The SECR used its standard 9ft 6in wheelbase steel underframe to produce new covered vans that would set the standard until nationalisation took place in 1948. The Diagram 1426 van was different to previous SECR designs in that it featured an elliptical roof, end ventilators, lift-link brake gear and self-contained buffers. The design was so successful that it became the basis of the standard Southern Railway van during the Big Four era. It was the SR which allocated the diagram number to this design. Nearly 250 Diag. 1426 vans were built, with many of them surviving into BR days in both revenue and Departmental service. One, No. 15750, survived into preservation and can now be seen on the Bluebell Railway.
(Information provided via Rapido Trains UK)
Type of Vehicle |
Covered van |
Builder |
South Eastern & Chatham Railway |
Build Dates |
1918 to 1926 |
Total Built |
250 |
Wheel Configuration |
4-wheel |
Operated By |
South Eastern & Chatham Railway Southern Railway British Railways |
Main Duties |
General goods transport |
In Service Until |
1960s |
Surviving Examples |
1 |