This exciting new announcement expends our pre-grouping freight stock with our first OO Gauge Great Central Railway-designed prototype. The GCR 15t 6-Wheeled Brake Van was an immensely well-travelled brake van and perfectly sums up why the LNER has been known as the ‘London & Nearly Everywhere Railway’.
Sometimes designers absolutely nail their brief, and it would be fair to say the design for the Great Central Railway 15t 6-wheeled brake van goes into that category.
Built over a 20-year period by a combination of the Great Central Railways Dukinfield Works and outside contractors, a significant number of these sturdy 6-wheeled vans could be seen across the GCR network from as early as 1903.
The 15t brake vans featured a built-in stove and desk, covered verandas that offered a good line of sight in both directions and a delightful 2-plank hatch-type door on either end. These were fitted so that the guard could easily change tail lamps without leaving his van. Many of the vans were fitted with automatic vacuum brake gear, meaning they could be used on fitted freights such as the express fish traffic from the East Coast.
In 1915 the Great Central Railway provided the Cheshire Lines Committee with 10 of these 15t Brake Vans, furthering the design’s reach to the North West of England and Wales.
Upon the grouping of the railways in 1923 the LNER inherited hundreds of Great Central brake vans, including a significant quantity of this 15t variant. Many would replace the smaller GNR brake vans on East Coast mainline services. This design clearly struck a chord with the LNER as production continued throughout 1923, further bolstering their stock with another 24 vans.
With its accessibility, functionality and comfort, it is no wonder the prototype was built in such numbers and ran for such a prolonged period of time.
The LNER trackage was vast, and it wasn’t long before this brake van was used up and down the network, from Glasgow to Kings Cross. They got everywhere and quickly became a regular feature on long-distance cross-country freight and local trains too.
Many GCR 6-wheelers survived until nationalisation, with BR examples being spotted everywhere from Wick to the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. Variants even made it into the hands of the National Coal Board and were used by BR as ballast brakes and engineering vehicles.
One example of the prototype was saved in 1975 by the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust and currently resides at Kirkby Stephen East. This example was owned by the NCB and is noticeably different to the majority of the other GCR 6-wheelers, as it features vertical planking that is believed to have been installed by the NCB.
This model will be the first Great Central Railway brake van diagram ever to be produced in OO gauge ready-to-run, and our model will feature the usual wealth of detail seen on our previously-released brake vans.
You can look forward to many separately fitted parts including highly detailed brake gear, running boards, vacuum pipes, rails, lamp irons and a chimney.
The van’s interior contains a guard’s desk, stove, sandboxes and lockers, you will also find side lamps in the detail bag adding to the realism and detail of this model. The model is also fitted with metal bearings to facilitate smooth running, which is perfect if you want to recreate those Eastern Region cross-country freight trains.
