Model railway manufacturer Dapol has released information about its N gauge Blue Spot Fish Vans.

In the past, large quantities of fish were carried quickly and efficiently in railway vans. After the Second World War, GWR prioritised building fish vans over other rolling stock, such as travelling post offices.

It was only recently that the development of fast refrigerated road transport led to rail becoming less popular for this task.

Rail transport of fish boosted port economies. Grimsby became the world’s largest fishing port in part because of its ability to transport large quantities of fish by rail over long distances.

After the government brought the railway industry into public ownership in 1948, British Rail adopted LNER’s design as its standard design for the manufacture of fish vans. With this design, the fish was pre-packed in ice and then transported in a railway wagon that was specially insulated for this purpose.

The Faverdale Wagon Works, near Darlington, built several hundred of these fish vans between 1954 and 1961. When in service, the vans were generally painted all white with the addition of a blue spot – earning them the name ‘blue spot fish vans’. Fast express locomotives usually hauled the vans in rakes of between ten and twenty vans.

Dapol promises that its models will have a highly detailed body with finely moulded rib and chassis. They will also boast accurately applied livery, profiled wheels and NEM pockets.

The company plans to produce the models in a range of liveries:

• 2F-019-009 Blue Spot Fish Van White E879014
• 2F-019-010 Blue Spot Fish Van White E87929
• 2F-019-011 Blue Spot Fish Van Light Blue E87785
• 2F-019-012Ex Blue Spot Fish Van Bauxite E88058
• 2F-019-013Ex Blue Spot Fish Van Express Parcels BR Rail Blue E87142
• 2F-019-014Ex Blue Spot Fish Van Express Parcels BR Rail Blue E87780
• 2F-019-015Ex Blue Spot Fish Van Departmental Yellow W87674

The model vans sell at a recommended retail price of £16.65 each.

Rapido Trains and Bachmann also produce model fish vans.