N Gauge "Salvage" Van

By Pennine Wagons

Back in those dark days of 1939-45 we all had to do our bit for the war effort. One of the GWR's many contributions was to use steel-bodied vans to collect any unwanted goods, or 'salvage' in the jargon of the times, for re-use and recycling. They were often run attached to coaching stock, with passengers encouraged to bring their salvage down to the station and deposit it patriotically in the special van.

The vans were painted up in a striking shade of blue (quite similar to the 'Electric Blue' which British Railways would use twenty years later for their new generation of overhead electric locos), and had 'Salvage' and the stirring slogan 'Save for Victory' lettered prominently on the sides. The GWR wanted to order some more blue paint when supplies ran out, but unfortunately the manufacturer was based in Germany, so further vans had to be painted in the standard chocolate brown.

The model is N Gauge and produced as a special commission from Dapol. You can see more of the wagon at the Pennine Wagons website.