Post Office stowage van
UK rolling stock class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Post Office stowage van is a type of rail vehicle built for use in a travelling post office (TPO). Several of these have passed into preservation as they are very useful for storage on the railways.
| British Rail Post Office stowage van | |
|---|---|
| In service | 1959–2004 |
| Manufacturers | BR Wolverton & York |
| Family name | British Railways Mark 1 |
| Number built | 19 (new), 21 (converted) |
| Fleet numbers | 80400–80439 |
| Operator | British Rail(ways) |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 64 ft 6 in (19.66 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 9+1⁄2 in (3.90 m) |
| Maximum speed | 90–100 mph (145–161 km/h) |
| Weight | 34–35 tonnes (33.5–34.4 long tons; 37.5–38.6 short tons) |
| HVAC | Dual heat (steam and electric), ETH 3 or 4 |
| Bogies | BR2 or B5 |
| Braking systems | Vacuum or Dual (Air & Vacuum) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Preservation
The preserved stowage vehicles are as follows:
| Number | TOPS Code | Built | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80401 | NTA | 1959 Wolverton | Great Central Railway | Originally fitted with collection nets. |
| 80402 | NTA | 1959 Wolverton | Nene Valley Railway | Originally fitted with collection nets. |
| 80411 | NTA | 1966 York | Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway | Rebuilt from BSK 35003. |
| 80413 | NTA | 1966 York | Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway | Rebuilt from BSK 35004. |
| 80417 | NTA | 1968 York | Nene Valley Railway | |
| 80423 | NTA | 1968 York | Buckinghamshire Railway Centre | |
| 80429 | NTA | 1973 York | Colne Valley Railway | |
| 80433 | NTA | 1976 Wolverton | Strathspey Railway | Rebuilt from SK 25150. |
| 80435 | NTA | 1976 Wolverton | Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway | Rebuilt from SK 25117. |
| 80437 | NTA | 1976 Wolverton | Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway | Rebuilt from SK 25068. |
| 80438 | NTA | 1976 Wolverton | Great Central Railway | Rebuilt from SK 25139. |
In addition, 80421 was also purchased for preservation by the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, but was scrapped in July 2008.
Pre-Nationalisation TPO Stowage Vehicles:
| Number | Company | Built | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70268 | LNER | 1931 Dunkinfield | Great Central Railway | Converted from Pigeon Van in 1950.[1] |
| 4958 | Southern | 1939 Ashford | Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway | In use as C&W store.[2] |
