Wagons

SR Parcels/Miscellaneous Van (PMV) No 1152
GER Pooley Van No 3 (LNER No 960701)
GWR Toad Brake Van No 17898
20 Ton Molasses Tank Wagon: West Mids Sugar Company No 2
LNER 10 Ton Fish Van No 159918
LMS 5-Plank Wagon No M405032
LMS 15 Ton Steel Hopper Wagon No 691762
Oil Tank Wagons Nos 5474 & 5478
Lowmac No M700704
BR Standard 12 Ton Cattle Van No B892156
BR 13 Ton Steel Open Sheet Bar Wagon No B745522
BR Standard 16 Ton Steel Open Mineral Wagon No B68231
BR 12 Ton Van No B760651
BR Standard 20 Ton Brake Van No B951771
Special Cattle Van E765W
BR 'Tube' Wagon No B732205
BR Iron Ore Hopper No B437781
BR Standard Mineral Wagon No B160206

PMV SR Parcels/Miscellaneous Van (PMV) No 1152

Railway Companies had a requirement for vehicles fitted with continuous brakes that could run with passenger coaches at passenger train speeds. Pre-grouping companies built a range of vehicles to fulfill these needs, but the Southern Railway rationalised the situation by introducing two standard designs for the conveyance of practically anything.
However, their main use was for the carriage of parcels, perishable goods and other merchandise that required speedy transportation. A few of these vehicles are still in departmental use on British Rail. Built at the Southern Railway’s Ashford Works in 1937, Parcels and Miscellaneous Van (PMV) No.1152 is 35' 8" long, 8' 11" wide, and has a tare weight of thirteen tons.
It arrived at Chappel in July 1975 and was repainted in Southern Railway colours during 1982/3; full restoration being completed in June 1987. It was given a further repaint in 1993. Being fitted with vacuum brake equipment and being steam piped, this vehicle may either work on the demonstration freight train or be included in the passenger train formation.

GER Pooley Van No 3 (LNER No 960701)

Besides supplying many of the new weighbridges to the Great Eastern Railway, Pooleys had a contract to maintain all those already in use on the system, together with all other weighing machines. To help with this work, a number of mobile workshop vans equipped with a forge, benches and testing equipment were constructed at Stratford Works, in East London. No.3 was built in 1911 at a cost of £180, to the same design as the first two that were constructed in 1899. It has plain disc wheels, and is 20 feet 6 inches long. Westinghouse brake equipment was fitted from new, and the livery was coaching brown.

The Pooley Van was one of the first vehicles to arrive at Chappel, on 14 February 1971, being purchased by a member from where it stood at Leigh on Sea Goods Yard. It was used for giving rides to visitors on some of the earliest Steam Days before becoming a Permanent Way Stores van for many years. With the removal of Permanent Way materials to alternative accommodation, the vehicle was re-roofed and externally renovated in 1987. In late 1996 work was begun on major external restoration after removal to the Museum’s restoration shed. The internal refurbishment to original workshop condition will take place at the same time, which will offer an opportunity to display the Museum’s unique and comprehensive collection of Pooley railway weighing machines of all types. This will be a long term project, and at present no timescale for completion can be given.

GWR Toad Brake Van No 17898

This is one of a batch of thirty built at Swindon in 1913-14 to Diagram AA13; this one being built in 1914. Weighing twenty tons and having a wheelbase of sixteen feet, No. 17898 arrived at Chappel in November 1984 from the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Little is known of its early history, except that it last worked for the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company, where it was used as a staff passenger vehicle - one of six purchased from British Rail for this purpose. It is twenty-four feet long, and has Great Western Railway axleboxes.

In April 1986 it traveled by road, together with the Grafton Crane, steam locomotive No.54 ‘Penn Green’, and Coach No.19 to the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company’s Centenary celebrations. Whilst there, the train was used to transport the Mayor of Felixstowe and Company officials on a tour of inspection of the Docks by rail.

Full vacuum brake equipment has been fitted since its arrival at the East Anglian Railway Museum in order that it can form part of the demonstration freight train and also be allowed to carry passengers. It has Department of Transport (now the Health and Safety Executive’s Railway Inspectorate) permission to carry up to six adults and any number of children. Two other ‘Toads’ from the Oxfordshire Ironstone Company’s six exist in preservation; one on the Bluebell Railway, and the other on Sir William McAlpine’s private railway.

After a decade in the exposed sidings at Chappel, work is now proceeding on repairs to both metal and wood work, together with re-roofing. This work started in late 2000, and it is anticipated that it will return to traffic during 2010.

20 Ton Molasses Tank Wagon: West Mids Sugar Company No 2

Hurst Nelson of Glasgow originally built this private owner wagon about 1926. The owner was the West Midlands Sugar Company of Kidderminster. Little is known at present of its early history, although in the days of the Great Western Railway it was registered to work out of Kidderminster. It has a standard ten-foot wheelbase.

As British Sugar Corporation No. B39, the molasses wagon came from Bury St Edmunds, arriving at Chappel by road in September 1983. The tank was demounted from the chassis for ease of transportation, although this was not without some difficulty as it was found to still contain a quantity of molasses!

No. 2 has been restored by our members, and is now painted with West Midlands Sugar Company livery on one side and British Sugar Corporation livery on the other. Whilst at the East Anglian Railway Museum, it has been fitted with vacuum brakes and is often rostered for the demonstration freight trains on Steam Days. It has also been fitted with a hose coupling, which serves as an additional water supply (2500 gallons) for locomotive watering or fire fighting. It can also be connected to a high-pressure pump in the Restoration Shed to supply the water for giving the steam locomotive boilers their very necessary ‘washouts’. Only one other genuine molasses tank wagon is known to be in preservation.

LNER 10 Ton Fish Van No 159918

Fish is a commodity that has traveled by rail since the railways first reached the ports. In many cases the railways developed the ports, particularly East Coast ones like Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Grimsby. Fish, by its perishable nature, has always required swift, rapid transportation, and most of the vehicles used for transportation of fish have been built for fast haulage.

In East Anglia, fish was first carried on the railways in open wagons sheeted over and later on covered vans such as this example.

No. 159918 is typical of an early LNER fish van. Thought to be built in 1926, it follows North Eastern Railway practice, and is built on a wooden underframe. It is ventilated so that the fish stay fresh in their ice-covered boxes. It also has vacuum brakes for running in fast goods or passenger trains. Fish trains only ran from large fish ports like Yarmouth or Lowestoft; smaller places such as Sheringham, Cromer and Aldeburgh used to attach the odd wagon or two to passenger trains for transfer on to London.

Prior to arrival at Chappel in December 1971, this vehicle had been heavily modified, and it will require major work before it is able to operate again. However, this vehicle has been found to be unique in preservation, and as it demonstrates one of the more important aspects of Great Eastern Railway goods traffic, every effort will be made to restore it to original condition.

5 Plank LMS 5-Plank Wagon No M405032

Hurst Nelson of Glasgow built this 5-plank wooden 12-ton open wagon with steel underframe in 1936 to LMS Lot 957. It is 17' 6" long. It carried the running number M405032 but was taken into the internal user fleet at British Rail Engineering Limited’s Wolverton Works later in its life. It was a long-standing member of that fleet, and was allocated the internal user number 024175. Due to the declining workload at Wolverton, the vehicle became surplus to requirements and the decision was taken to scrap it.

The wagon was purchased by the Great Eastern Railway Group and arrived at Chappel by road on 6 February 1988. Following the replacement of damaged planking and a full mechanical overhaul, it was repainted into grey livery in August 1988. It sees regular use in the demonstration freight train. In late 1998 it was fitted with wooden bench seats and up to twenty passengers can now be carried when the freight train operates from a platform. It received a further repaint in wagon grey in June 1999, and had a full workshop restoration in 2001.

LMS 15 Ton Steel Hopper Wagon No 691762

The first BR standard coach designs appeared in 1950 with a strong family resemblance to the Bulleid stock of the Southern Railway, and were constructed in various configurations until 1964. They featured a separate underframe 64' 6" long and 9' wide body of all-welded construction. Buckeye couplers, Pullman-type gangways, vacuum brakes and BR1 double bolster bogies were standard equipment. Buffers were normally retracted out of use but could be extended when the coupler head was lowered to expose the drawhook for attaching to locomotives or coaches fitted with screw couplings. Different types of coaches were denoted by the operating code letters, in this case TSO standing for ‘Tourist Second Open’ - that is, an Open saloon vehicle for Second Class passengers.

Built at Doncaster Works in 1953 to Lot number 30043, No. E3779 weighs thirty-three tons, and has sixty-four seats fitted, with two a side seating at tables either side of a central corridor. One table at the end was not fitted so that invalids and/or stretcher cases could gain access through the demountable window if so required, although the window is now no longer fitted.

It arrived at Chappel by rail on 17 May 1981. Various restoration work has been done on this coach, including refitting of the upholstery and a repaint into crimson and cream livery in 1987/8, followed by further minor attention and a repaint into BR lined maroon livery that was completed in February 1990. The seating was re-upholstered in early 1993, following which the vehicle was moved to the restoration shed in 1995 for repairs to body rot which proved to be much more extensive than expected - although this is not uncommon with the early Mk1 vehicles. Following completion of this work, it was re-painted and released to traffic as a service coach in December 1997, and it is at present regularly in use in the Museum’s demonstration passenger trains.

Oil Tank Wagons Nos 5474 & 5478

The bulk carriage of oil products has been an important source of revenue to the railways for many years. During the Second World War, there was an RAF distribution depot at Chappel, supplying aviation fuel to nearby bomber airfields, so tank wagons were quite a common sight at the station. The new houses adjacent to the station drive at the Museum are built on the site of the oil storage depot.

Hurst Nelson of Motherwell built both these examples in 1944, for the Shell-Mex and BP companies. They were first registered for the London Midland and Scottish Railway and are fairly representative wagons of their type, being unfitted and of all-steel construction. The wagons can carry ten tons of fuel oil and had steam-heated coils to aid loading and unloading. Latterly they were used or carrying lubricating oil and the coils were not used.

Both vehicles were generously donated by BP, and arrived at Chappel in the autumn of 1984. They were formally handed over the following March in a brief ceremony involving the Museum Chairman, a BP director, and the Mayor of Colchester.
No. 5474 had already been completely restored in BP livery of grey tank and vermilion underframe by Railcar Services Ltd. No. 5478 has been painted at Chappel in grey with the rare wartime ‘Pool@ livery, and was moved to the front of the station for display in January 1993. The ‘Pool’ livery was used soon after the War when individual company liveries were abandoned after all petrol supplies were taken over and pooled by the Government.

Lowmac No M700704

This LOW floored MAChinery wagon was built by the London Midland & Scottish Railway in 1944, to drawing number 15721. One of a batch of thirty, it has a tare weight of thirteen hundredweight. A four wheeled wagon – thirty-two feet long – with a dropped centre section, it has a twenty five-ton payload, and is vacuum brake fitted. Designed for moving heavy machinery, in later life it was used as crane runner for a Permanent Way crane at Doncaster. Purchased for scrap in April 1990 from Doncaster, it arrived at Chappel on 23 June 1990 – subsequently being bequeathed to the Museum in 1992.

It is regularly used around the Museum for the temporary storage and movement of heavy items, such as locomotive boilers, and is awaiting restoration.

Standard Cattle BR Standard 12 Ton Cattle Van No B892156

This was built at Swindon in 1950 as part of Western Region Lot number 2126. It has an eleven-foot wheelbase, and a tare weight of 7 tons 9 cwt.
It is in the bauxite livery that denoted XP stock, and is fitted with vacuum brakes and a handbrake. Movement of cattle by rail was once a regular part of the railway’s business; it was not unknown for whole farms to be moved by rail from one part of the country to another. However, movement of cattle by rail ceased in 1976.

This wagon was part of the National Railway Museum’s collection, and during a five year loan from 1 June 1989 was fully restored by EARM. This wagon - and the other one in the National Railway Museum’s collection, B893343, were the last two cattle vans in service on British Rail.
Arriving at Chappel on 12 October 1989, it required minor repairs to the planking, a new roof to original specification and a repaint, which were completed on 26 August 1990. It periodically runs in the demonstration freight train. In December 1994 this van was donated to the Museum by the National Railway Museum, to whom we express our thanks.
During 2000, seats were fitted to enable visitors to ride in it when our demonstration freight train operates.

BR 13 Ton Steel Open Sheet Bar Wagon No B745522

Built at Shildon Wagon Works (near Darlington) in 1951 as part of Lot 2369, this British Railways Standard 13-ton open sheet-bar wagon is seventeen feet six inches long and fitted with vacuum brakes.
It was originally built as a Bulk Powder Open Wagon, and is identified as such by the second door locking bar that is fitted to prevent accidental opening. It was used for ICI soda ash traffic, but could also be used to carry industrial sand. In later years, No. B745522 was taken into the internal user fleet at British Rail Engineering Limited’s Wolverton Works, but rapidly became surplus to requirements owing to the declining workload at the site.
The decision to scrap the wagon was taken before it could be allocated an internal user number. The vehicle was purchased by the Museum and arrived at Chappel by road on 30 January 1988. It had obviously only recently been withdrawn from revenue earning service and was still stained white with potash.
It had not been condemned, and the vacuum brake was still in perfect working order and the overall condition above average for the marquee. Following a full mechanical overhaul and a repaint into bauxite livery in the latter part of 1988, it has joined the goods wagon fleet and is available to run in the demonstration freight train.

16 Ton BR Standard 16 Ton Steel Open Mineral Wagon No B68231

Built in 1951 to a London, Midland and Scottish Railway design at Derby, this wagon has side and end doors. It differs from the other open mineral at the Museum in several important design features, such as - it has leaf spring buffers, not the self contained Oleo type, it is unfitted - i.e. it is fitted with a handbrake only.
In wagon development terms it is the next stage from the 7-plank wooden open, the numbers of which in use exceeded the million mark at their peak.
All the Railway companies employed them for their own use, and also for the War Department manufactured variations. Many of the private wagon builders were involved in the massive change from wood to steel construction.
This vehicle was observed as condemned at Stratford in March 1991 whilst in departmental use as 041993. It was purchased by the Museum because of its historical value, unmodified state, and good condition generally for a 40-year old example.
The last load for this wagon in British Rail owner ship was the coal for the use of the Museum's N7 locomotive, when it returned to Stratford works for a ceremony to mark the closure of the works in 1991. It arrived at Chappel on 31st August 1991, still with a considerable amount of coal inside!
No plans exist to fit vacuum brake equipment for the reasons given above, so it will therefore rarely be seen in the demonstration freight train.

12 Ton BR 12 Ton Van No B760651

The twelve ton covered ventilated goods van was designed at Swindon following requirements set by Mr. R.A.Riddles, Member for Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Railway Executive, and three thousand began to be built at Wolverton by the London Midland Region from 1951 onwards. The design was for a riveted under frame and softwood body but alternative options allowed for welded under frames and steel or plywood bodies.

The under frame and body members are of BS rolled steel section with the ends of steel plate pressed to a corrugated form with a wide folded over flange bolted to the side quarters. The end plating is in two portions, the upper being 1/8th inch thick and the lower 3/16th, riveted on the join. Standard spindle buffers are usually fitted with either rubber or steel coil springs behind the headstocks. Instanter 3-link couplings were used instead of screw type even though the vehicles were fitted with vacuum brake gear. A Morton-type handbrake completed the running gear, operable from either side, both systems applying through one shoe on each of the four wheels. Tare weight was 7 tons 11 cwt, and the load twelve tons with a capacity of 940 cubic feet. This example was built in 1952 as part of lot number 2120.
A ten foot wheelbase wagon under frame was part of a batch of ‘interesting’ vehicles and accessories generously donated by Ransomes and Rapier Limited of Ipswich in 1982. Previously the East Anglian Railway Museum had acquired the bodies of some scrapped twelve-ton covered vans for use as secure storage. The best body was chosen - later identified as from a 1952 built Wolverton van - and given a thorough overhaul before being united with the under frame which had also been comprehensively renovated. Special fittings were made in the workshop and welded to the sole bars and the body attached in a comparatively trouble-free operation.

After adding the lettering, a replica twelve ton, ten-foot wheelbase, vacuum fitted XP bauxite coloured covered van took its place in the demonstration freight train.

BR Standard 20 Ton Brake Van No B951771

The brake van has been a vital item of rolling stock since the early days of railways. Its function was to supplement the locomotive’s braking power in the days when most wagons were ‘unfitted’, i.e. without automatic brakes.

After British Railways were nationalised in January 1948 there was an early decision to base an all-line goods brake van on the former London & North Eastern Railway 20 ton vehicle. Features agreed jointly between the Railway Executive and the National Union of Railwaymen were incorporated in two vans built in 1948 and 1949. They were tried in both ordinary and express goods services and modifications were suggested and carried out, culminating in a build of 400 vans at the Faverdale Works near Darlington as part of the 1951 programme for all-region use.

The trussed under frames are of standard rolled steel sections and the central spaces are filled with concrete. This is topped with a further layer varying in thickness from 5" to 6". This brings up the tare weight and replaces the former loads of cast iron ballast and scrap iron used. Drawgear and buffing were standard RCH together with Instanter dual-reach couplings. Wheels are solid rolled steel disc, 3' 2" diameter with 9" x 4" journals running in white metal oil lubricated bearings. (RCH stands for Railway Clearing House: in this instance, it indicated a common standard amongst the railway companies so as to permit through running anywhere on the railway network).

Scheduled for a maximum speed of 60 mph, the side clearances between axle boxes and guides were more accurate than previously to improve the ride, and manganese steel liners were provided to minimise horn wear. The four main springs are 5ft long with secondary rubber springs, two at each end. Clasp brakes carry four cast iron blocks to each wheel - 16 in total.

The van body is of timber mounted in the centre and 11 ft shorter than the overall length. It contains a vacuum brake valve and gauge, screw down hand brake, stove, desk, lockers, lamps, coat hooks, packing, etc. Not as large as some of its predecessors, the inside is only 10ft by 7 ft 6 ins. A door at each of the glazed ends gives access to an open verandah. Ducket lookouts provide views fore and aft from projections on both sides, with upholstered seats and back rests. The use of brake vans declined with the phasing out of loose-coupled unfitted trains.

No. B951771 arrived at Chappel in May 1984, having been purchased from Ipswich Yard. It has since been equipped with vacuum application valve and pipe, and repainted into red oxide (from its former grey livery) to denote that it is ‘piped’. The vehicle is fully operational and is used on demonstration freight trains at the Museum. Repairs to the woodwork and a repaint were carried out in spring 2009.

Special Cattle Van E765W

Weight 14 tons
Length 26 feet
Width 8' 8"
Built 1953

This is believed to be one of only two built at Stratford as accident damaged replacement stock, because of a lack of spare capacity at Swindon Works. It is on an ex-Great Western Railway six-wheel milk tank under frame with GWR axle boxes. It is branded ‘XP’, denoting that it could run at express passenger speeds.

It contains compartments for two animals, either horses or more commonly special prize beasts for showing at Smithfield and other major agricultural shows. It also has accommodation for handlers to travel with the animals, and stowage compartments for the feedstuffs. Whilst at the East Anglian Railway Museum, the SCV has been painted bauxite, with door fittings etc. picked out in black: this work was completed in 1976. Being vacuum braked and steam piped, this vehicle may either work on the demonstration freight train, or included in a passenger train formation. It will need a further overhaul before being used in trains at the Museum.

Tube Wagon BR 'Tube' Wagon No B732205

This five plank four wheeled wooden wagon is thirty two feet long and weighs twenty two tons. IT has corrugated steel ends, and has a wheelbase of 18ft 6ins, and is fitted with vacuum brakes. It was built in 1955 to Diagram 1/448 as part of Lot No. 2740 at Faverdale Works in Darlington, which was to see closure in 1962.
After withdrawal form regular traffic, it was moved to Wolverton Carriage works (latterly part of Alstom Traincare) where it was used for many years, although never taken out of capital stock into internal user stock. It arrived at Chappel on 1st July 2002.

It has a single drop down door on each side, making it extremely useful for its planned conversion into a passenger carrying vehicle by fitting seating. It entered Chappel Workshops in October 2003 for this conversion to be started; following which it took its place in the Museum's demonstration freight train, giving additional seating in this popular train on some of our Steam Days.

BR Iron Ore Hopper No B437781

Built at Shildon Works as part of Lot Number 3002 in 1957. It weighs 33½ tons, and was built to convey iron ore, which is a very dense material. It is one of four hundred built, and is 21’ 6" long. It was last used in 1988 for carrying ballast in departmental service. It was withdrawn from traffic due to having vacuum brakes, as part of the phasing out of all vacuum braked stock, which was being replaced with more modern air braked stock.

It is allegedly the largest of any UK wagon to carry 45 tons on two axles. It is the last of its type in the country, and it was designated for preservation by the Railway Heritage Committee. The Museum was asked in November 1997 to accommodate the wagon following the request by it’s the owners – English Welsh & Scottish Railways – for its removal from the scrap line at Chesterton Junction Engineer’s Yard, near Cambridge. During protracted negotiations for its purchase, all the brass axle box bearings were stolen – otherwise it was in good condition.

It arrived at Chappel on 7th October 1998, and has been restored into bauxite livery. It could not have been preserved without generous assistance from English Welsh & Scottish Railways, the Science Museum Prism Grant Fund, and the Transport Trust.

160206 BR Standard Mineral Wagon No B160206

Built in 1951 to a London, Midland and Scottish Railway design at Derby, this wagon has side and end doors. It differs from the other open mineral wagon at the Museum in several important design features, such as - it has leaf-spring buffers, not the self-contained Oleo type, and it is unfitted - i.e. it is fitted with a handbrake only. In wagon development terms it is the next stage from the 7-plank wooden open, the numbers of which in use exceeded the million mark at their peak. All the railway companies employed them for their own use, and also for the War Department manufactured variations. Many of the private wagon builders were involved in the massive change from wood to steel construction.

This vehicle was observed as condemned at Stratford in March 1991 whilst in departmental use as 041993. It was purchased by the Museum because of its historical value, unmodified state, and good condition generally for a 40-year old example. The last load for this wagon in British Rail ownership was coal for the use of the Museum’s N7 Class tank locomotive, when it returned to Stratford Works for a ceremony to mark the closure of the Works in 1991. It arrived at Chappel on 31 August 1991, still with a considerable quantity of coal inside! No plans exist to fit vacuum brake equipment for the reasons given above, and so it will therefore rarely be seen in the demonstration freight train.