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.

Before we get in to further detail, the elephant in the room is the body colour of the LSWR and SR versions. They have arrived in an incorrect light or milk chocolate brown (almost but not quite in my eyes but still wrong bauxite) when it should for both periods be dark wagon brown (dark chocolate so to speak).
I feel this error is a great shame as the rest of the model is an excellent rendition of the prototype. I would add that the BR unfitted grey livery versions look just fine.

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

As already stated above the detail of these models is excellent with separately applied hand rails and lamp irons, the LSWR version has the side lamps fitted between the verandas and side windows, whilst the later versions has these positions blanked off and lamps irons applied to the end uprights.

Sandboxes are included on the inside of each end, along with corresponding sandpipes and although pretty much impossible to see from the outside the inside of the van is detailed with its planked floor, stove and its stack along with the hand brake wheel and sanding operating lever.
If you want to see the internal detail remove the four cross head screws on the underside then prise the floor unit our of the body using a blade (it is not glued in place) this also gives access to the body inside which will hopefully allow me to remove the glazing at some stage to effect a repaint.

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.