Newly released Oxford Rail NE Banana van review and history

Welcome to another work bench stock review this time featuring the just released Oxford Rail North eastern Banana van. I was delighted when Oxford announced these vans as there had been nothing ready to run for pre 1959 vans before this. We’ll have a good close look soon but now we are seeing a little LNER steam Sentinel with the new banana van. Numbered 632882 the model is of a 1923 built 10 ton van with steam heating to help the bananas ripen in transits. There were at least 100 of these vans built for the NE. Some sources say as many as 325. Used for transporting bananas from Hull to Stratford market in East London and other destinations. In 1931 Elders Fyffes moved its importing depot from Hull to Southampton, this lead to 200 plus vans being hired or loaned to the Southern as they did not have sufficient banana vans at that time, the Southern loaned the LNER normal covered vans in a reciprocal agreement. While on the Southern the vans carried SR markings. The LNER vans were returned to the LNER at the end of 1937 with the Southern building its own vans. Under BR the LNER vans would last until the 1960s and some would come back to Southampton. #modelrailways #modelrailroad #modeltrains