Cadbury's 346 Goods Van
The body of this all-steel covered van is mounted on an older frame of unknown origin.
Contents
Service
The van was formerly used at Cadbury’s factory at Moreton, Cheshire.[1]
These photos show similar wagons in use during a visit to Cadbury's Bournville factory by the Industrial Railway Society on 8th May 1976.
Preservation
346 arrived on the SVRSevern Valley Railway from Moreton in the early 1970s, and was for a time painted in a fictitious SVRSevern Valley Railway S&TSignals & Telegraph Department livery numbered 8718. It was repainted into Cadbury's livery in 1982 and renumbered 346.[1]
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.[2]
The 2012 photo by Gareth Price below shows the van awaiting overhaul and repainting. This had been completed by March 2015 (main photo above).