Can anyone idenfify these wagons seen in South Wales in 1965 please?

[The Johnster]

6 hours ago, Cwmtwrch said:

so the only vehicle which might be neither fitted nor piped is the brake van, and that seems very unlikely given the weight of the train and the date?

 

5 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

It's a BR or LNER van so will be fitted or, more likely, piped.

 

There were unfitted and unpiped BR standard and LNER 20tonner brake vans, in grey livery, even in the 70s.  The vast majority were in Bauxite fitted livery, albeit 'piped through' rather than fitted, though.  There was considered to be no need to fit brake vans with vacuum brakes because there is a sentient (arguably, sometimes) brake operating system aboard, the guard or travelling shunter.  These vans were provided with brake 'setters', air inlet valves by which the guard could apply the vacuum brake throughout the train if it was fully fitted.  There were a few non-pool vans that were fitted with operating vacuum brakes for various operational reasons, and kept reserved for whatever that wor was.  It is most probable that this is a BR standard 20ton brake van, piped only, these were the huge majority.

 

I couldn't swear to the sidelamp (though I often swore at them), and assuming the wagons are all vacuum braked the van would only carry sidelamps if the vacuum brake could not be applied from the van.  Otherwise, if vacuum was connected throughout, a single tail lamp is sufficient. 

 

I agree with Brian that Llanwern is the likely detinationfor a single 37 with assistance up Stormy (standing start from Margam) but I don't have my load tables any more (!).  Double-headed 37s were rare in South Wales in '65, but became common a very short time later with the introduction of the Aberthaw-various locations in northern Somerset Pulverised Fly Ash trains in connection with the M5 construction work, in HAAs which we called 'ash trays' at the time; they were a bit like the Maltese Cross ashtrays we'd all made in metalwork classes, the first of my many soldering failures...   They appeared on this part of the SWML when the Gulf Waterston-Albion via the North & West 16x TEA trains started, not 100% sure of exact date but 1969 or 70 I think, and the load is 982tons trailing, 1087 gross, which sounds about right maximum for a single 37 up from Margam.

 

9 hours ago, br2975 said:

 

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by The Johnster

[hmrspaul]

The original photo is very nice, not often seen as loaded wagons.

 

My photos have been mentioned earlier, but ignored! Includes a couple of the internal users at ASW. https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brcoilz

 

There is a scale drawing in BR Wagons Bartlett et al  Fig 44.   A complex measuring job that took 4 of us to do. 

 

Paul

[ColinK]

On 02/12/2023 at 12:30, Wickham Green too said:

Maybe they're heavy mattresses for heavy sleepers ?

Brilliant, one of the best jokes on RMweb.  You’ve got my warped mind working overtime.  While I do build serious layouts, as an antidote I also build ‘fun’ layouts, so ideas for a mattress or sleeper factory are developing

 

Menwhile back to wagons …

[Wickham Green too]

Yes, the railway has sleepers and it has sleepers ..... 

[The Johnster]

And, aboard certain trains, you can be, be in, be on, and be over a sleeper simultaneously.  And they say men can't multitask...

[Wickham Green too]

... in our sleep !

[Rail-Online]

Thanks Guys,

 

Very informative, amusing and interesting answers to the query!

 

Cheers Tony