Van 51

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Van 51
Kim Winter
Designation	was Brake Van - now PW van
Length	10ft 3ins
Body Width	6ft 8ins
Operating	Permanent Way Fleet
Carriages

[edit]Background

As built, this vehicle was Van 1 (the second to carry this number in the preservation era) and under the 1996 renumbering scheme it became Van 51.

The first Van 1 was an ex Quarrymen's Carriage converted to a brake van in pre-preservation days. Details can be found here.
The third was the replica of the first, now numbered Van 7
The fourth is the replica curly roofed van

Built by the Midland Area group of the Ffestiniog Railway Society as a replacement for the then Van 1, and numbered as such, making it the first item of coaching stock built under the new administration. It uses running gear components from old quarryman's carriages. Vacuum braked, it has a handbrake for running in works trains.

It is fitted with vinyl covered seating and was used as the top end vehicle in passenger trains when unbraked bugboxes were used. In this state it is seen in cherry red livery on the rear cover of the 1983 travellers guide. In the mid 1980s it was transferred to the Permanent Way Department and received yellow livery with a grey stripe. In 2000 this was inverted to the correct Howesian corprate style, though with the wrong shades of yellow and grey! It was renumbered from 1 to 51 in the late 1990s, after a replica of the old Van 1 was built. Now regularly used by the S and T Department.

Van 51 badly in need of some TLC whilst in Minffordd Yard during the Forties weekend. You will be pleased to note that it was repainted yellow and grey a few weeks later
*Date 27 April 2006 *Photo: Keith C. Bradbury