BR 80328 Post Office Sorting Van
| BR 80328 Post Office Sorting Van | |
|---|---|
 BR Post Office Sorting Van 80328 | |
| Built By | BR York |
| Status | In service |
| Number | M80328 |
| Livery | BR Maroon |
| History | |
| Built | 1968 |
| Diagram | 728 |
| Lot | 30779 |
| Type | POS |
| TOPS code | NSA |
| Seats | None |
| 2000 | Arrived on SVR |
M80328 is a BR Mark 1 Post Office Sorting Van (POS). BR built a total of 96 sorting vans between 1959 and 1977, numbered in the range 80300-80395, of which three are resident on the SVR.
The first 19 examples were all built at Wolverton, including the prototype 80300 which is on display in The Engine House. These featured large windows.[note 1] After the Great Train Robbery in 1963, the remaining examples (all built at York) including M80328 were built to a revised design incorporating smaller windows.[1]
The first 19 examples were also vacuum braked. Following the introduction of TOPS in the late 1960s, BR carriages of this class were allocated the three-letter code NSV, denoting
- N: Non-passenger carrying stock
- S: Post Office sorting van
- V: Vacuum braked (after being retro-fitted with additional air brakes, this became X)
Later examples including M80328 were built with air braking only and were accordingly allocated the three-letter code NSA.
Withdrawal of the Mark 1 POS stock began in the late 1960s.
80328 in service and preservation[edit | edit source]
Post Office Sorting Van 80328 and consecutively-numbered sister coach M80329 were both built at York in 1968 as one of a batch of 11 to Diagram 728, Lot 30779.[2] As built, both were equipped with catching nets and collection arms to allow mail bags to be exchanged at speed,[3] a practice which continued until 1971,[4] with the equipment being removed shortly afterwards.[5]
Both were allocated to the London Midland region from entry into service in November 1968,[2] at which time they carried BR's blue and grey livery.[5] They remained in that region throughout their working life which ended in June 1999.[2] After being declared surplus to the requirements of EWS, they were taken to Old Oak Common in London to be broken up by contractors.[3]
80328 and 80329 were both acquired from Old Oak Common by SVR(H) in spring 2000. Both were intended for use on Santa duties at Arley, taking the place of a 'Snake' and 'Siphon' which required a major overhaul.[6] Restoration of 80238 began at Kidderminster carriage works in September 2000. One of the challenges was to convert the doors so that they could be easily opened to allow access to the annual large numbers of visitors to the grotto (following the Great Train Robbery, BR and the Post Office had of course made great efforts to make access to the vehicles difficult). Much of the internal refit was carried out contractor carpenters and electricians. The coach was also repainted in BR maroon with appropriate lining, and lettered 'Royal Mail' with the insignia of Elizabeth the Second and coat of Arms of the Royal Mail, as used during the "red era".[note 2] Work was sufficiently advanced for the coach to be used as 'Santa's new Grottoland changing room' in winter 2000; after the SVR's own electricians had swapped the system used for crowd control from the redundant Snake C it was fully utilised in its new Grotto role at Christmas 2001.[5]
It served as Santa's Grotto at Arley during December until Christmas 2018. In mid-2019 both 80328 and 80329 were 'tagged' with graffiti by vandals, although both were restored to pristine condition by the carriage cleaners within a couple of days.[7] However, by that time the decision had been taken by the 'Santa Committee' to introduce alternative Christmas services arrangements from 2019, hosting Santa on the train rather than in a dedicated grotto.[8]
80328 is in Post Office Maroon livery, and is normally stored at Kidderminster when not in use. A traffic notice in November 2024 included 80328 in the 'Enchanted Express' consist to carry large items, noting it was 'through piped' only with no working vacuum brake.
It is owned by SVR(H).
Model[edit | edit source]
Hornby produced an OO Gauge BR Travelling Post Office model between 1998 and 1993 (Ref No R.416) including M80328 in blue/grey livery[9].
See also[edit | edit source]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Windows were only provided on one side of the coach, as the other side had the mail sorting racks on the interior.
- ↑ Hugh McQuade's report on the repainting of M80328 noted that up to 1968, the insignia carried the Queen's crown while the Royal Mail coat of Arms still included her father's crown. Presumably BR and the Post Office had either not noticed this anachronism after 1953 or were not bothered by it.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Longworth (2013) p.184.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 SVR News 133, p20, Coaching Stock Developments, Hugh McQuade
- ↑ Wikipedia
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 SVR News 135, pp50-54, Kidderminster Carriage Notes, Hugh McQuade
- ↑ SVR News 132, p9, Boardroom Notes
- ↑ SVR News 207, p42, Carriage Notes, Hugh McQuade
- ↑ SVR News 207, p9, Santa 2019 - All Change!, The Santa Committee
- ↑ Hornby Ralways Collector Guide (Retrieved 22 October 2024)
Links[edit | edit source]
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