The railways of Scotland are sparsely represented in OO Gauge, so we are pleased to buck the trend and bring you the first ever item of ready-to-run Caledonian Railway freight stock – the Diagram 67 10T van.
Spanning coast to coast of Scotland, the Caledonian Railway owned lines from Aberdeen to Annan, covering some of the most scenic railways to grace the UK network. This widespread railway not only served the majority of Scotland’s major cities but also a huge amount of industry and commerce throughout its 76-year history.
Routes to the most highly populated areas of the country created a noticeable increase in traffic, and with the company’s goal of providing competitive cross-border trains and excursion traffic to the coast it grew exponentially.
Along with the towns and cities, its access to the numerous ports that were dotted along the Firths of the Clyde and Forth meant there was a steady stream of laden freight wagons, moving into and out of the area, and as the turn of the century approached a need for suitable stock to safely transport explosives arose.
In 1903, the first Diagram.67 van rolled off of the production line with the firms of R.Y. Pickering constructing 150 vehicles, Motherwell Wagon & Rolling Stock Co. 25, and Renshaw another 25. This initial batch was the first of many, and by the time a further batch had been ordered in 1907 the initial design had been revised to replace the original roof door with end ventilators. Shortly after the outbreak of WW1, the Traffic Committee authorised the conversion of several Dia.67 vans to carry Cordite paste, a key component in the creation of artillery shells.
The design proved successful, as two more batches of 150 vans were ordered in 1917. By 1918, over 1300 examples of the vans had been constructed.
Continuing through the grouping railway era and into nationalisation the Dia.67 travelled far and wide across the UK, finding themselves much further afield than their native land. Several even ended up in the hands of some rather interesting privately owned companies, including Britain’s most famous confectioner Cadbury. Numerous Dia.67 Vans have survived into preservation, including at the Scottish Railway Preservation Society museum at Bo’ness.
The Rapido Trains UK OO Gauge Caledonian Railway Dia.67 Van features full external, and underframe details including brass bearings for smooth friction-free running, NEM coupling pockets and a high-quality livery application. Tooling covers two different wheel styles, Morton hand brakes, duel or vacuum fitted brakes, and three different axlebox and spring arrangements.
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