The LNER Encyclopedia

Extreme long shot, but I wonder if anyone knows anything about this (or these):

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/lnerco ... #h21e41073

I was aware of the shot above, on Paul Bartlett's Zenfolio site, and then came across this:

http://transportsofdelight.smugmug.com/ ... g&lb=1&s=A

It has definite similarity in outline to the post-War diagram 195 plywood vans, but I would say it's a little longer. Allowing for the b/w pic being taken from the other side, plus some door alteration on the grounded example, it has to be the same van (or one of the batch, however many there were). I wonder if it was on a specific circuit and maybe appears in any other shots in that locale?

Pure speculation, but with what seems a curiously small door for a large van and what look to me to be quite precisely situated vents, is it something for the Engineers, maybe a generator or other portable machinery?

I could not support Paul's assumption that it is an LNER style van as the angle framing and other details appear to belong to a different company.

More importantly, in the Diesel photograph it's clear that the brake lever V hanger is central on the underframe and the LNER standard was to offset the lever operating rod, with a double hanger arrangement to reverse the action in place of the Morton type used by the other companies.

Second Picture could be opposite side but if not then strengthening bars, middle one wrong way and one of vents seems mmissing

65447 wrote:I could not support Paul's assumption that it is an LNER style van as the angle framing and other details appear to belong to a different company.

More importantly, in the Diesel photograph it's clear that the brake lever V hanger is central on the underframe and the LNER standard was to offset the lever operating rod, with a double hanger arrangement to reverse the action in place of the Morton type used by the other companies.

I see what you're saying Mike, but a) it could have been built 'unfitted Morton' and VB'd later and b ) if, as I think, it's longer than normal, it may have had some sort of bespoke brakegear anyway. The end, as I said above, looks very much like the dia 195 vans, and not LMS-ish, which would be the other likely suspect.