GKN Weed Sprayer (Cardiff, East Moors)

[Adam]

A Flickr find for Christmas, courtesy of the BR wagon research Yahoo group:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lombardstown/11482285574/lightbox/

 

Quite an interesting vehicle, and a demonstration of how times change to a certain extent - it's difficult to imagine many modern industrial complexes feeling the need to produce such a thing. Anyhow, what was it? My first thought is that it was a conversion of a mineral wagon of some sort but the wheelbase is too long for that though the independent brakegear and its double vees might suggest that. A close examination of the solebar suggests that what we are looking at was a tank wagon; to the left of the vees is a cast 'fast traffic' star while the maker's plate between the same v-hangers looks remarkably like one from Chas Roberts. The conversion itself seems to have been relatively sophisticated - a steel plate floor, what seems to be a petrol driven pump, tanks and footsteps and handrails all quite neatly done. The date must be towards the later end of the 1960s going on the rather 'well-used' nature of the Sentinel diesel in the background. 

 

Adam

[Arthur]

Interesting find Adam. I cannot add anything to the story of the wagon but in terms of GKN going to the bother of building and using such a device, this perhaps ties in with the reputation East Moors had for being a 'tidy' works. The open hearth in particular prided itself on being the tidiest in the country. This may have been partly driven by the fact that it was a relatively cramped site and in the 50's and 60's had the highest ingot tonnage production per acre of any works in the country.

[hmrspaul]

Cardiff Docks seems to have had a week problem, this BR conversion was in the dock estate http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/gwrdeptcoach/e30349c46

 

Regards

 

Paul