BR 991124 'Tunny' Ballast Wagon
| BR 991124 'Tunny' Ballast Wagon | |
|---|---|
 991124 at Bridgnorth in July 2017 (Gareth Price) | |
| Built By | BR Swindon |
| Status | Operational |
| Number | DB991124 |
| History | |
| Built | 1950 |
| Diagram | 1/568 |
| Lot | 2091 |
| Type | 4-wheel ballast wagon |
| Capacity | 20 tons |
| Telegraphic code | TUNNY |
| TOPS code | ZCO |
| 1990 | Arrived on SVR |
The GWR did not allocate telegraph code names to Civil Engineers wagons, but BR Civil Engineers wagons were commonly given 'fish' telegraph codes. The name 'Tunny' given to this class of 20 ton ballast wagon (Diagram 1/568) comes from a member of the Tuna family[1]. BR went on to adopt the 'Grampus' (Diagram 1/572) as their standard 20 ton design; this had similar dimensions but included end doors. Other smaller GWR ballast wagons also continued to be built by BR for a short time, with the 10 ton and 14 ton versions being given the names 'Starfish' and 'Ling' respectively. The SVR has a number of GWR-built examples of the former type such as 80225.
Service and preservation
DB991124 (the DB prefix indicating a Departmental vehicle of BR origin) was part of a single batch of 120 of these wagons built by BR, appropriately at the ex-GWR Swindon works, between December 1949 and August 1950 as Lot 2091 to Diagram 1/568.[2].
It arrived on the SVR on 18 December 1990 from Southall, London, one of seven vehicles owned by Mr J J Smith to be delivered that year. It was put straight into service by the Permanent Way department where it saw regular use as a spoil carrier.[2] Although the SVR News 'Wagon Repair Notes' noted its arrival,[3] no reports of any subsequent repairs or overhauls have appeared since and by 2012 it was stored in Kidderminster Carriage Shed.[4]
Since that time it has been photographed at Bridgnorth in 2017 (main picture) and in course of being repainted and lettered at Arley between May and July 2021 (below). The livery in the latter pictures appears to be something of a compromise, as illustrations in Rowland (1996) and Larkin Vol 1 (2011) suggest that the ex-works livery would have included the BR-era 6-digit DB number and BR code TUNNY in small lettering but without the large GW logo, while a GWR-built example would have a 5-digit wagon number and no telegraph code.
In course of being painted at Arley in May 2021.
At Arley in July 2021.
