Surviving Wagons

Hi
I thought I'd start a topic on wagon stock that has survived into preservation or still located at private locations. If anyone knows of any additions please feel free to reply.
I'll start with a batch of Cambrian built Tar Tanks....

7303 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank South Devon Railway K Cambrian 1939 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7142/48303
7305 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank Dean Forest Railway Cambrian 1939 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7144/48305
7306 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank Amman Valley Railway R Cambrian 1939 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7145/48306
7307 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank Northampton & Lamport Railway K Cambrian 1939 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7146/48307
7309 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway K Cambrian 1939 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7148/48309
7310 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank Llangollen Railway Cambrian 1939 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar PlantReg7149/48310
7318 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank Plym Valley Railway K Cambrian 1939 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7157/48318
7325 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway Cambrian 1939 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7164/48325
7328 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank National Museum Of Wales K Cambrian 1940 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7167/48328
7331 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank Avon Valley Railway rst Cambrian 1940 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7170/48328
7339 PO 22t 4w Tar Tank Snibston Discovery Park rst Cambrian 1940 [6/037] ex NCB Caerphilly Tar Plant Reg7178/48339

 

I also have 7304/48304 as being at the Gwili Railway. I haven't been there myself so I can't confirm whether it is or not.

 

There are 4 wagons still at Birkenhead docks. These have had out of gauge boxes put on their underframes & are used as advertising hoardings at a major junction near to the Wallasey tunnel. I've not a clue as to numbers or what they started life as.
They can be clearly seen on Multimap 'Birdseye' at the junction of Dock Road & Duke Street , close to Duke St. bridge.

Bob.

 

Hi Phil
I have no record of 7304 as survivng, that doesn't of course mean it doesn't. The Gwili, I think, did own 7324 before going to the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway. Perhaps if Matt78 notices this he may be able to clarify?
Bob, I am intrigued with these. As you say they are well covered but clearly visible on Multimap Birdseye. They also appear to be on a small section of track. Do you know if they are just underframes or something else completely covered. I will add these to my lists for further investigation!
Cheers
Steve

 

I will second that Martin, well done Steve.

Best regards
Chris

 

If memory serves me correctly the Gwili used to own two tankers of this type, one being sold to the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr and the other going for scrap, so I presume from this that 7304 is no more.

Edit- I think it was scrapped early 2005

 

I think that tankers 40232 / 40353 / 48306 were at the Swansea Vale Railway too...they have not arrived at the Gwili, I think they may have gone to the fledgling Amman Valley Railway.

(Steve- the GWR Pooley Van which did go there from Swansea is now at the Gwili just for info).

 

Depending on which GWR weltrol you meant...

36950 is now preserved on the Glos-Warks Railway
41943 is still there
41975 is now at the Dean Forest Railway

 

pic of wagons a Birkenhead taken this summer.

 

Interesting. I wonder if they are hiding something in those boxes? It looks like they all still have builders plates so identification may be possible.
Martin, all the Workington internal wagons were scrapped earlier this year. I have many listed at Celsa but I know many have now gone. I just don't know which ones!
As Matt has mentioned the 40xxx tar tanks I have the following for these.

40224 PO 14t Tar Tank Coal Products Ltd Chas Roberts ???? ex NCB
40228 PO 14t Tar Tank Coal Products Ltd Chas Roberts ???? ex NCB
40230 PO 14t Tar Tank Big Pit Trust Ltd Chas Roberts ???? ex NCB
40232 PO 14t Tar Tank Amman Valley Railway Chas Roberts ???? ex NCB
40233 PO 14t Tar Tank Dean Forest Railway Chas Roberts ???? ex NCB
40348 PO 14t Tar Tank Big Pit Trust Ltd Chas Roberts 1958 ex NCB
40352 PO 14t Tar Tank Nottingham Heritage Centre Chas Roberts 1958 ex NCB
40353 PO 14t Tar Tank Amman Valley Railway Chas Roberts 1958 ex NCB
40354 PO 14t Tar Tank Yeovil Railway Centre Chas Roberts 1958 ex NCB u/f/o
40xxx PO 14t Tar Tank Coal Products Ltd Chas Roberts ???? ex NCB

The 3 at Coal Products Ltd are still dumped by the entrance of the Cwm Coking Plant, Llantwit Fardre. The 2 Amman Valley, I'm not sure. Possibly in store at Port Tennant, Swansea, if they still exist?
I'm also missing the registrations for these and former numbers, if allocated?
Steve

 

It probably doesn't help much, but they obviously used to have full-length drop-sides, as they have four 'door stops' each.

Phil

 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I'm still recovering from the usual turkey overdose.
I thought I'd continue with a review of the GWR steel body opens. I don't have a GWR wagon book to hand so I'm not sure of the difference in designs for these. 30500 dia [P20] is the only survivor and 14353 appears to be the oldest survivor of 1913 vintage. The ex internal users were mostly recovered from Newport Docks. The other dia are quite well represented with almost all of them preserved on the former GWR region.

14353 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway Swindon 1913 [P14] 070317
30500 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Cambrian Railway Trust Swindon 1943 [P20]
30903 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Severn Valley Railway Swindon 1941 [P18]
32487 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Dean Forest Railway Swindon 19?? [P15] 070046
40340 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Moveright International Swindon 1944 [P18] 060967
60906 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Severn Valley Railway Swindon 1915 [P14] 070062
60911 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Tyseley Locomotive Works Swindon 1915 [P14]
60923 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Dean Forest Railway Swindon 1915 [P14]
60933 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Cholsey & Wallingford Railway Swindon 1915 [P14] 070055
80225 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Severn Valley Railway Swindon 1935 [P15]
80232 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Dean Forest Railway Swindon 1935 [P15]
80603 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Severn Valley Railway Swindon 1935 [P15]
80633 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Bristol Industrial Museum Swindon 1936 [P15]
80637 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' East Somerset Railway Swindon 1936 [P15]
80646 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Dean Forest Railway Swindon 1936 [P15]
80659 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' NRM York Swindon 1936 [P15]
80662 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Didcot Railway Centre Swindon 1937 [P15]
80668 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Didcot Railway Centre Swindon 1937 [P16]
80669 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' West Somerset Railway Swindon 1937 [P16] 060963
80684 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Severn Valley Railway Swindon 1937 [P16]
070047 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Dean Forest Railway Swindon 19?? [P15] I/u I/d
100839 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Gloucester & Warwickshire Railway Swindon 1938 [P15] 060968

This is the only 'Ling' I have as surviving, I'm still missing a dia for this.
30773 GWR 14t Steel Open 'Ling' Gwili Railway Swindon 1941

Only 3 of these with two at the Gwili. 80789 [P17] is interesting and the only one of this dia but it slots between the later built [P23] I may have an error here?
80746 GWR 20t Open 'Tunney' Gwili Railway Swindon 1946 [P23]
80789 GWR 20t Open 'Tunney' Didcot Railway Centre Swindon 1937 [P17]
80880 GWR 20t Open 'Tunney' Gwili Railway Swindon 1945 [P23]

These are all I have with an I/d. There may be a few others I haven't established type/dia yet.
Steve

 

Another one to add:
80005 GWR 10t Open 'Starfish' Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway 1899 Swindon [P2] (converted to DW 150260)

I have the former number of 070047 listed as 80703, but I don't know how accurate this is.

I also have 80633 as previously being 80677 - I don't know which is the original number though...

 

Cheers Phil. I forgot about the [P2] I actually have these as 14t Steel Ballast Open with no other designation, with 80005 being converted later to a Starfish, I assume to a different dia? These were not originally Starfish as built? Do you know if 80005 has 3 dropsides or 2? The [P2] should have 3, the Starfish 2.

60501 GWR 14t Steel Ballast Open Big Pit Trust Ltd Swindon 1899 [P2]
60562 GWR 14t Steel Ballast Open Severn Valley Railway Swindon 1900 [P2] DW150262
80005 GWR 14t Steel Ballast Open Gloucester & Warwickshire Railway Swindon 1899 [P2] conv 'Starfish' DW150260

The former no of 070047 as 80703 is interesting, I've found no record of this at all so I'll make a note of this.
I suspect 80633 & 80677 are the same and a case of mis-identity at some point. Of course this doesn't help to identify what one is correct!
Steve

 

It looks like 80005 has three dropsides...

http://www.departmentals.com/photo/150260

 

Ah, this is definatlely a [P2] 14t Steel Ballast Open and not a Starfish. I'll remove the starfish notes from my list. I think these may have been the original designs of the later build 'Lings'
Steve

 

With reference to the Workington wagons, presumably there's no online database of wagons that are at a specified risk of scrapping? Obviously for Corus/whatever they call themselves it would have been a business decision, but I know of several vehicles at a preservation site that are listed for cutting when time allows as well.

Not suggesting for one moment that you take this on Steve; your list must be hard enough work as it is!

 

There is no online info for Industrial/Private wagons that I'm aware of, not even for the operational stock. The MOD do put their stock out to tender but unless you follow this most people don't even know it's available. A recent tender has found one van at the the Epping & Ongar but as far as I'm aware this is the only one that has made preservation from a lengthy list. The others have probably been scrapped? A few of the ex Workington Mineral wagons did go to the Haig mining museum but have since been scrapped bar a couple that have moved elsewhere. A couple of the Sturgeons were also saved from here.
If any preservation site intend to scrap any stock it is possible that what may appear of no use to one line may be of interest to another, if only for parts. I'm happy to open a new page on my website for stock for sale/disposal if anyone has something to add. I won't charge for this and will be solely for items within the preservation scene.
Time is my biggest enemy. As well as trying to sort out the wagons which is without doubt the most difficult area my project covers all rail related stock. The complete lists I sent out on the 6th December ran to 337 sides of A4. I've also now started to add Trams/Light Rail Systems.
Along with my Father I'm also involved with the VCT Wagon Survey. Although we use the same info my Father does the 'key tapping' and I usually sort out the photo's. For those that use this hopefully you've found this has improved greatly over the last six months. We hope to eventually compile a list of all unique and historically important wagons to submit to the Heritage Railway Comittee in a bid to permanently safeguard their future.
Steve