British Railways insulated fish van, 1959

Fish Van, Insulfish No.B87905, 12T insulated fish van, British Railways, 1959.

Fish was a highly perishable traffic and where the level of traffic at a port merited it, specialist vehicles were provided to ensure the commodity remained in good condition.

The development of efficient insulation and dry ice during the inter-war years allowed fish to be transported over longer distances and remain fresh for longer periods of time. These vehicles were express passenger rated and vacuum braked, which meant that fish vans could be attached to passenger or parcels trains. On BR examples built in the 1950s, the large blue spot denoted that the van was fitted with roller bearing axles, allowing it to travel reliably at high speeds. Large fishing ports could justify entire (‘block’) trains of fish. The operation had ended by 1968.