21st August 2001

I just had to do some research on this vehicle as my original notes tell me nothing! First of all, let's start by saying that this is a wooded-bodied 4-wheel van standing in a siding opposite the station, looking rather sorry for itself. Numbered DB975566 and with a TOPS code of QQA that's all I could say. But digging around deeper and thanks to Paul Bartlett's Zenfolio site and the RCTS it seems that this is former Southern Region PMV van no. S1496 built at Wolverton in 1951. Later it would enter Departmental service and become no. DB975566 and as such was withdrawn and preserved at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway in Lancashire. There is seems that the body was removed and scrapped and the chassis then eventually transferred to the Ribble Steam Railway. What has become if it since I cannot say, but we can assume that it is a long way from where I saw it on this day in 2001!