Parkside have usefully designed this kit to provide a basic bodyshell on a 9ft wheelbase chassis with a separate moulding for the end vents. While the chassis is the older style used with Parksides' other LMS van kits this will allow a number of variations to be constructed, with varying modifications and in some cases no modification at all!
Out of the box the kit builds a model of one of the second batch of 600 LMS diagram 1660 banana vans with end ventilators and diagonal side bracing. The first 400 diagram 1660 vans were built without the external diagonal side braces, which could be carefully cut away if you want to model one of these vans, though it is suggested that many of this batch vans had these braces added later.
A LMS express meat van fitted with vacuum and steam pipes for service in passenger and parcels trains also matches this diagram complete with end ventilators, while the LMS insulated van design had an identical body but without ventilators.
The following build of LMS banana vans to diagram 2111 had J hanger and long spring suspension and no end ventilators, instead a boxed trunking carried the steam heating pipe up the end of the van. Modelling these will require modification to the chassis which has W irons moulded to the solebar, so changing the springs etc. is not straightforward, however a Slaters can supply parts sprues for the LMS J hanger springs and axleboxes.
British Railways adopted the LMS design for their initial standard banana van, including the 9ft wheelbase chassis and external steam pipe trunking. A photo in Steam Days (sept 18) shows a 1/240 van on the line behind the locomotive subject confirming this diagram was a repeat of the LMS 2111 design with the BR plate W irons and LMS J hanger spring suspension.
In addition to the notes for 2111 above change the W irons to the BR style. These vans probably had the external steam pipe trucking when built, but the photo referred to shows the side only and the yellow spot applied for enhanced insulation so it is likely the steam heating had already been removed.
Despite the lack of a photo for diagram 1/241 these were rated at only 8 tons capacity with smaller axle journals, so are believed to have been otherwise identical to diagram 1/240 and LMS 2111.
The next British Railways diagram, 1/242, saw a change to a 10ft wheelbases chassis. Unfortunately the fixed W iron locations in this kit don't make altering the wheelbase at all easy, so we would suggest using etched W irons, parts from another BR wagon kit with separate W irons parts/mouldings or another underframe kit eg. Slaters 7060A BR 10 ft wheelbase underframe to get the correct wheelbase. As the BR 10ft wheelbase wagons are now available from Dapol as a RTR model at not much greater cost than the kit and zero effort these are probably now the better solution for diagrams 1/242, 1/243 and 1/244.
During the late 1950s it was realised that the steam heating wasn't required, the insulation being sufficient to maintain a suitably constant temperature in rail transit. When overhauled the internal steam heating and any external trunking was removed from many existing vans and the insulation was upgraded. A yellow spot was added at this time to identify the vans with upgraded insulation. Usually a through steam heating pipe was retained, but the non unneeded heating connections may have been removed or omitted from later upgrades.
Diagram 1/243 was built in the extra-insulated configuration from new, being externally identical to 1/242 but without the steam pipe trunking on the ends.
Diagram 1/244 was also very similar to the 1/242 and 1/243 vans however some strengthening of the bracing was added with larger gusset plates at the ends of the diagonal side braces and extra T irons added on the ends outboard of the buffers. While some re-detailing is required the addition of suitable pieces would not be difficult. Note this diagram also had the slotted link version of the Morton brake handle requiring alterations to the position of the brake cross shaft and brake levers to model.
The next BR banana vans were entirely different to this kit being based on the BR standard ventilated van design with corrugated ends and plywood body sides.