GWR 66 Breakdown Tool Van
| GWR 66 Breakdown Tool Van | |
|---|---|
 GWR Breakdown Tool Van DW 66 (2021) | |
| Built By | GWR Swindon |
| Status | Operational (Static use) |
| Number | 66 |
| Other Numbers | DW 66[1] |
| History | |
| Built | 1921 |
| Lot | 864 |
| Type | 4-w tool van |
| Telegraphic code | n/a |
| By 1974 | Preserved |
| 1976 | Arrived on SVR |
| 1986 | Restored for P-Way use |
| 2010 | Used as a sales van |
GWR Breakdown Tool Van DW 66 is a 6-wheel Tool Van. In service these Tool Vans carried a large selection of equipment and lifting tackle, and were paired with Riding/Dormitory Vans such as GWR89. They were vacuum-braked to permit fast running to the scene of accidents and breakdowns on the railway.[2] The SVR is home to three other tool vans, 112, 141 and 118, the last being a short wheelbase type.
DW 66 in service and preservation[edit | edit source]
DW 66 was built in 1921 and first allocated to Taunton. It was originally gas lit and when preserved, all the fittings apart from gas mantles and light shades were still intact.[3] It remained in the Taunton breakdown train, and was recorded there after the Second World War with station pilot GWR 3300 Class 'Bulldog' No 3361.[4]
The date of DW 66's withdrawal from BR service is not recorded, although its early preservation was associated with the Erlestoke Manor Fund. After being acquired by the Fund, 7812 Erlestoke Manor initially moved from Barry to a temporary home at the now-closed Dowty R.P.S. preservation site at Ashchurch near Tewkesbury in 1974. After lengthy negotiations with the SVR, 7812 then moved to the Railway on 23 April 1976, hauled by English Electric Type 3 diesel 37183 and accompanied by Tool Van 66, Riding Van 162 and FRUIT D 92090.[5]
The EMF owned DW 66 until 1985, when it was put up for sale (up to that time, no restoration work had been carried out). At the same time, the SVR's P-Way train did not include a separate tool van, with tools being stored in the Brake Van 17410. After the brake van became so full of tools that it was no longer possible for the guard to reach the handbrake, DW 66 was acquired by the GWR 813 Preservation Fund to overcome this problem.[3]
DW 66 was restored at Bewdley. Damaged and rotten roof and side planks were replaced and the roof was recanvassed. The four roof skylights were repaired and refitted. Work was paused while the rake of wagons was prepared for the demonstration goods train taken on the main line to Newport, hauled by GWR 2857.[3] After work resumed, the gas pipework was refitted and the van finished in chocolate with red ends, branded as LOCO CARRIAGE & WAGON DEPT. TAUNTON. By summer 1986 it had taken its place in Gerry Carter's P.Way train,[6] where it saw almost daily use.[2]
Around 2009, DW 66 was moved to the siding at Hampton Loade where was loaned to the Barry Railway Carriage Trust for use as a sales vehicle. While there, it received some cosmetic restoration, including external re-planking and internal refurbishment.[7] Many of the original features of the van including the metal shelving have been retained and incorporated into the shop.[8]
In 2024 the Trust moved their base and their carriage 163 to the Gwili Railway, after which time GWR 66 became used as an additional sales area for the Hampton Loade Station Fund Shop. The Station Fund are responsible for its care, while ownership of the van remains with the GWR 813 Fund[8].
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Railway Heritage Register Wagon Survey
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 SVR Stock Book Ninth Edition
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 SVR News 78
- ↑ Venning, Roger, 'Taunton in the 'forties', Great Western Railway Journal Number 31 (Summer 1999), 362-81, via Steam index.com (Retrieved 2 October 2024)
- ↑ SVR News 40, p. 14., Erlestoke Manor on the SVR, Bob Marrrows.
- ↑ SVR News 80
- ↑ SVR News 209, p. 38.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 GWR 813 Fund notice in the shop, September 2024