The Great Northern introduced a 19′ covered van in 1906 and vans for perishable traffics were built to the same design, unfortunately all fall just outside of the Basilica time frame in the strictest sense so will not appear here.
However, there were at least two types of 19′ long refrigerated vans in service at the turn of the century; Diagram 113, for which I have seen neither drawing nor photograph and have limited information (8 tons, 10 meat hooks, 4 end posts and two sample numbers 30127 & 430133), and Diagram 116, illustrated below.
These vans had insulated bodywork lined with zinc sheeting and internal ice boxes at each end into which fresh ice was fed though sealed hatches in the roof. The cupboard doors were fitted with India rubber piping to ensure an airtight seal. All were designed for meat traffic and were fitted with 12 meat hooks on traverse bars.
As before, they were fitted with all the trappings of contemporary fast-fitted goods vans, and as well as the vacuum brake, were fitted with the Westinghouse brake (or more likely a through pipe).
© Public Domain
No. 9494 was built in March 1900, and carried the standard livery of refrigerated vans – white with black (some possibly brown oxide) solebars, buffers and running gear. Sources disagree on the colour of the lettering and shading and it also displays the legend, ‘To be returned to Victoria Dock when empty’.
I would be very interested to learn the dates both Diagrams 113 and 116 were introduced, any examples of running numbers beyond those given in Tatlow, and especially drawings of either type.
September 24, 2011 at 4:45 am
Hi Adrian.
Any idea as to how these where filled? Did they have some sort of hopper they pulled up under, or was it sheer graft on the part of the worker to carry it up by bascket?
One thing noticable on the van is that it has no steps at the other end ( as under the buffers this end ) so assum it has no steps, ladder, or landing for the workers use, Therefore does it have an icebox at both ends or just one at the step end?
If at both ends and they where filled by hand this must have put allot of wear and tear on the canvas covered roof.
Did they have just the six roof vents or was it six each side of centre line?
Sorry its all questions and no answers. Still trying to find time to get to kew pro.
Alan.
September 26, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Page 58 of Tatlow shows (4)38380 in LNER livery, taken from the other side of the van.
You can clearly see ladders at each end on the same side rather than located diagonally as later diagrams appeared to be.
Ice boxes were at each end, and filling them would no doubt have caused some aching Grimsby legs, especially as I suspect several would have been run en bloc and would all have needed filling prior to setting out.
This diagram type had five torpedo vents each side.
September 28, 2011 at 7:20 am
Thanks for that Adrian.
It’ll teach me to look at my books properly in future.
I asume the ice would have been imported still at this time?
Alan,
September 28, 2011 at 2:21 pm
To be honest I didn’t notice the ladders until you mentioned them and then I went scurrying back to Tatlow.
I understand that Norwegian ice imports collapsed during the 1890s with the introduction of artificial ice in Britain. The imported stuff was sailed up the Thames and unloaded at Limehouse where it was weighed and distributed, so with this project we’re slap bang in the middle of some big changes to that industry.
September 29, 2011 at 9:21 am
And people say railway inthusiasts are nerds.
Look at all the history we learn from our hobby, things that they are unlikely to ever know.
Great stuff again Adrian. Keep it up. 🙂
November 13, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Here’s to nerds! (Raises empty glass.)
Being from a maritime family, I seem to remember that refrigerator vessels first became practical (as opposed to exceptional) in the 1890s, that being when we first got frozen mutton from New Zealand. That fits in with the dates here.