Diagram 17B Covered Van LNER Grey (Pre 1936) 537974

Diagram 17B Covered Van LNER Grey (Pre 1936) 537974

Model

1:76 Scale model produced by Rapido Trains. This model is ready-to-run and will make a great addition to any model railway collection.

Model Features

• 1:76 Scale Model
• GCR Dia. 17B Covered Van
• LNER Grey (pre-’36) No. 537974
• GCR Axleboxes
• GCR Doors
• GCR Lifting link brakes
• Split-spoke wheels running in metal bearings
• High level of detail above and below the floor line
• High quality livery application
• UK designed
• This model is if fitted with Yes style couplings

Details

In 1910, the Great Central Railway (GCR) introduced a new design for its covered vans, all measuring 19 ft long with a steel underframe and sliding doors on either side. The main distinction between variants was the type of brakes fitted, with the unfitted version assigned Diagram 17B. Developed as an all-purpose vehicle, the Dia. 17B was widely used across the GCR network and beyond, though the absence of roof or end vents limited its suitability for perishables.

As co-owners of the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) with the Midland and Great Northern Railways, the GCR contributed designs to the joint fleet, reusing the Dia. 17B for the CLC. Two hundred and seventy vans were built by the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon & Finance Co Ltd at Oldbury, initially without external end-stanchions, which were later added to match GCR standards.

Unlike most railways, the CLC retained its own stock into the late 1920s. In 1929, its fleet was divided: one third to the LMS and two thirds to the LNER, creating the unusual situation of a single diagram split between companies. The LNER designated their share Diagram 43B. Several vans survived nationalisation, though the only preserved example had been extensively modified into a windowed mess van by British Rail.