Mystery Brakevan at Swanage & K&ESR

Hi

I have a recent sighting of a brakevan at the Swanage with an unusual running number, M360329 .

http://photosbysteve.photos.gb.com/p57127744.html

This looks very much like the Swanage Railway ex MOD 25t Brakevan AD49012 reg S1030. Could someone confirm if this is the same wagon.
Strangely enough the K&ESR also have an ex MOD Brakevan AD49022 which for a while ran as a ficticious S56459 but now carries M360327.
These are surely not just a coincidence, so can someone please explain why these numbers are carried when they must be ficticious as they came directly from MOD ownership and never carried such identities.
Cheers
Steve

 

According to the KESR website, the number carried by their example represents one which ran on the Shropshire and Montgomeryshire and therefore eventually received a BR number.

 

Cheers Wenlock
That explains a lot & shows you still learn something everyday. It still seems odd seeing a SR design with that running number though :-k
Steve

 

In respect of the Swanage van, yes it is the ex-MOD vehicle. According to our resident wagon guru, three of the MOD's vehicles were sold to the LMS/Midland region of BR, and the running number it carries is the next vehicle on from these. It is therefore a bit of a 'might have been', playing on the history of similar vans.

 

This may help: it refers to the Bluebell's one which is the same as the one photographed earlier:

This is one of 40 vans ordered from the Southern Railway by the Ministry of Supply during WW2. This type of van is essentially a 1942 version (the bodyside planking being pairs of narrow planks) of a SR diagram 1579 goods brake van, but fitted with vacuum braking and a through Westinghouse air brake pipe. Emergency brake application valves were fitted inside the cabin. The profile of the edge of the roof was non-standard on these vans, which the MoS described as "Express" Goods Brake Vans.

Order number A1852 was for the second batch of 20 and was placed on 23rd. December 1941. The vans were built at Ashford Works, Kent and completed/released to traffic on 25th. March 1942. As the vans were "privately" owned, they were registered with SR (1942), this one being No.1032. Its original painted number was WD11037.

Some vans saw service abroad, particularly in North Africa. Others seem to have worked only within ordnance and supply depots at home. The early history of this van is at present unknown, but in May 1949, it (together with WD11029) was acquired from the MoS (Lot No.1599) for service with British Railways. It was given London Midland Region number M360328 (WD11029 was given M360327). Its length of duty is unknown but at some point, it was returned to the WD.