LMS 476401 Open Wagon
This LMS drop-sided wagon was built circa 1944-45 at Derby. Initially these wagons may have been used for moving small pieces of military equipment, but post-War were mainly used for moving containers, the drop-sides removing the need for chaining these down unlike ordinary flat wagons such as the “Conflat”. The wagons were vaccum-fitted, and were given the telegraph code “Medfit”.
While still in service, 476401 was later fitted with a small crane to assist Carriage and Wagon repair teams carrying out wagon wheel changes ‘in the field’. This crane can still be seen on the wagon today. The wagon was moved to the SVR from the fledgling Southall Railway Preservation Centre in 1990 by owner J.J. Smith, along with several other wagons including Brake Van 955243. As of April 2015, the wagon and crane are stored in the “Bewdley Triangle” between the SVR and the Stourport Branch; where they can be seen in the photograph behind GWR Ballast Wagon 60532.
Sources
Railway Heritage Register Wagon Survey (states build date as 1944)
Severn Valley Railway Stock Book Ninth Edition (states build date as 1945)