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Dapol 4F-031-045

6 Wheel Milk Tank Unigate Creameries 70342

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

Prototype Eras
Era 3 (1923 to 1947) The Big Four (LNER, LMS, GWR and SR)
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

Model details

Prototype information

The Dapol 6 Wheel Milk Tank Unigate Creameries model is a detailed OO gauge representation of a milk tanker used by Unigate Creameries. This model is a 6-wheel vehicle, with a length of 94mm, a width of 33mm, and a height of 48mm. It features a highly detailed body moulding and accurately applied Unigate Creameries livery. The model is designed for use on British Railways tracks, with a minimum radius curve requirement of 1.

The model is built to represent the early days of milk transportation, during the period of British Railways' Early Crest. The prototype for this model dates back to the 1930s, when the demand for milk transportation increased and the need for more stable milk tankers became apparent. The original milk tanks had four wheels, but were found to be unstable at speed, leading to the development of the six wheel derivative, which was more suitable for the task.

The model features profiled wheels, separately added ladders and rails, and NEM pockets with self-centring couplings. The model is built by Dapol, a company that has been producing high-quality model railway vehicles for many years. The company has a long history of producing models based on real-life vehicles, and the 6 Wheel Milk Tank Unigate Creameries model is no exception.