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| British Rail general utility van | |
|---|---|
 BR Mk 1 GUV in original form and standard Rail Blue livery | |
| In service | 1956–present |
| Manufacturer | BR York Wagon Works BR Doncaster Works BR Glasgow Works Pressed Steel Company |
| Family name | British Railways Mark 1 |
| Constructed | 1956–1960 |
| Number built | 907 |
| Capacity | 14 tonnes (13.8 long tons; 15.4 short tons) |
| Operators | British Rail Rail Express Systems Railtrack First Great Western FM Rail Colas Rail |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 57 ft 0 in (17.37 m) |
| Width | 8 ft 6+3⁄4 in (2.61 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m) |
| Maximum speed | 70–100 mph (113–161 km/h), later restricted to 90 mph (145 km/h) |
| Weight | 30 tonnes (29.5 long tons; 33.1 short tons) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
A general utility van (GUV) is a type of rail vehicle built by British Rail primarily for transporting mail and parcels. They were used by both Rail Express Systems and Railtrack. Colas Rail and some train operating companies still use them.
British Rail
Fleet details
| Number range | Previous number range | TOPS code | Primary use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80250-80259 | NPX | Post Office van | Converted from 940xx range | |
| 93078-93984 | 86078-86984 | NJ or NK | Mail van | |
| 94000-94034 | 85500-85534 | NLX | Newspaper van | Converted from 86xxx range |
| 94050-94078 | NMV | Newspaper van | Converted from 93xxx range | |
| 94100-94229 | NKA | Mail van (high-security) | Rebuilt from 93xxx, 951xx and 953xx ranges | |
| 95100-95199 | NOX | Mail van (100 mph) | Converted from 93xxx range | |
| 95350-95374 | NOX | Mail van (100 mph) | Converted from 93xxx range | |
| 95715-95763 | NOA | Mail van (High-security) | Rebuilt from 951xx range | |
| 96100-96195 | NX | Motorail van | Converted from 93xxx range | |
| 96210-96218 | NPA | Motorail van (110 mph) | Converted from 961xx range | |
| 96602-96609 | NVA | Motorail van | Rebuilt from 961xx range in 1999 for use by First Great Western on daylight trains and the Night Riviera to Penzance until 2005, briefly used by FM Rail and later sold to Colas Rail, used as brake force runners on Network Rail trains since 2015[1] |
Livery examples
-
NVA 96603 at Penzance on 29 August 2003. This vehicle is a Motorail van operated by First Great Western on the Night Riviera -
NOA 95758 at Cheltenham Spa on 9 January 2004. This vehicle is a high-security Royal Mail van and is painted in unbranded Rail Express Systems livery.
Preservation
Many GUVs have found new uses on preserved lines in the UK either stored and kept as coaches or converted for uses as different things.
| Number | Location | Image | Type | Livery | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86129 | Great Central Railway (Nottingham) | NLX | lined maroon | |||
| 86565 | Great Central Railway (Nottingham) | NLX | BR Blue | Used as store | ||
| 86696 | Midland Railway – Butterley | NLX | Maroon | Used as store | ||
| 93180 | Midland Railway - Butterley | NJ or NK | BR Blue | Used as store | ||
| 93226 | Mid-Norfolk Railway[2] | NJ or NK | Rail Blue | Static or Stored | ||
| 93380 | Midland Railway - Butterley | NJ or NK | BR Blue | Used as store | ||
| 93381 | Midland Railway - Butterley | NJ or NK | BR Blue | Used as store | ||
| 93701 | Battlefield Line Railway | NJ or NK | Rail Blue | Stored | ||
| 94062 | Northampton and Lamport Railway | NJV | Rail Blue | |||
| 94071 | Northampton and Lamport Railway | NJV | Rail Blue | |||
| 94102 | Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway | NKA | ||||
| 94148 | Helston Railway[3] |  |
NKA | Rail Express Systems (RES) Red | In use as shop and mechanical store | |
| 96100 | Tyseley | Chocolate | 'REG' ('Range-Extending GUV'). Converted for use as a water carrier for mainline steam railtours. (originally 86734). | |||
| 96927 | Plym Valley Railway[citation needed] | Motorail Van | BR Carmine & Cream | Stored | ||
| 96887 | Plym Valley Railway | Motorail Van | RES Red | Stored |
PMV
The Southern Railway used the designation PMV (Parcels and Miscellaneous Van).[4]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Mk1 GUV.
- ^ Network Rail takes on Motorail vans The Railway Magazine issue 1378 January 2016 page 84
- ^ "BR 86226 (93226)". The Railway Heritage Register Carriage Survey Project. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024.
- ^ "Rolling Stock".
- ^ "PMV - Parcels and Miscellaneous Van (British Southern Railway)". Acronymfinder.com. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
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