Southern Plastic Van

Here are files to produce a Southern Railway Plastic Bodied Luggage van (PMV). The files are drawn full size so scale to suit your modelling needs.

10 of these unusual vans were built in 1944 to a Bulleid design. They utilised a glass reinforced plastic shell on a welded steel frame sitting on a novel skeletal chassis. As a result they were 3 tons lighter than a similar capacity van built in a traditional manner. Using less materials such as timber and steel was vital at this time of the war. The underframe also allowed the body to slide longitudinally with a spring damping arrangement that reduced buffing shocks being transmitted to the less substantial bodywork, Hence the underframe is longer than the body.

As built they had recessed doors and originally had a black fibreglass finish so did not require painting/repainting. They were however repainted in Southern Region green later in their lives. They were numbered 1401-1410 and later in BR days as S1401S -S1410S.

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