British Railways built large numbers of shock-absorbing vans and open wagons in the early 1950s to its own designs, some remained in revenue use to the end of the 1970s. Certain fragile goods such as ceramics, bottles, and biscuits were susceptible to damage during shunting. The wagon body was connected to the chassis by means of springs on the outside of the solebars, thus absorbing more of the ‘shock’ of rough shunting than just the buffers. The distinctive white stripes on the sides and ends were to indicate to shunters that the wagons were shock-absorbing, presumably so that they were handled with greater care. BR used both plywood and planking for the van sides, so both these types are catered for with alternative sides to make either one or the other. Shown are both Van variants and the Open (models and picture by Richard Bardsley).
The decals sheet includes markings for the early unboxed and later boxed styles, enough for at least 3 kits.
