You will be pleased to see that Hornby have now produced the R6911B LSWR 20T brake van no 10124 in the correct shade of brown. Surprisingly the earlier models in the incorrect shade have sold very well. In the Swanage Station shop the only remaining ex LSWR wagons are in the correct BR colour of light grey.
It’s a much better rendition but I’m still not convinced it’s dark enough?
Good news. We must obviously ensure we order the later release with the B suffix. My inertia and failure to purchase and repaint in January has obviously payed off😉
Just a quickie, were all 75 Warner vans unfitted for the whole of their lives? If so were any through piped in BR days, or were they regarded as too old for fitted freight?
I am not aware of any of the Warner New Vans being through piped and believe they remained unfitted.
I have finally got round to obtaining the “correct” colour of the LSWR version – R6911B. I am very impressed. Well worth waiting for!