The Ffestiniog Railway Brake Third van has been a mainstay of passenger train formations on the North Wales narrow gauge line since it first entered traffic in 1921 and now, a model of this popular vehicle is available in OO9 Scale for the first time as part of the Bachmann Narrow Gauge range.
Three Curly Roof Vans were built between 1873 and 1876 and whilst two of these were later broken up, one was rebuilt in 1920/1 to include two third class passenger compartments whilst retaining separate guard’s and passenger luggage compartments. The resulting vehicle has been in service with the Ffestiniog Railway ever since and today runs as No. 10 and remains in regular service.
The Bachmann Narrow Gauge model is formed from a finely-detailed, injection-moulded bodyshell featuring intricate panel engraving, along with hinge and door handle detailing and separately fitted metal wire grab handles. The body is mounted onto a diecast metal underframe, with engraved planking on the guard’s platform and rivet detail along the solebar and at either end. Further external features include the prominent handrail provided for the guard along with the vacuum pipe support bracket and vacuum pipes at either end.
Within the guard’s compartment a handbrake wheel is fitted and seating and partitions feature inside the passenger compartments, whilst below the solebar the models run on detailed bogies fitted with metal wheelsets with curved spoke wheels. NEM couplings are mounted to the underframe, into which standard OO9 scale couplings are fitted.
This highly detailed model is brought to life by the livery application which combines a high quality paint finish with crisp, fully legible printed details to create this ready-to-run marvel.
Read more about the Bachmann Narrow Gauge FR Brake Third
MODEL FEATURES:
•Bachmann Narrow Gauge OO9 Scale
•Era 9
•Vehicle is Preserved
•Pristine Crimson & Cream livery
•Running No. 8
•Profiled Metal Wheels with Curved Spokes
•NEM Coupling Pockets
•Length 96mm (over couplings)
FFESTINIOG RAILWAY CURLY ROOF VAN HISTORY
Three bogie luggage vans entered traffic with the Ffestiniog Railway between 1873 and 1876, the bodies for which were built by Brown, Marshall & Co. and these were fitted with bogies and brake gear at the railway’s own Boston Lodge works. Known at the time as ‘Turtle Roof Vans’ owing to their uniquely shaped roofs, but now commonly termed ‘Curly Roof Vans’, each van comprised a guard’s compartment with end platform, a large luggage compartment and a small compartment for dogs. 
Of the three original vans, numbered 1-3, No. 1 was broken up in 1921 and No. 3 suffered the same fate at the dawn of the preservation-era Ffestiniog Railway in 1955. Van No. 2 however was rebuilt in 1920/1, receiving a new body which incorporated two third class passenger compartments in place of the dog compartment. The resulting van retained its guard’s compartment and external platform but had a reduced luggage compartment and was built with a conventional curved roof. Van No. 2 was later renumbered to No. 10 and has subsequently carried both numbers at various points in history – the vehicle remains in service today, currently as No. 10.
With no surviving ‘Curly Roof Van’ to the original design, in 2004 a replica of Van No. 1 was built thanks to the support of a generous sponsor. The replica van sports all the hallmarks of the originals, including the wide handrails with curved side rails fitted to the guard’s platform. The same pattern of handrail was carried by the original vans, although an alternative narrower version with straight side rails is also known to have been fitted to Van No. 3, and possibly others.