SHARK BRAKE VANS

Evening all,

A very good friend of mine is a serious contender for purchasing one for his Railway. Anything considered in any condition though a later model is preferred. I know that the Bluebell has one though I doubt it is for sale though one never knows, cash money awaits.

 

GWSR have one, see their thread on Broadway, as does SVR. They are valued pieces of plant. I worked a maintenance train with the SVR one on Wednesday.

Good luck in your search but I fear you may be dissapointed

 

Thank you Dave for your most honest reply. I will suggest to him that in the event of plan A being unsuccessful , plan B would be to widen his horizon and go for any Brake Van that might be up for grabs. So with that in mind do you of anyone else know of anything that might be for sale ?, same conditions apply as for the Shark.

With kind regatds to all/

 

Just out of idle curiosity I did a search on the Railway Heritage Register for Shark and it returned over 50 responses so they are not as rare as I thought

http://www.vintagecarriagestrust.org/surveystatus.asp

search wagons then search specific type "shark"

 

NYMR one in use.

 

So many thanks for that Dave. I had a look and will be looking through them to contact my good friend on Monday for when he returns.

With kindest regards
chris.

 

So does he want a brake van or a shark? As just because a shark can be used as a brake van does not make it a good one. With all the weight on the ends and the short wheelbase the ride apparently isn't very good. If your friend just fancies riding up and down on a brake van then a normal one might be a better bet.

 

Not all SHARKs are the same. The one at KESR has the ploughs between the wheels, looks far more stable, but with smaller verandas (the plough operating gear is in the cabin, with hand brakes on the verandas). The codeword SHARK just means it's a large plough brake (I think a smaller one would be a COCKLE?)
Above image is borrowed from KESR stock list.

 

Yes, I know, but the majority are the LMS inspired design, the KESR I presume is a SR or constituent version. These with long wheelbase and inboard ploughs I am told ride very well. But try finding one!

The BR types are:
Shark : 20T plough brake van.
Oyster : 16T plough brake van (quite rare).

If the KESR one is coded 'Shark' then I imagine it is a 20T van and this is its BR name.

 

Ah yes, OYSTER, I knew it was a shellfish of some kind.

The KESR example is indeed a Southern 20 ton van.

 

I do know ,where a Shark maybe for sale ,have inspected it ,but just a chassis at the moment , bodywork is included , PM me .

 

A good point Phil, he did specify a Shark though. I will ask him when I next contact him.

 

I will Graham once I have contacted him, thanks for that.

Chris

 

Only four Oysters around: the NRM's at Embsay under restoration, one at East Lancs stored OOU, one at Yeovil Rly Centre (unknown but presumed operational) and mine which is running at Churnet Valley.

Sharks/Oysters, great at ploughing ballast, but very poor at just about every other job a brake van has to do. Not the greatest design. I bought mine for interest and its relative rarity, not because I thought it was a really good brake van!

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Just to say so many thanks for the helpful replies. They are being looked at as I write this and will be replying when when it has been sifted through.

Thanks again to all

Chris.

 

Unless the OP's friend specifically wants to plough ballast, Oysters and the BR design Sharks have two qualities which could make them useful for carrying passengers- they are vacuum brake fitted and the verandas have high sides and ends and securable doors. However there are a number of disadvantages- Very short wheelbase, making them prone to oscillation, the plough control-wheel equipment on the verandas, which are a nuisance and a danger when carrying passengers and the body design makes them particularly prone to rotting. SR Sharks are long wheelbase and more durable, though the verandas are smaller and the ends are enclosed. Also they have a much longer wheelbase and a more roomy interior, but they are rare.
As to ordinary brake-vans, the LNER/BR Standard type are plentiful, but have small verandas with no doors, are not vac fitted, only piped, and the bodies tend to rot. The LMS variety is also plentiful and is less prone to body-rot, has larger verandas, though without doors and a more roomy interior, but hardly any are "fitted". The SR "pill-box" is durable and has high veranda sides and ends and doors, but with very restricted space, inside or out. There are several ex WD examples about which are vac fitted, but otherwise almost all are un-fitted. The best bet IMHO are the SR standard "Queen Mary" bogie brake vans, which qualify on all points but are fairly rare and the GWR "Toads", which have most of the desired features. Many survive, including several fully vac-fitted examples, but it is possible to fit the others if required. Just one problem- they are very popular and are not cheap!

 

Re vac fitting. I have heard that it was found that vac fitting the brake van had an operational problem. If the driver made a full application and it was insufficient they were stuffed. However if the van was piped, and had setter and gauge, the guard could keep the brake van in reserve should extra retardation be needed. My source said that many fully fitted vans had the cylinders removed retaining setter and gauge and through pipe

 

HI all
I'm too looking to buy a shark if any body else know of one for sale ?

 

Oysters are not fitted, nor do they have securable doors. I knew they were near enough useless!!

I know of a few Sharks which have had the plough wheels removed, making them more user friendly for carrying passengers.


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I assume that was the case with vans used on proper freight trains. What I was referring to was the use of brake vans used in preservation situations to carry passengers. In that case I was advised by HMRI inspectors that the rear van, at least, should/must be fully fitted, i.e with a cylinder. From observation, it seems that some railways now ignore this rule, I suppose it depends what it says in their SMS risk assessment.