Yorks1

Thanks for the reply Paul. In your Hopper book on p71 you have a photo of 19000 already converted in Dec-1985, it would be interesting to know if this was the beginning or end of the trial and whether any of the other's you noted at Avenue workshops (date ?) got converted. Regards Colin

Air braked hoppers. Possible photo on Flickr showing 19000? in service with air brakes. CAR Brake Van B954650 behind 20141 & 20077 at Piccadilly, dated 18-5-1984. The date might be a bit early for the trials, has anybody any further information ? Just seems a bit odd to have a CAR van immediately behind the locomotives.

There is a photo on Flickr showing BLI 19092 dumped at Crewe c1994, this may be one of them. Further wagon on eBay, currently at an eye watering £80. Regards Colin

Thanks for conformation about the roller bearing, assume there must have been a separate program of maintenance just for changing the axles rather than it being limited to the seven year repaints / rebuilds. Looking through the books, there seems to be a eight year gap between the last photo of the enamel number plates and the first of the TOPS numbering on the hopper side, white stencil without a background. I know it's difficult to pick out wagon detail from loco orientated photos but not seeing some trace of either type of number for eight years seams a bit odd, unless you have photos of TOPS coded wagons prior to 1982. Had you noticed that at least two wagons had the Black panel and TOPS code painted at the wrong end of the wagon ?

As it happens, I may have three Oil Bearing Bogie sets which I could swop for three sets of roller bearing bogies (I live in Stokesley). One pair are painted black (see attached photo, (still need to change the load rating to 44)), the other two are factory weathered ones. Still suspect that all Oil Bearings had gone by 1973/4 rather than late 70's, Elec warning flashes are also post 74, unless anybody has an earlier photo?

Posted 5 hours ago 7 hours ago, Yorks1 said: Does anyone know when the change from oil bearing to roller bearings was completed. The first photos I can find of the wagons upgraded with roller bearing are from March 1966, and this is of an ex-works wagon (with other none ex-works wagons also roller bearing fitted latter in the same year). The last photos showing oil bearing's seem to be from c1973-4. 1973-4 also seems to be the year when the running number on the underframe was removed and the Overhead line warning flashes added. Would anybody have information to contradict or improve on these dates? Looking at info in 'An illustrated history of the ICI hopper wagon', there is a comment that oil pad axle boxes were replaced with roller bearings in the late 1970's. A joint venture between ICI and Timken. I would be very interested in your photo of roller bearings fitted to a wagon 1966! Dave Thanks for the reply. The photo in question is on page 21 of that book, with another on page 26 showing a non refurbed wagon. Having looked through both of Mr. Harrisons books and online these are the closest dates I can come up with. I was intending to repaint one of my wagons to represent a Oil bearing - Plate frame with Overhead line flashes and early white Tops, but now suspect this set-up never existed (hope somebody has a photo to prove me wrong). There also seems to be a eight year gap between the number (and plate) being removed from the underframe and any form of TOPS number on the wagon side (earliest TOPS I can find is 1982). Maybe just not visible in the photos as most tend to concentrate on the Loco.

Does anyone know when the change from oil bearing to roller bearings was completed. The first photos I can find of the wagons upgraded with roller bearing are from March 1966, and this is of an ex-works wagon (with other none ex-works wagons also roller bearing fitted latter in the same year). The last photos showing oil bearing's seem to be from c1973-4. 1973-4 also seems to be the year when the running number on the underframe was removed and the Overhead line warning flashes added. Would anybody have information to contradict or improve on these dates?

Thanks for the replies. The only photo's I can find (in use with the hoppers) seem to show ex LMS Dia.1/503 or 1/505 & the standard BR Dia.1/506 , would anybody have more detailed information, serial numbers etc.

Hopefully a simple question, what type (s) of brake van would be used in the steam era?