Milk tankers were developed to enable the safe, efficient, and fast transportation of large quantities of milk from the country to towns and cities. Prior to the introduction of rail transportation, herds of cows were kept in cities to meet inhabitant demand, and this was supplemented by small amounts of milk transported from the country, typically in milk churns. With the advent of rail, the churn was initially still used but transported in larger volumes and more efficiently by slatted goods vans such as siphons. As locomotive design progressed and their haulage capacity increased, milk tankers were developed which carried milk in bulk and bore the liveries of the dairies and producers. The ownership of these tankers was unusual in that it was shared; the tanks themselves were owned by the producers, and the chassis by the rail companies. There were many variants of milk tankers produced, with the Dapol model representing a typical post-war variety of which over 600 were produced.
You can view the full Dapol range on our website through the button below.