General Utility Van


A General Utility Van is a type of rail vehicle built by British Rail primarily for transporting mail and parcels. They were used by both Rail Express Systems and Railtrack. Colas Rail and some train operating companies still use them.

British Rail

Fleet details

Number rangePrevious number rangeTOPS codePrimary useNotes
80250-80259-NPXPost Office vanConverted from 940xx range
93078-9398486078-86984NJ or NKMail van-
94000-9403485500-85534NLXNewspaper vanConverted from 86xxx range
94050-94078-NMVNewspaper vanConverted from 93xxx range
94100-94229-NKAMail van Rebuilt from 93xxx, 951xx and 953xx ranges
95100-95199-NOXMail van Converted from 93xxx range
95350-95374-NOXMail van Converted from 93xxx range
95715-95763-NOAMail van Rebuilt from 951xx range
96100-96195-NXMotorail vanConverted from 93xxx range
96210-96218-NPAMotorail van Converted from 961xx range
96602-96609-NVAMotorail vanRebuilt from 961xx range in 1999 for use by First Great Western on daylight trains and the Night Riviera to Penzance until 2005, briefly used by FM Rail and later sold to Colas Rail, used as brake force runners on Network Rail trains since 2015

Livery examples

Preservation

Many GUVs have found new uses on preserved lines in the UK either stored and kept as coaches or converted for uses as different things.
NumberLocationImageTypeLiveryStatusNotes
86129Great Central Railway NLXlined maroon
86565Great Central Railway NLX
86696Midland Railway – ButterleyNLXMaroonUsed as store
93180Midland Railway - ButterleyNJ or NKBR BlueUsed as store
93226Mid-Norfolk RailwayNJ or NKRail BlueStatic or Stored
93380Midland Railway - ButterleyNJ or NKBR BlueUsed as store
93381Midland Railway - ButterleyNJ or NKBR BlueUsed as store
93701Battlefield Line RailwayNJ or NKRail BlueStored
94062Northampton and Lamport RailwayNJVRail Blue
94071Northampton and Lamport RailwayNJVRail Blue
94102Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough RailwayNKA
94148Helston RailwayNKARail Express Systems RedIn use as shop and mechanical store
96100TyseleyBR Maroon'REG'. Converted for use as a water carrier for mainline steam railtours..
96927Plym Valley RailwayMotorail VanBR Carmine & CreamStored
96887Plym Valley RailwayMotorail VanRES RedStored

PMV

The Southern Railway used the designation PMV.