TEVAN Goods Van BR(W) White W105820

TEVAN Goods Van BR(W) White W105820

Details:

The Rapido GWR X9 MICA A and V32 TEVAN vans recreate two distinctive types of Great Western Railway covered goods vehicle, developed for the specialist transportation of perishable goods. The X9 MICA A was introduced in 1930 specifically for the transport of meat, while later conversions to Diagram V32 TEVAN saw these unusual vehicles employed for the transportation of cocoa and tea. Available in authentic GWR and BR(W) liveries, these highly distinctive vans make an excellent addition to a Great Western or Western Region model railway and offer the opportunity to recreate some fascinating specialist freight workings.

Features:

• BR No. W105820
• V32 TEVAN
• BR(W) white livery, Empty to Greenford
• Plain roof
• No end handrails
• 3 end steps
• Spoked wheels running in metal bearings
• NEM 362 Coupler Pockets

Historical Background

Introduced in 1930, the GWR's Diagram X9 MICA represented a significant departure from the railway's more conventional covered van designs. With a 17ft 6in underframe and 10ft wheelbase, the X9 was built specifically for transporting meat. The vans were designated MICA A, as they lacked the ventilation associated with other MICA types, and featured an extended version of the X10 MICA body design. Insulated with cork and fitted with small feeder ice tanks at either end of the roof, they were designed to keep their valuable loads fresh. When dry ice became readily available, it could be loaded through roof hatches to provide additional cooling.

The X9 MICA A vans became particularly famous for their use on dedicated meat trains between Birkenhead and London, known simply as “The Meat”. For several years these trains ran almost daily, but the success of the MICA A was relatively short-lived. By 1938, changing transport practices meant that much of the GWR's meat traffic had moved to newer wagon designs or been lost to road haulage. During the Second World War, X9 vans that continued to carry meat were reclassified INSUL-MEAT.

Many of the X9 vans were subsequently converted to Diagram V32 TEVANs, giving them a new role in the transportation of other perishable goods. These vehicles became closely associated with the movement of cocoa and tea, operating between Bristol and Paddington and between Greenford and Bristol. The London-bound overnight service from Bristol became known as “The Cocoa”, serving the Fry's chocolate and cocoa factory at Somerdale. After unloading in London, the vans were taken to Greenford to collect tea from the Lyons warehouses before joining the early-morning Bristol-bound train known as “The High Flyer”.

Both the original X9 MICA A vans and their V32 TEVAN conversions were finished in white, and examples survived into British Railways ownership after Nationalisation. Sadly, none of these distinctive vehicles survived into preservation, making the Rapido models a particularly interesting way to represent this unusual chapter of Great Western specialist freight traffic on a model railway.