10 ton van 'Iron Mink' GWR Profile and Models

10 ton van 'Iron Mink' GWR

11152 at Didcot Railway Centre in November 2008. ©Hugh Llewelyn

The Diagram V6 'Iron Mink' is one of the GWR's most recognisable designs. These vehicles were built to a design using a metal underframe, body and roof and totalled some 4,000. They were built between 1886 and 1901 and could be found all over the UK railway network, with some examples recorded as far North as Inverness. Their metal construction meant they made ideal gunpowder vans during wartime and some served as such during World War 1 and 2. Withdrawals began in the 1930s and continued through to the Mid-1960s. Four have been preserved.

(Information provided via Rapido Trains UK)

Type of Vehicle

Goods Van

Builder

GWR

Build Dates

1886 to 1901

Total Built

4,000

Wheel Configuration

4-wheel

Operated By

Great Western Railway
British Railways
Private/ Industrial railways

Main Duties

Goods transport

In Service Until

1960s

Surviving Examples

4