D17b Brake Van Police Blue No.K-9

D17b Brake Van Police Blue No.K-9

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
• This model is best suited to 438mm radius curves
• This model is if fitted with NEM style couplings

Details

The LNWR Dia.17B brake van, first introduced in 1917, was designed as a general-purpose 20-ton brake van, built primarily to replace worn-out stock. A total of 539 vans were constructed, each inheriting the number of its condemned predecessor. Production continued even after the 1921 LNWR-Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway amalgamation, with Earlestown Wagon Works issuing LYR numbers when LNWR numbers were unavailable. By 1924, the design was produced under LMS ownership.

Measuring 18 feet long with a 10-foot wheelbase, the Dia.17B was compact but thoughtfully equipped. Its doored veranda with three large end windows, alongside three large windows at the opposite end, offered guards excellent visibility. Centre windows could open to allow access to lamp brackets without leaving the van, while side ogees (Duckets) and small upper-panel windows further enhanced sightlines. These features earned it the affectionate nickname “Crystal Palace”.

Later modifications by private owners often replaced veranda doors with horizontal iron bars and removed some end windows. Widely deployed across the LNWR network, the vans’ reach expanded under LMS and British Railways, and they were even purchased by private operators including the NCB, RNAD, MSC, Ore Mining Branch, and the Longmoor Military Railway. Several examples survive today in preservation, offering an enduring legacy of this iconic and versatile brake van.