GWR ex broad gauge 4 plank fish wagons.

[drduncan]

Dear all,

 

As some of you might have noticed, I have an interest in GWR open fish wagons - I'm 3d printing various broad gauge ones and I have done the SG 4w diag S7 rebuild of the BG osL181 bar sided 6w fish truck.  I'm after information as to the SG rebuilds of the BG 4 plank 6w fish trucks to osL 182 and osL 343.  The osL 182s emerged as 4w, 4 plank wagons to diag S8 (SG wagon register running numbers 42586-42614) while osL 343 also emerged as 4w 4 plank wagons but were lumped into diag S7 despite not having bar sides (wagon register running numbers 42615-8 and carriage register after 1915/16 as 2071-3). 

 

I have the wagon register entries for both the rebuilds of osL 182 and osL 343, so I have conversion date, length, width, height, wheelbase, load, tons, tare, condemned dates/transfer to carriage reigister dates etc etc.

 

What I don't have is either a drawing or image showing the number, width and position of side doors...or measurements giving the door position(s) and size. (Or the condemed dates of the osL343s that ended up on the carriage register nos 2071-3) Potentially complicating this is that both the osL182 and osL 343 during BG days only had one door per side (offset to one end), while all SG drawings and images so far (so not covering converted osL 182 and osL 343) have two doors per side eg the S4, S5, S6 Tadpoles.

 

Can anyone help with the missing door size and position dimensions? Or a drawing/images of the S8, or the 4 plank (not bar sided) S7?

 

Regards,

 

Duncan

[wagonman]

Alas I can't help with any actual details (have you tried the BGS?) but would offer the suggestion that if the GWR added another side door to the converted fish wagons it would likely be symmetrical – door openings the same distance from either end.

[drduncan]

Hi Rich @wagonman,

 

Thanks for the reply.  I'm a member of the BGS, but its the standard gauge conversions/rebuilds that interest me. 

 

I seem to recall someone (Russel ??) mentioning in one of their books that the GWR goods department had a book of sketches of wagons to allow staff to order the correct one for the load they had which helpfully showed the position of doors. I was wondering if you knew what it was called and where a copy might be found so that I could see if the S8s and the plank sided S7s were illustrated.

 

Regards,

 

Duncan

[wagonman]

I assume you're referring to the Diagram Book which had basic drawings and various technical details – dimensions and capacity etc. I think this was a relatively late (c1900) introduction. A similar volume was produced for coaching stock so fish wagons could have appeared in either. Copies of the originals are probably kept at the NRM though they have been pillaged by the likes of OPC over the years.

 

I can't lay my hands on actual source material at the moment but would suggest that someone at the BGS or the HMRS could help you.