Palvans (BR dia. 1/211)

Hi folks,

I have a couple of queries on two specific vehicles which I'd appreciate some help with.

One is B781900 at the East Lancs, the other is WGB4041 at Chinnor.

Could anyone involved in C&W from either railway who might be able to assist, drop me a PM please and I will attempt to explain the queries in more detail.

Where this is coming from, is that I have been trying to establish the correct identity for "B771908" at the GCR and have been digging into the history and disposal records of these vans. Cross-referencing this information with the preserved vehicles has thrown up a few other queries. Besides these two I have queries on wagons at Swanage and Nene Valley but I have contacted people there directly.

I was going to attempt a longer post querying Palvans with WGB4xxx numbers at other sites but don't have time at present so these will have to wait! But if anyone with such a wagon has any information not on VCT, or is interested in what clues to look for on their vehicle, I'd be happy to hear from them too.

By the way, it's looking increasingly likely that the GCR wagon is really B781908 and there was simply a typo on the sale paperwork. The number it presently carries was apparently on that paperwork, though I haven't seen it and as the former owner has since died I'm not likely to. However, B781908 is one of 22 'possible' wagons from lot 3310 (out of 522 built in that lot) which were recorded as sold for further use and whose later fate is otherwise unknown. It's not foolproof, but having eliminated 500 other wagons and not this one the evidence is pretty strong I think. I'm still awaiting disposal details for the 279 wagons of lot 3346 which is the only other lot this wagon could be from, given certain detail differences.

Thanks,
Phil