Hornby BR (EX-SR) Cattle Wagon - Maunsell
Appearing in 1930, the first Southern Railway designed standard cattle truck was a replacement for earlier wooden framed vehicles built to pre-grouping designs. The design of diagram 1529 departed from this traditional use of timber on cattle wagon underframes, by using an all-steel construction over a 10' 6' wheelbase. Eight shoe vacuum brakes, with Maunsell brake gear and a handbrake between the wheels were new features of the design, otherwise they were essentially a rebuild of the former SECR designed vehicles.
Built to four orders from 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1937, the vehicles were constructed at Ashford, 249 being built in the number range 53629-53878 (except for 53845 which for some odd reason was never built) and 50 being built in 1939 in the range 53879-53928. In 1947, the design was updated under diagram 1530, in order to replace worn out stock. Plywood ends, internally reinforced with metal, replaced the planked end panels, with sheet aluminium being used on the roofs.
With the decline of cattle transportation over the years, by Nationalisation these vehicles represented just 2.6% of freight stock in the region, however they did work right across it from Ashford, all the way to Exeter.
Features:
- Scale: OO
- Period: 1930s-1950s
- Operator: BR
- Split spoked wheels
- Die-cast floor
- Authentic hornby product
- Perfect for railway dioramas or modelling project
- Note: This is not a toy and is intended for modelling use only