Just the brake van for your heritage line layout
HORNBY’S recently released LMS 20T brake van is a versatile model in that it is equally at home on a layout depicting the national network in the days of yore, or a preserved railway.
The prototypes can be found at heritage lines large and small across Britain. Some, such as M732435 at Cambrian Heritage Railways Oswestry have been adapted to carry passengers, with the addition of doors at the entrances to the verandahs to make them safer. Others retain their original metal bars at the balcony entrances, performing in demonstration freight trains and permanent way duties, where their stoves come into their own during cold weather.
No. 730132, the model examined by Heritage Railway, is not believed to have survived – at least it doesn’t appear to be recorded on the Vintage Carriages Trust’s Railway Heritage Register online database.
Available in LMS freight grey as well as LMS and BR bauxite, the vehicles come in a variety of different identities.
Something which immediately stands out is the welcome addition of separately fitted buffers and handrails. While the bar across the verandah entrances is moulded on, some modellers may wish to add them in the closed position using micro-strip.
Another welcome feature is the glazed duckets (guard’s lookouts) and saloon windows.
The paintwork has an excellent finish, with lettering crisply printed – including the numberplates on the solebars.
Other detail touches include the disc wheels and the lines of bolt heads on the body – and on the roof, the stove chimney and rain strips over the verandah entrances.
A separate detail pack is provided, which includes brake hoses, complete with instructions for fitting, if desired.
This is a fine model as stands in ready-to-run form. If desired, it also lends itself to a small degree of customisation to suit a range of skill levels – including perhaps painting the floor of the verandah and the roof a dull colour to remove the slight sheen. In short, this is a ‘must have’ for modellers of heritage lines.