General utility van

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British Rail general utility van
BR Mk1 GUV.jpg
BR Mk 1 GUV in original form and standard Rail Blue livery
In service1956–present
ManufacturerBR York Wagon Works
BR Doncaster Works
BR Glasgow Works
Pressed Steel Company
Family name British Railways Mark 1
Constructed1956–1960
Number built907
Capacity14 tonnes (13.8 long tons; 15.4 short tons)
Operator(s) British Rail
Rail Express Systems
Railtrack
First Great Western
FM Rail
Colas Rail
Specifications
Car length57 ft 0 in (17.37 m)
Width8 ft 6+34 in (2.61 m)
Height12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
Maximum speed70–100 mph (113–161 km/h), later restricted to 90 mph (145 km/h)
Weight30 tonnes (29.5 long tons; 33.1 short tons)
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 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.

Contents

British Rail

Fleet details

Number rangePrevious number rangeTOPS codePrimary useNotes
80250-80259NPXPost Office vanConverted from 940xx range
93078-9398486078-86984NJ or NKMail van
94000-9403485500-85534NLXNewspaper vanConverted from 86xxx range
94050-94078NMVNewspaper vanConverted from 93xxx range
94100-94229NKAMail van (high-security)Rebuilt from 93xxx, 951xx and 953xx ranges
95100-95199NOXMail van (100 mph)Converted from 93xxx range
95350-95374NOXMail van (100 mph)Converted from 93xxx range
95715-95763NOAMail van (High-security)Rebuilt from 951xx range
96100-96195NXMotorail vanConverted from 93xxx range
96210-96218NPAMotorail van (110 mph)Converted from 961xx range
96602-96609NVA Motorail vanRebuilt 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

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.

NumberLocationImageTypeLiveryStatusNotes
86129 Great Central Railway (Nottingham) NLXlined maroon
86565 Great Central Railway (Nottingham) NLXBR BlueUsed as store
86696 Midland Railway – Butterley NLXMaroonUsed as store
93180Midland Railway - ButterleyNJ or NKBR BlueUsed as store
93226 Mid-Norfolk Railway [2] NJ or NKRail BlueStatic or Stored
93380Midland Railway - ButterleyNJ or NKBR BlueUsed as store
93381Midland Railway - ButterleyNJ or NKBR BlueUsed as store
93701 Battlefield Line Railway NJ or NKRail BlueStored
94062 Northampton and Lamport Railway NJVRail Blue
94071Northampton and Lamport RailwayNJVRail Blue
94102 Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway NKA
94148 Helston Railway [3] 94148 BR General Utility Van.jpg NKA Rail Express Systems (RES) Red In use as shop and mechanical store
96100TyseleyChocolate'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
96887Plym Valley RailwayMotorail VanRES RedStored

PMV

The Southern Railway used the designation PMV (Parcels and Miscellaneous Van). [4]

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References

  1. Network Rail takes on Motorail vans The Railway Magazine issue 1378 January 2016 page 84
  2. "BR 86226 (93226)". The Railway Heritage Register Carriage Survey Project.
  3. "Rolling Stock".
  4. "PMV - Parcels and Miscellaneous Van (British Southern Railway)". Acronymfinder.com. Retrieved 30 March 2012.