Oxford Diecast 76CA002

Bedford CA Ice Cream Walls - 1:76 Scale

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

Prototype Eras
Era 5 (1956 to 1966) British Railways Late Crest
Era 6 (1967 to 1972) British Rail Blue (Pre-TOPS)
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)
Era 8 (1983 to 1994) British Rail Sectorisation

Manufacturer description

This CA series feature a one-piece windscreen, but you'll note from the picture that this ice-cream variant has the window split. This was a feature of the MK1 version, but there were many complaints and Vauxhall's windscreen suppliers were asked to make a curved version using the same technology as for the Victors and Crestas. It is generally thought that the MKII front, which was launched in 1959, on which our vehicles are based wouldn't therefore have a split windscreen. This isn't true as many of the coachbuilders who made modified versions often purchased the chassis and added their own body parts, often these kits would come from other suppliers. Hence MKII fronts could often be seen with what looked like MK1 body features. It wasn't until later that CALZ one-piece window sets were supplied. The generator was mounted on a strengthened 'chassis tail' as the normal tail would be to weak to hold it. It sat under the counter at the back, being vented by a small mesh grille seen below the waistband. An all-glassfibre roof reduced the weight of the body, but the overall load was still very heavy. The CA was a very important vehicle to the ice-cream market and there were many different variants produced by the different manufacturers. Some articles report 50 per month being produced, which when you think of the other vehicles available, means 1,000's of vans coming off the production line each year.

Catalogue listing

Oxford Diecast Bedford CA Ice Cream Walls – 1:76 Scale is a model kit produced under the manufacturer part number 76CA002. It represents a vehicle in the British Rail Blue livery from the pre‑TOPS era.

The model incorporates a one‑piece windscreen, although the ice‑cream variant shown displays a split windscreen – a feature originally associated with the Mk I version. Despite many coachbuilders fitting Mk I‑style body parts to Mk II chassis, a genuine Mk II front, introduced in 1959, originally used a curved, single pane windscreen. Later, CALZ supplied one‑piece window sets for such models.

Technical details include a generator mounted on a reinforced chassis tail, positioned beneath the rear counter and vented via a small mesh grille below the waistline. The roof is constructed from glass‑fibre to reduce overall weight, though the vehicle remains relatively heavy. The Bedford CA was a key vehicle for ice‑cream vendors, with some reports indicating production rates of around 50 units per month, equating to several thousand vans produced annually.