All things Fishy and Meaty

[workev]

I am trying to put together a list of stock for the Aberdeen Meat/Fish and Hull Fish trains in 1956/7. Were these trains made up mainly of the 10T Insulated Vans or the Containers? I have seen some pictures of both but would like to know from a modeellng perspective.

I see that Parkside do the LNER 10T insulated vans (were these painted light blue?), and Bachmann do a version of the BR 10T wagon and the Containers (were the meat/fish products in the light blue boxes?

Any info gratefully received.

Ian

[2002EarlMarischal]

I always thought that the refrigerator vans were white with black solebar, hinges, fittings etc. Tatlow's book "LNER Wagons" seems to confirm this. Having said that, I recall seeing a RTR model van in pale blue.

[Saint Johnstoun]

The Aberdeen Fish trains were a case of everything and anything in the way of vans. I used to go to see the 4.45pm Fish ex Aberdeen away from Perth every night on the way home from school. The train normally incorporated a passenger brake van of some sort in the makeup. It was only by the late 1950s early 1960s that the Blue Spot vans started to make their appearance.
The fish was ice packed, and inevitably by the time that the train reached its destination some of that had melted, but as that same fish would be on the markets in Manchester, Birmingham and London by the morning it didn't matter as it would mostly be sold that day.

The rise of fish processing and road transport in the early 1960s changed things for ever. You then got the Birds Eye containers appearing.

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

As far as I know, the blue wagons were a BR idea. Before that, all the big 4 painted insulated wagons white with black fittings.

Hope this helps.

[jwealleans]

I mainly model earlier so someone else would have to advise about when vans started to be painted white. I'd have thought most of your train would be 12' and 10' WB LNER pattern vans (you can make both from the Parkside kit) and containers. Photographs are your friend... the cover of The 4mm wagon Part 2 shows loading of fish at Aberdeen in the mid 1960s and all the traffic is going into vans. I'd imply from that that there wasn't as much containerised traffic as on other routes - makes sense if it's all going to wholesale markets in London.

Hull traffic I don't know so much about and meat less so. Some of the GW 6 wheel fish vans were used for the Aberdeen fish traffic, but I couldn't tell you when that started.

[ten ten]

Google in HARRISON COMPILATION | YFA
This is a compilation of films made by David Harrison, a Hull fish merchant, featuring St Andrew’s Fish Docks, his family, and some local Hull scenes.

This film of Hull fish dock has clips of the whole business from quayside to despatch in early/mid fifties About five mins in shows ice boxes loaded into a van,and right at the end most of a fish train.(13 mins approx).By the looks of it standard LNER vans- with an interesting double door van near camera .

[jwealleans]

That double doored van is a Great Western diagram S something fish van. They came up on here a few months ago - I think in Scotland. Ian Kirk did a kit for those.

[60129 GUY MANNERING]

In "O" CRT do a kit for one :- B.R.(W). 31’ ‘INSIXFISH’ INSULATED FISH VAN S.13
Lot 1718 (Built 1948 ) Running Nos W3301 -50.

There is also a drawing on their website. Actually a brilliant Company/Gentleman to deal with. I am merely a very satisfied customer with the usual no connections proviso.
Regards.

[JJC]

I think I'm correct in saying that the original BR livery for insulated vehicles and containers was white, the blue being the later livery. When the change was made I don't know, possibly around the time the bauxite colour was changed, which I think was early 60s?

Jeremy