Accurascale announced in October 2022 they were to produce the SR built banana vans to diagrams 1478 and 1479. These lovely models have now arrived at retailers and are shown below.
The banana traffic through Southampton docks in the early 1930s had grown rapidly and whilst the SR had the 99 LSWR built banana vans these were not enough and resulted in the SR hiring suitable vans from the North Eastern Railway that also included some ex Great Central and Great Eastern Vehicles (see my post about the GER versions here).
Between August 1935 and February 1936 the therefore SR introduced 200 banana vans to Diagram 1478, numbered 50575-774. These were similar to the previous insulated vans (Diagram 1477), with the Southern ‘Power Brake’ arrangement with eight brake blocks, but had horizontal planking and fitted with steam heating to aid the ripening of the bananas. In December 1937, after the LNER had requested the return of all its vans that were on hire, a further 125 banana vans were ordered.
To enable them to enter service quicker ordinary covered vans in construction were instead built as banana vans to Diagram 1479, numbered 50775-899. These had the same bodyside strapping and roof profile as the ordinary vans to give them a different visual look than the earlier D1478 vans.
The original SR livery of these vans was like the insulated vans of SR Stone body colour with red lettering, solebars were standard SR wagon brown with all ironwork below the solebar in black. A slight difference in that the D1478 vehicles carried large SR lettering until 1936, before the SR switched to small letter branding, which is how the D1479 vehicles entered traffic.
During the war, even though banana traffic ceased, some gained a red oxide / bauxite livery with horizontal green stripes around the corners, and in BR days were bauxite with a yellow spot indicating the van had additional insulation fitted.
Most vans were taken out of traffic by 1968, those vans that remained in service found use in BR Departmental service, mainly being used as Fitted Heads and classified as Tadpole. Additional plating was also added to the top of the ends in later life.
The Accurascale D1478 and D1479 models feature details variations for both early and later (additional end plating etc.) versions of each van , a die cast chassis, brass bearings, three types of wheel (split spoke solid spoke and 3 hole disc), separate handrails, grab handles, door handles, lamp brackets, vacuum pipes, through pipes and full SR ‘Power brake’ gear along with turned metal sprung buffers. Within the supplied accessory bag also supplied are steam pipes screw couplings and coupling pocket extenders.
The photographs of the models speak for themselves with an outstanding level of detail. I will forward date my red oxide / bauxite livery versions slightly by removing the ‘S’ prefix.
It should be noted that in order to include the wealth of underframe details the NEM style coupling pocket is slightly and understandably compromised being a shorter pocket and is set quite forwards resulting in quite a large gap between the wagons when the supplied tension lock coupling are used , as many will be.
I will probably look to modify the couplings somehow to allow a closer coupling distance between the vans to be achieved.
This does mean they are not compatible with the NEM 362 coupling standard, If you wish to fit other NEM 362 couplings they will not fit properly unless the supplied extension piece is used which pushes the coupling out even further past the buffer heads than already seen.
There has been quite a bit of debate regarding the correct shade of the SR insulated and steam heated wagon light stone.
Whilst the colour chosen by Accurascale in my view is closer than some proprietary paint ranges (see comparison with the pinker Precision paints hue left), my SR Stone examples appear when viewed under natural light (rather then my studio lights) to the eye to have a very slight greenish hue, but are close to the SR Buildings No.1 light stone colour.
These wagons only come in triple packs, in some might say excessive sized packaging, in a variety of liveries across their careers in banana traffic and are priced at £84.95 each
- ACC2045 D1478 Original SR Livery Pre-1936 triple pack-1
- ACC2046 D1478 Original SR Livery Pre-1936 triple pack-2
- ACC2047 D1478 SR Livery 1936 to March 1941 triple-pack
- ACC2048 D1478 British Railways 1948-1961 triple-pack
- ACC2049 D1478 British Railways 1961 onwards triple-pack
- ACC2050 D1479 SR Livery 1936 to March 1941 triple-pack-1
- ACC2051 D1479 SR Livery 1936 to March 1941 triple-pack-2
- ACC2052 Mixed D1478/D1479 Transitional British Railways 1948-1950 triple pack
- ACC2053 D1479 British Railways 1948-1961triple-pack
- ACC2054 D1479British Railways 1961 onwards triple-pack
- ACC2055 Tadpole mixed ex D1478-D1479 British Railways departmental triple-pack
- ACC2056 Tadpole ex D1479 British Railways departmental triple-pack
These often asked for prototypes, are excellent reproduced, and a good choice by Accurascale especially as they often ran in their own fully fitted express goods rated block trains or in multiples at the head of Southampton goods trains, and will certainly be welcome on any SR/BRs South Western based model railway, get them while you can.
They certainly are nice models and beautifully packaged. I believe similar vans with different ends were used as meat vans, perhaps these would be possible in the future.
regards
Robert
Most informative review – thank you Graham. 👍
Friend arrived with a compliment of SR Banana vans to run on Ewhurst Green – they are superb and is attracting much interest on Youtube. 🙂
Awaiting the BR(S) versions with eager anticipation! 🧐
Look excellent models. Unfortunately I do not need 3 so will take my chances for when singletons become available.
Really pleased with my set of three too Graham. Hoping they do a set of stone , post 36 ,without the Southampton branding too. The packaging is superb too, no complaints from me.
It’s most unlikely, having been built in 1935-6, that the D1478 vans would have been repainted into post-1936 livery very quickly. I therefore feel the “Pre-1936” description is rather misleading, since they’d have run for a good many years in that earlier livery.
Hi Richard,
The pre and post 1936 term has been consistently used by myself and manufacturers alike to correctly and simply describe the livery style Of course with any livery style change date there will always be overlaps etc., but the descriptions are still correct.
Graham, yes, of course the “Pre-1936” applies to the livery. What I was really thinking about was that it’s misleading to think of “Pre-1936” as applying to the period when the livery was carried by these particular wagons, some built in 1936. I expect these wagons probably wouldn’t have been re-painted into the post-1936 livery until post-war, if at all.
I totally agree, we do however have to use a consistent form for describing the livery itself, hopefully most SR historians and modellers alike understand that liveries on any existing rolling stock would only be repainted over a period of time.
Dear Graham a very useful and informative review as usual. However even Homer nods and I think you meant to say 1968 rather then 1958 for the withdrawal of the vans from banana traffic
I agree, the “Stone” colour looks very good. It’s a perfect match to Colour Sample 12 (SR Stone No.1 for buildings) included with the “Southern Style” SR book. It doesn’t look particularly greenish to me.
Mine have a very sight greenish hue to the colour when viewed under some lighting. What the “Southern Style” SR book does not clarify or state is if the wagon SR Light Stone was actually the same colour / specification as the SR Stone No.1 for buildings?
Oh, indeed. Very hard to know exactly what colour these wagons might have been, but I do feel the pinkish tint is unlikely to have been described as stone!
Agreed!