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This is in Weybourne works (Jan 2012) for repairs and a
repaint. The van was last restored in 1999, giving a good
indication of the sort of period that a wagon spends between
attention, though the Society is better resourced now, and the
standards of repair of all the stock is constantly improving.
The floor which was Decolite (bitumastic compound on top of
wood flooring) had not been repaired at all since coming to the
railway and was in a very poor state with holes through
which the track can be seen, Trapped moisture had rotted
all of the floor. This will be replaced and the chassis
de-scaled and repainted.
Details to note: The wagon was
electrically lit, the wooden blocks supporting the switches can
be seen and dummy switches will be added. A plate with the
legend WXQ on the vehicle indicates a 4 wheel wagon exempt from
the ban on such vehicles on the line to Weymouth Quay.
Fruit D wagons have a long wheelbase, screw couplings and vacuum
brakes. The wagon also features eyelets to carry the
operating system to work with "slip coaches".
Given the 1958 build date it is unlikely this feature saw use,
as most slip operations had ended by then.
To give the freight train a bit of
colour and variation the van will be out shopped in
(un-prototypical for the build date) GWR livery with the
"Shirt Button" motif.
For drawing see:
http://www.greatwestern.org.uk/drawings/wagons/draww23.jpg |
