Oxford Rail OR76TOB003 Toad Brake Van BR Toad 4 Wheel Basingstoke 35717

The GWR Toad Brake Van was introduced in 1894 and quickly became an iconic piece of freight travel. The nickname of "Toad" was derived from the GWR's telegraphic code for a brake van, with each bespoke Toad model allocated diagrams in the AA series.

Over the many years that these vans were in service they were painted in all sorts of colours ranging from GWR Grey to Departmental Yellow, The GWR variations were often seen with town names printed on the sides to show where the brake van needed returning to.

One of the key features of these brake vans were the large guard compartment which spanned three quarters of the length of the chassis and a veranda spanning the remaining quarter. This design allowed the shunter or guard to ride on the outside during shunting movements and journeys.