Cadbury's 346 Goods Van
| Cadbury's 346 Goods Van | |
|---|---|
 Cadbury’s Goods Van 346 | |
| Status | In service |
| Number | 346 |
| Other Numbers | 42897 |
| History | |
| Built | Unknown |
| Type | 4-wheel non-ventilated van |
| TOPS code | VVO |
| 1970 | Arrived on the SVR |
| 1985 | GW 150 main line appearance |
Cadbury's 346 is the body of an all-steel unventilated covered van mounted on an older 4-wheel frame of unknown origin.
Cadbury's internal railway system used ageing wooden bodied rolling stock, such as the four Caledonian Railway diagram 67 vans donated to the SVR. By the 1960s, therefore, a fleet of new steel-bodied 'crumb vans' were constructed utilising old 10ft 6in wagon chassis, such as old tank wagons. As such they were unbraked and were restricted to internal use[1].
Service[edit | edit source]
The van was formerly used at Cadbury’s factory at Moreton, Cheshire.[2]
These photos show similar wagons in use during a visit to Cadbury's Bournville factory by the Industrial Railway Society on 8 May 1976.
Preservation[edit | edit source]
346 arrived on the SVR from Moreton on 17 November 1970, and was for a time painted in a fictitious SVR S&T Department livery numbered 8718. It was repainted into Cadbury's livery in 1982 and renumbered 346.[2]
In 1985, 346 appeared on the main line when it was used in the GW 150 demonstration freight train which ran to Newport behind GWR freight loco 2857.[3]
In June 1990, 346 was one of the wagons in the Demonstration Goods Train for the the "Heavy Freight Weekend" event. A number of the wagons were derailed on trap points at the north end of Bridgnorth station at the end of the event. Damage to 346 was fortunately limited to bent brake gear, and the wagon was returned to service later in the year after this was repaired.[4]
The 2012 photo by Gareth Price below shows the van awaiting overhaul and repainting. This had been completed by March 2015 (main photo above).
346 in 2012 (Gareth Price)
