SE&CR Open Goods Wagon 12522

SE&CR Open Goods Wagon 12522
SECR 12522 20190406.jpg
SE&CR Open Goods Wagon 12522 (2019)
Built By SE&CR, Ashford
Status Operational
Number 12522
Other Numbers PBA 58183
History
Built 1920
Diagram 1347
Type 4-wheel 5-plank open
Capacity 10 tons
1975 Preserved
1988 Arrived on the SVR

Goods Wagons

South Eastern and Chatham Railway Open Goods Wagon 12522 was built at Ashford, Kent in 1920. Many wagons of this period were wooden-framed, but this 4-wheel 5-plank example had steel chassis members. As a result it had a long working life, passing to the SR at Grouping in 1923, and surviving into service with BR post-War.

After withdrawal from BR service it was sold to the Port of Bristol Authority where it was renumbered PBA 58183[1].

Preservation

12522 was purchased for preservation in 1975. After being stored for 13 years on a farm near Winterbourne while awaiting restoration, it arrived on the SVR on 1 January 1988, being privately owned at the time by the GWR 813 Fund's Paddy Goss.[1] On arrival it was in generally good condition, although one headstock needed replacement having been severely bent during a heavy shunt in the past. Much of the timber was able to be reused, with the wagon being repainted in SE&CR light grey.[2]

The restoration was completed in time for 12522 to debut in the 2857 75th Anniversary Freight Train on 22 May 1988. Unfortunately it only reached Highley before being stopped with a hot axle box. Investigation subsequently revealed that the spring holding the worsted oiling pad in contact with the journal had collapsed, with the bearing then receiving no lubrication. This had presumably happened after SE&CR pattern axle boxes were fitted and the bearings reassembled, the design of the axle box casting making it impossible to check after reassembly. The journal itself was fortunately undamaged. After re-metalling and machining of the bearing at Bridgnorth and fitting of a new pad, 12522 was repaired in time for an appearance in the Autumn Steam Gala the same year.[3]

A missing brake pin was noted during preparations for the Freight Weekend on 2-3 June 1990, although 12522 duly appeared after this was replaced.[4]

In 2001 one end of 12522 was derailed on trap points outside Bewdley South Box. The wagon was re-railed using the 6-ton steam crane. Some 18 months later the wagon suffered another hot axle box; investigations revealed that during the re-railing both the failed bearing and another at the other end of the wagon had been displaced. Both bearings were re-metaled and machined, and the opportunity taken to replace a number of body planks using second-hand timber from a china clay wagon. A repaint of the SE&CR grey livery was also carried out with the wagon returning to service in early 2004.[5].

By 2017 12522 had been stored for some time awaiting body repairs, latterly in the Tenbury siding at Bewdley in 2015 before moving to the yard at Bewdley circa early 2016 . In summer 2017 the wagon began another overhaul by the Wagon Department at Bewdley Goods Shed. On this occasion installation of new curb rails and replacement of all of the floor and body timbers was required with new brake pins and other parts being fabricated.[6] Some repairs were also required to the underframe.[7] It was completed in March 2019.[8]

In 2022 Rapido Trains produced a commercial OO gauge model, available in SECR grey or SR brown[9].

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 SVR Stock Book Ninth Edition
  2. SVR News 88
  3. SVR News 90
  4. SVR News 96
  5. SVR News 147
  6. National Preservation Forum ‘SVR wagons 2017’ thread
  7. SVR News 205
  8. Wagon department News
  9. Hattons.co.uk (Retrieved 25 March 2022)

Links