Our "Project Bulleid" has seen us deliver a plethora of humble wagon types which, while resembling their British counterparts, were uniquely Irish in both style and design. Perfect for your A, C, 121, 141, and 181 class locomotives, they recreate the iconic Irish goods trains of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and into the 80s.
Now, we are delighted to reveal the final wagon in this line-up: the Bulleid Palvans!
History
The triangulated underframe design pioneered by Oliver Bulleid and his draughtsman Lionel Lynes, while serving as Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Southern Railway in England, provided the basis for an entire generation of passenger and freight rolling stock later utilised by Corás Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) after Bulleid took up the post of CME at Inchicore in 1950.
Bulleid adapted the short, two-axle version of the underframe to create a standardised fleet of goods wagons—open wagons, fuel oil tanks, bulk grain wagons, and van variants. While most entered service in the early 1950s, the final iteration appeared only in 1963, five years after Bulleid’s retirement.
As palletised shipments became increasingly common, CIÉ required wagons capable of handling this new type of freight. While bogie wagons suitable for sundries, bagged cement, and other traffic were already on the drawing board, an interim solution was needed. The result was the 12-ton Pallet Van, based on the standard triangulated wagon chassis. This development of the traditional van wagon featured offset sliding doors wide enough for pallet loading by forklift.
The Pallet Vans quickly spread throughout the network. Often seen alongside H Vans, they carried both traditional hand-loaded freight and palletised goods. They were also used to transport tools and machinery from Inchicore to depots around the network for on-site repairs, and some were even assigned to short-distance mail workings between Dún Laoghaire and Connolly Station.
In service, they frequently appeared in mixed goods trains on both main and branch lines, becoming a familiar sight in sidings and yards across the country.
However, as a stop-gap measure, their working lives were destined to be relatively short. Within 10 years, block trains of continuously-braked bogie wagons began to displace them. A dwindling number soldiered on into the late 1970s and early 1980s, when CIÉ finally ceased operating unfitted goods trains.
The Model
Built on the Bulleid triangulated platform first introduced with our Bulleid Opens, the Palvan shares the same underframe as the prototype. We’ve also replicated detail differences—including variations in door and end designs—reflecting the material shortages faced during the original builds.
With 499 Palvans constructed in reality, we have created six different packs that capture these variations, available in both grey and red oxide liveries.
These vans are now in production and due in stock in Q1 2026. Priced at £109.95/€129.95, with our famous discount bundles available for multiple packs, they represent excellent value for money while delivering prototypical, accurate Irish design.
Pre-order yours today, direct from the Accurascale website below!
