Pressed Steel car body traffic

[Devo63]

In the background of a photo of ex LNWR 'Lusitania' at Leamington (link below) is GWR freight vehicle labelled "Motor Car Bodies & Pressings". Can anyone shed more light on the size and type of wagon and maybe point me in the direction of more photos/details? It appears to have canvas sides and Mansell type wheels in short wheelbase bogies. 

 

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwrlave1353.htm

 

Would it be just passing through or making a delivery? My knowledge of British car builder localities of the period is a bit limited but I think it would make an interesting model. Unfortunately I don't have copies of the various GWR freight stock books which would probably answer all my questions. They are few and far between in South Oz and books cost a fortune to have posted Down Under.

 

Dave R

 

 

Edit: I've just found another photo on the same site which states that it is carrying glass from Pilkington Glass to Coventry. If it is conveying glass why would it have the Pressed Steel logos?

[PatB]

Pressed Steel were based in Cowley, Oxfordshire, whilst much of Britain's motor industry was concentrated around Birmingham and Coventry. Leamington is between the two and so I would imagine that such vehicles would pass through very frequently

[Fat Controller]

It would have been passing through, bound for one of the Midland's many car plants. This generation of vehicles (known as a Bocar A) was based on redundant Dean carriage underframes. These must have been sitting around the Stock Yard in Swindon for years, as the conversions weren't carried out until 1934. There are a few photos in J H Russell's 'GWR Freight Wagons and Loads in service on the Great Western Railway and British Rail Western Region', shewing both these vehicles and some later ones on 8'6" bogies. One photo does show 'Glass' lettering, along with instructions to 'Return Empty to Morris Cowley, GWR' .

The vehicles were intended to carry semi-finished body shells from the Pressed Steel plant at Cowley; not only Morris bodies were carried, but also those for other manufacturers. I suppose the 'Glass' ones may have carried windscreen glass, perhaps as a back load.

Two of Russell's photos show the vehicles carrying BR numbering; not sure when they were paid off. The odd thing is that all four photos show the vehicles without any form of continuous brake, and fitted with 3-link (not even Instanter) couplings.

Pressed Steel had their first plant at Cowley, as William Morris, of Morris Motors was one of the founders, and later ones at Llanelli, Linwood, Theale and Swindon. Along with Morris, the Budd Railcar Company had been involved initially. This link may be of interest:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressed_Steel_Company

[Devo63]

Well these are a minefield with G28-30 were ex Macaw B and rebuilt WWI forms, G33 were 45'11" over head stock and with 6'4" or 8'6" dean bogies, G37 was the same but higher G44 55'5" over head stocks with dean 10'0" bogies, G45 49'5" over head stock 10'0" dean bogies. Also 4 wheeler coaches were used with G34 19'0" wheelbase 30'5" over head stock, G35 18'0" wheelbase 27'5" over head stocks and G36 22'0" wheelbase and 33'5" over the head stock. In the case of the 4 wheelers they had the same lot numbers so the length could be mixed up in the numbers. This also applied G44 and G45 as these had the same lot numbers for them.

Thanks for the listing of types. I never realised that this traffic used such a miscellany of vehicles. I may have to bite the bullet an buy a pile of replacement books for my long lost collection.

 

Dave R.

[russ p]

Having read the wiki link I now see how Leyland once made refrigerators I'm sure somehow they also ended up with an ice cream manufacturer.

I often thought this that 142s and 155s are the bastard children of 117s and 121s

Even though I'm not a fan of the new mini I'm glad pressed steel is still going in a fashion