Monday, January 31, 2011

BRISTISH RAIL SERVICE VANS OF THE 50’s AND 60’s




British Railways came into being in 1948 as an amalgamation of the four regional companies: Great Western (GWR), Southern (SR), London Midland & Scottish (LMS) and London & North Eastern (LNER). For about three years BR’s road transport fleet remained in the old companies’ liveries with ‘BRITISH RAILWAYS’ painted over the obliterated company names.

As new vehicles were purchased, these were painted in BR’s first standard livery colour of all-over maroon.

BR Southern Region Service Van

This Austin A40 van is in British Railways original all-maroon livery and carries the ‘double-sausages’ logo. This single-colour livery-colour livery was superseded during the 1950s by the so-called ‘blood and custard’ colour sheme of carmine and deep cream which itself was replaced by a ‘stone’ livery.

British Transport Hotels Van

The Morris Minor van in this set represents a light van in service with British Transport Hotels in the 1960s. It is in the all-over ‘stone’ livery that was used by British Rail from 1961, and carries the double-arrow logo—sometimes unkindly called ‘the arrows of indecision’. This logo persisted in use until early 1996.

No comments:

Matchbox Models of Yesteryear Y-18C 1918 Atkinson Steam Lorry

    Matchbox Models of Yesteryear Y-18C 1918 Atkinson Steam Lorry was made in England by Matchbox International in 1986. It is 11 cm long an...