Our first foray onto Great Western metals brings you the region’s answer to the ‘larger, longer, faster’ craving of the inter-war years – done the Clark Railworks way. 

A Touch of History

The GWR’s huge fleet of dinky 4-wheel vans was useful for pick-up goods and small consignments bound for the furthest tendrils of the network. But as the 1930s dawned, the railway increasingly needed to transport heavier, time-sensitive loads between its main hubs.

100 ‘Mink G’ vans were built at Swindon during 1930/31 and at 30ft long with a capacity of 20 tons were the largest 4-wheel goods vans ever constructed*. Mink Gs could carry almost twice the cargo of a standard box van and because they were vacuum-braked could do it at speed in the formations of express goods trains.

The vans’ roofs and bodysides were made from planked wood, with the former topped off by a lead-painted canvas sheet for waterproofing. Painted from the outset in the GWR’s dark grey freight stock livery, they turned bauxite from 1948, in line with the convention for British Railways vacuum-braked vans. The Mink Gs were withdrawn from the front line during the 1960s; some then took on Departmental duties, and five have been preserved.

Though we’d love there to be a story about some weasel-loving GWR director, the mundane truth behind the name is that it was simply a convenient telegraphic code used by the railway. The GWR gave all its freight vehicles code names so that when transmitting messages along the line by telegraph about the make-up of trains, the consist would be easily recognisable to signallers, shunters and stationmasters. They were also used to request certain vehicle types in a formation, according to what was needed. About the only thing Mink Gs had in common with their animal-world namesakes was the fact that they were primarily nocturnal!

Mink Gs had self-contained buffers (where the shock-absorbing mechanism is completely within the buffer housing) with large heads so that they could be shunted around tight curves down to two chains in radius without buffer locking. This translates to around 21 inches in 4mm scale, which is roughly Radius 3. So your Minks won’t be out of place on those layout curves – and if you want to go even tighter, our models will smoothly negotiate 2nd radius trackwork.

*The Southern’s CCTs were marginally longer but were classified as Non-Passenger Coaching Stock

Specifications

Constructed in one batch, Mink Gs were a pretty uniform bunch, with few technical variations other than a transition from spoke to disc wheels. That makes our job easy in one sense – but rest assured, our Minks will feature all the things you’ve come to love from the Clark Railworks bloodline: 

• Die-cast chassis
• Easy conversion to EM/P4 
• Sprung buffers 
• Ultraflex vac and air pipes
• Fully detailed underside
• Separately fitted end details
• Disc- and spoke-wheeled variants
• Removable NEM pockets 
• Additional detail parts to replace NEM pockets 
• Brass axle bearings

The Lineup

Our eight Mink Gs represent the vans throughout their history, from the 1930s GWR through BR and Departmental use to present-day preservation.

C3060 (GWR Original - dark grey) Vehicle no. 112809, with spoked wheels (1930–1947)
C3061 (Early BR bauxite) Vehicle no. W112873, with 3-hole disc wheels (1948–1956)
C3062 (Late BR bauxite) Vehicle no. W112814, with 3-hole disc wheels (1957–1966)
C3063 (Pre-TOPS BR bauxite) Vehicle no. W112843, with 3-hole disc wheels (1967–1972)
C3064 (Departmental bauxite) Vehicle no. 042432, with 3-hole disc wheels (late 1970s)
C3065 (GWR grey white roof, ‘Newbury/Slough’ Pres.) Vehicle no. 112843, with 3-hole disc wheels  (Preservation, Didcot Railway Centre, 1991–1997)
C3066 (GWR blue/grey white roof, ‘Fishguard’ Pres.) Vehicle no. 112843, with 3-hole disc wheels  (Preservation, Didcot Railway Centre, 2005–2016)
C3067 (GWR grey white roof, Pres.) Vehicle no. 112850, with spoked wheels  (Preservation, Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway, 2021–2023)

Pricing and Availability

Our Mink G vans are due for delivery in spring 2027. The models can be yours for just £47.50 each, and all are available to pre-order now, with nothing to pay upfront.

Mink Gs were a simple but striking goods van design, their long wheelbases lending them an elegance that ensured they stood out from the crowd. They’re versatile companions for your express goods engines, with all our trademark ‘extra mile’ specs – so bag yourself a Mink today, and bring a touch of Western Region class to your freight operations.