Dapol 4F-031-011

6 Wheel Milk Tank Independent Milk Supplies

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI/AI images rather than photographs

Prototype Eras
Era 4 (1948 to 1956) British Railways Early Crest
Era 5 (1956 to 1966) British Railways Late Crest

Manufacturer description

In the nineteenth century, milk was supplied to urban areas mainly by cows kept in urban herds even in the largest metropolitan areas such as London. These cows were kept in cramped, unsanitary conditions and in 1865 a cow plague swept London resulting in the extermination of all urban herds. Express Dairies grew from this moment on and was instrumental in bringing in milk from the country into the towns and cities.

The founder and chairman of Express Dairies, George Barham invented the milk churn which was the principal way of transporting milk until the 1930s at which time the growing demand and the advancement of sheet metal rolling techniques lead to the development of cylindrical bulk handling milk tanks. The first milk tanks had four wheels, but were found to be unstable at speed. However, a six wheel derivative was found to be very suitable and most of the earlier milk tankers were eventually converted.

Catalogue listing

Brand
Dapol
Product Code
4F-031-011
GTIN
5016927004620
RRP
£17.87
Release date
TBA

Model details

Height
48mm
Width
33mm
Finish
Pristine
Livery
Independent Milk Supplies
Minimum radius curve
Radius 1
Coupling
NEM / Tension lock
Gauge
OO
Scale
OO Gauge (1:76 Scale)
Minimum radius
Radius 1
Chassis construction
Lightweight
Coupling mount
NEM pockets
Coupling type
Tension lock
Tooling date
2005

Prototype information

Type of vehicle
Tank Wagon
Builder
Various
(Tanks owned by dairies & chassis by railway companies)
Build dates
1932 to 1948
Wheel configuration
6-wheel
Operated by
Great Western Railway
London Midland & Scottish Railway
London & North Eastern Railway
Southern Railway
British Railways
Main duties
Milk Transport
In service until
1960s/ 1970s
Wheel arrangement
6-wheel
Built
1932 to 1948
Built by
Various (Tanks owned by dairies & chassis by railway companies)

Supplier Links

Dapol website


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The Dapol Independent Milk Supplies 6 Wheel Milk Tanker is a model railway wagon that represents a type of milk tanker used in the UK during the early 20th century. The model measures 94mm in length, 33mm in width, and 48mm in height.

The milk tanker was a vital part of the British milk supply chain, particularly after the 1865 cow plague in London led to the decline of urban dairy farming and the growth of large-scale dairy companies like Express Dairies. The introduction of milk churns, invented by George Barham, was eventually replaced by cylindrical bulk handling milk tanks in the 1930s.

The six wheel milk tanker was a popular type of wagon due to its stability at speed, and many of the earlier four wheel milk tankers were converted to the six wheel design.

The Dapol model features a highly detailed body, profiled wheels, and accurately applied livery, as well as separately added ladders and rails. The wagon has NEM pockets with self-centring couplings, making it suitable for use with most standard OO gauge model railways.

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