This is the standard Southern Railway goods van with a 10 foot wheelbase and distinctive elliptical roof. About 1000 fitted vans were built 1936-38 with even planked sides, then 1936-42 another 1800 with uneven planked sides. Between 1942-4 the SR built unfitted vans with uneven planked sides on behalf of three companies: SR 1300, GWR 650, and LMS 400. Most were fitted after the war. From 1945-49 ply sides were used with 1,800 fitted vans built by SR/BR. Sufficient parts are included in each kit to allow the construction of two of three different variants: equal width planking on both ends and sides; unequal width planking on both ends and sides; and plywood sides and ends. This kit is produced in plastic and assembly is straightforward. Minor modification is required to the chassis before fitting to respective bodies, but this should be well within the average modeller’s capabilities. The kit could easily be adapted to represent over 2000 vans built between 1927 and 1935 with the same even planked body but a 9 foot chassis.
The decals sheet contains enough decals for four or more vans in each of SR, early BR, and later (boxed) BR liveries. A few numbers are included for vans built by the SR for the LMS and GWR during WW2.
