GWR Fruit D

One of the GWR's main parcels traffic was market garden produce from various locations. The van provided for this traffic had additional ventilation slats in the sides to allow cool air to circulate. The last type of 'Fruit' vehicle to be built by the Great Western was the Fruit D alias diagram Y11. These vans had a long 18ft wheelbase and three double doors on each side. They were fitted with gas lighting and had many uses apart from the carriage of fruit, being also used for express parcels traffic. Although later seen on freight trains, these vans were proper 'brown' vehicles and registered on the carriage list. Lot 1649 numbers 2867-2916 (50) were built between 1939 and 1941 with Morton brakes and were only rated 10 tons. The three doors each side had steps to allow the loaders to climb in and out with ease.

They were not used all the year round on seasonal fruit traffic and, at other times, were used as ordinary parcels vans. They never carried the logical code of PMV being renamed during the second world war "Pasfruit".

BR under GWR passenger lots 1755 in 1951 and 1765 in 1952, confusingly given vacant numbers in the GWR range 2265-2400 as follows 2265/90/2/5/8/9, 2302/5/6/8/10/6/21/3/6-33/5/6/42/7/9/58/66/7/9/71/3/8/88/91, 2400 and two others.

Two lots of the Great Western design were built at Swindon in 1958. With 28ft 6in wooden body and roof and a four wheel 18ft 0in wheelbase, these owed nothing to current passenger stock design. One hundred and fifteen were built, all vacuum braked with through steam pipes, but they had a fairly short life in revenue earning capacity being withdrawn at the same time as the last of the GW number series vehicles (though they had been built 1955-6). The were popular departmental vehicles and many survived several more years. Coaching stock maroon was carried when built with yellow lettering (often with 'passenger' in a lined rectangle). Latterly the survivors were in plain blue. It would seem that two more lots (30403 and 30433) were planned but not built; superseded but the 'standard' CCT.

Lot 1649 W2867-2916 (50) Dia. Y11 Completed 1941
Lot. 1723
Lot 1755 W(!) Dia. Y14 Completed 1951
Lot 1765 W(!) Dia. Y? Completed 1952
Lot 1771
Lot 30345 Vehicles 92000-64 Dia. 805 Completed 6/58
Lot 30583 Vehicles 92065-114 Dia. 805 Completed 3/59

Preservation

2876	Y11	1649	1939	Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway		vct	VCT
2887			1939	Gwili Railway		vct
2902			1940	Dean Forest Railway		vct	VCT
2910			1941	West Somerset Railway		vct
2913			1941	Swanage Railway		vct	VCT
2336	Y14	1765	1952	Titley Junction		vct	VCT
2342				Tyseley		vct	VCT
2391				East Somerset Railway		vct	VCT
3403		1723	1955	Gwili Railway		vct	VCT
3411				Dean Forest Railway		vct	VCT
3429				Severn Valley Railway	Flickr	vct	VCT
3436				Cholsey & Wallingford		vct	VCT
3450		1771		Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust - Washford		vct	VCT
3461		1780		Tysley		vct	VCT
3462				Swindon & Cricklade Railway		vct	VCT
3465				Epping & Ongar Railway		vct	VCT
3467				Severn Valley Railway		vct	VCT
92004	805	30345	1958	Gwilli Railway		vct
92035				South Devon Railway	Web	vct	VCT
92061				Crewe Heritage Centre		vct
92067		30583		South Devon Railway (Flickr) No?	Web	vct
92069				East Somerset Railway	Web	vct	VCT
92076				Tyseley		vct	VCT
92080				Severn Valley Railway		vct
92090				Severn Valley Railway		vct	VCT
92091				East Somerset Railway		vct	VCT
92096				Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway		vct	VCT
92097				North Norfolk Railway		vct	VCT

Photographs
		Branded 'Return To Old Oak Common' No.2881 was one of a batch built under Lot 1649. © Unknown A Pictorial Record of Great West Coaches Including The Brown Vehicles Part 2 (1903-1948)
		Diagram Y11 No. 2885 in 1941 condition. © Unknown A Pictorial Record of Great West Coaches Including The Brown Vehicles Part 2 (1903-1948)
		W2321W BR build from 1951 seen at Peterborough in 1963 sporting rail blue livery with white lettering. © Unknown BR General Parcels Rolling Stock On British Railways
		W92012W incorrectly has a W suffix observed in 1969 at Wisbech in rail blue livery with white lettering in unusual positions. © Unknown BR General Parcels Rolling Stock On British Railways

References

	BR General Parcels Rolling Stock On British Railways David Larkin Bradford Barton 978-0-85153-320-9

	British Railway Non-Passenger Rolling Stock (Railways In Profile Series No. 6) Geoff Gamble Cheona Publications 978-1-90029-806-3

	British Railways Mark 1 Coaches Keith Parkin Historical Model Railway Society 978-0-90283-522-1

	British Railways Mark 1 Coaches - Supplement Keith Parkin Historical Model Railway Society 978-0-90283-518-4

	A Pictorial Record Of Great Western Coaches Including The Brown Vehicles Part 2 (1903-1948) J.H. Russell Oxford Publishing Company 978-0-902888-04-3

	Great Western Coach Appendix Volume Two Specific Duty Coaches And The Brown Vehicles J.H. Russell Oxford Publishing Co. 978-0-86093-154-6

	Great Western Wagons Plan Book J.H. Russell Oxford Publishing Co. 978-0-902888-67-8

	GWR Goods Wagons A.G. Atkins; W. Beard; R. Tourret Tourret Publishing 978-0-905878-07-2

GWR Fruit D

Preservation

Links