Models feature
- Accurately moulded body and chassis
- Self-compensating chassis for smooth, trouble-free running
- Sprung metal buffers
- 3 link chain or instanter coupling and sprung coupling hook
- Finely profiled wheels and axles with pin-point bearings
Chilled meat had been moved by Britains railways since the earliest days, allowing fresh meat to be delivered from countryside to towns without driving cattle down the streets or the meat spoiling. Even after the invention of reliable refrigeration chilled meat commanded a higher price at the early morning meat markets. Before WW2 vans used for meat traffic were normally equipped with ice bunkers to maintain the required temperatures, but advances in insulation technology during the 1930s allowed chilled meat to be maintained at a suitably low temperature for long enough to dispense with the ice bunkers. British Railways 'standard' insulated wagons were heavily insulated, reducing load capacity from 12 to 10 tons, still plenty for a full load of pre-chilled meat.
The British Railways insulated vans used the same basic body design as the standard diagram 1/208 plank sided ventilated vans, but fitted with corrugated steel end panels which lacked the ventilator bonnet at the top. Visually the vans are indistinguishable from standard ventilated vans, so British Railways applied a white or later blue livery to the vans to ensure rapid identification during shunting and train running. The vans were also used of other traffic requiring temperature regulation, including beer, and if no special traffic was on offer the vans could also be used as regular box vans for other 'clean' loads.