Morris Minor Owners Club

Oxford Diecast have released a 1:148 scale van as part of a new range for British N-gauge model railways. I don't know vans, so I'd like the opinions of the masses on whether it looks much like a Minor van and in what period such vans were about on the roads.

Here it is: Click

Bear in mind it's less than an inch long...

Clearly a Minor Van jim - you should trust your judgement!

it looks rather to me like a 1000 van so late 50s to early 70s

Dan_Harris wrote:Clearly a Minor Van jim - you should trust your judgement!

Heh Thanks. Models of Minors are usually rubbish*, so I wondered if LCV-heads thought this one was any better...

it looks rather to me like a 1000 van so late 50s to early 70s

I thought that, but then I also thought that Post Office vans were red. When were they painted cow-s**t green? Or is it the difference between the Mail vans and the Phones vans?


*I have 1:32 scale 2-door saloon, traveller and van and they have identical "cabs".

The difference was that mr postman had red vans, mr GPO engineer had a green one. In the early years with rubber wings

Dan_Harris wrote:The difference was that mr postman had red vans, mr GPO engineer had a green one. In the early years with rubber wings

If I can justify one of these green ones for a setting in 1957, I'm happy.

The van would be from 1957 to whenever they changed from green to yellow. Examination of the back doors would show whether they had small or large windows which would date it before or after '62. Maybe the last bit is being a little picky.

It looks a bit like it has amber indicator lights on the front. If so I think that would make it later (post 63?).

JimK wrote:
If I can justify one of these green ones for a setting in 1957, I'm happy.

Ahhhh, you are into the dirty BR steam period. I'm a 4mm man myself.. give me a steam period over any modelling period any day. That's three of us now who model loco's on here. Good show young chap!

the thing is, that whilst they are small for us. Jims diminuative stature means it would be just about right for him

mike.perry wrote:Examination of the back doors would show whether they had small or large windows which would date it before or after '62. Maybe the last bit is being a little picky.

This photo shows the rear with some windows that look small to me. It also clearly shows amber indicators, which Alex noted.

I'd prefer an earlier version - I assume the earlier van would have the same clear front sidelights as the saloon of the time, but what did the rear lights look like? Time for a fine file and some paint...

Dean wrote:Ahhhh, you are into the dirty BR steam period. I'm a 4mm man myself.. give me a steam period over any modelling period any day. That's three of us now who model loco's on here.

Mid-to-late 1950s LSWR. Specifically, the Salisbury and Dorset Junction Railway. The great thing about this setting is that practically nothing changed between 1922 and closure in '64 - same locos, stock, buildings and so on. Even the villages it travelled through didn't change much. That way I can run my T9s, M7s and so on in scruffy BR black or nice shiny Southern colours.

The scruffy BR period is partly a practical choice, as there's a dire shortage of Southern coaching stock from pre-1940 or so. There are kits for the later coaches (and I have a 3-coach set on the workbench) but practically nothing for the early stuff. If I can get some turn-of-the-century LSWR coaches then I'll rewind my layout by about 50 years

Dan: shove off, there's a good chap ;-)

The rear photo shows a 1964 onwards van. Identification points are the separate rear indicators, up to '63 PO engineers vans were fitted with roof mounted indicators.
The van has the large rear windows '63 onwards. On the small window version the panel below the window extends upwards and surrounds the window.
The livery changed from green to yellow in the late '60s.
There appears to be a 7 digit registration.
The model should not have hub caps.