At the end of World War 2 there was a general slump in trade
and large numbers of surplus wagons were temporarily stored in sidings across
the country. The six covered wagons (telegraphic code Mink, or Mink A for
vacuum fitted) in these four photographs were in the sidings at Bearley in
1947. Although they are in a state of disrepair and were probably on route for
disposal, they are typical of the covered rolling stock built in the early part
of the twentieth century and operated by the Great Western Railway until
nationalisation. Details of the individual wagons are given below:
1a) 11950 A diagram V5 ten ton wooden Mink built
in 1904 as part of lot L443 in . The wagon was 16 foot long on a 9 foot
wheelbase and was 7 foot tall. These wagons had a single central bonnet vent at
each end. As built, the 325 wagons of this type had a Dean Churchward (DC I)
double brake on one side only. This was originally operated from the same end
on both sides and this wagon has been modified for right hand brake operation.
The wagon was built with oil axle boxes. The tare is 6 tons 2 cwt.
1b)
79236 A diagram V4 ten ton wooden Mink A built in 1904 as part of lot L476. The
wagon was 16 foot long on a 9 foot wheelbase and the first 178 were 8 foot 0.5
inches tall. These wagons were built without ventilators, but twin bonnet vents
were fitted at each end after 1923, requiring the original end cross bracing to
be replaced with diagonal bracing. The wagon has a Dean Churchward (DC II)
vacuum brake fittings with eight clasp type brake blocks, a modification
undertaken in 1905, which made them suitable for the new express freight
services. The wagons had oil axle boxes and the couplings are the instanter
type.
1c) 26653 A diagram V12 ten ton wooden Mink A believed to have
been built in 1907 as part of lot L560. The wagon was 16 foot long on a 9 foot
wheelbase and was 7 foot 6.5 inches tall. As built these wagons had two sets of
wooden shuttered louvers at each end, but these were later replaced with bonnet
vents. This wagon has Dean Churchward (DC III) vacuum brake fittings, oil axle
boxes and instanter couplings.
2) 85416 – Ex Spillers and Baker Ltd 10 ton Iron Mink
No. 081 built by Harrison and Camm of Rotherham to carry flour to Roath Dock,
Cardiff. Three hundred of these wagons were purchased from Spillers by the
Great Western Railway in June 1911 and renumbered. They were 16 foot long on a
9 foot wheelbase and 6 foot, 8.5 inches tall. They had several distinguishing
features including; GWR patent Dean Churchward (DC I) double brakes on both
sides, operated by the short handles on the same end each side (on some the
left hand DC brake was replaced with a single lever operated brake to comply
with Board of Trade requirements), very short central bonnet end vents, two
angled commode handles on each end and had twenty inch lettering in the end
panels because the standard 25 inch letters were too large to fit between the
stanchions. They were also heavier than standard Iron Minks with a 6 ton 17 cwt
tare weight being typical. As built, they had grease axle boxes but these were
changed shortly after purchase for OK oil axle boxes. The wagon’s double
side doors would have originally been steel, but it was normal in the 1930s
when replacements were required, to change them for vertically planked wooden
doors.
3) 11403 Another diagram V5 ten ton wooden Mink built in
1903 as part of lot L411. The wagon was 16 foot long on a 9 foot wheelbase and
was 7 foot tall. These wagons had a single central bonnet vent at each end.
This wagon has a Dean Churchward (DC I) double brake on one side only. This was
operated from the same end on both sides and it appears that unlike the
previous V5 wagon, this wagon was never modified for right hand brake
operation. The wagon was built with oil axle boxes.
4) 85839 – Ex Taff Vale Railway ten ton Iron Mink No.
5411 built in the company’s Cathays Works in 1905 and taken over by the
Great Western Railway at the Grouping in 1923. The wagon was 17 foot, 4 inches
long on a 9 foot wheelbase and was 5 foot 7.5 inches tall with a single bonnet
vent at each end. It had a pressed steel underframe and was built with a
one-sided double lever brake, but this was modified circa 1912 to have double
lever brakes on both sides in line with Board of Trade requirements. Originally
the wagon had grease axle boxes but these were replaced with OK oil axle boxes
in November 1925. The wagon was condemned in February 1949.
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