Rolling stock

Vacuum pipes can be seen on the front and rear of many older railway locomotives and rolling stock. They are usually located either on or around the buffer beam and are used to provide a 'through' vacuum to operate the train's braking system....

Brake vans (originally called break vans) were first employed on early industrial tramways and cableways to provide braking should coupling fail. They were needed because early wagons didn't have brakes of their own. These types of wagons are...

The term CCT van stands for 'Covered Carriage Truck'. These Railway vans were designed specifically to carry motor vehicles. First built in the 1950s these vans were subsequently banned by Motorail in the mid-1960s. Clearances for carrying motor...

Initially produced in the 1930s, shock-absorbing wagons were specifically introduced for the carriage of fragile cargoes such as glassware. Springs connected the wagon body to the chassis. In addition to the buffers, these springs provided a...

PalVans, or 'Pallet Vans'  were introduced in the 1950s as a method of loading the increasing amounts of cargoes being transported on wooden pallets. Over 2300 were produced for service by BR. PalVans were specifically designed so that they could...

Bogie Sulphate Wagons were, at the time, famed for being the largest open wagons of their type, but their demise was not quite so glamorous.Eighty bogie sulphate wagons were built in the 1930s to transport fertiliser from the I.C.I works at...

The number of brake vans that were marshalled into a goods train varied depending on the type of rolling stock used, the era in which it operated and any operating requirements specific to a particular journey.The majority of trains featured...

A 'Beetle Van' is a term used to describe a wagon specifically designed to carry prize cattle or other valuable livestock. The wagon was divided into two equally sized livestock compartments that were able to accommodate up to three cows per...

How far couplings protrude from their host wagon, loco or coach is something only kit builders worried about before NEM couplings came along. So why do we now have short, medium or long arm choices?The truth is, the extent to which couplings...

There are a number of ways to add weight to rolling stock so that it will better handle the track and is less likely to derail. One of the key issues is not to add too much weight. If a wagon is too heavy it may create too high a load for the...

Periodically, it is good practice to clean the wheels of locomotives as they can pick up dirt, grease and other contaminants over time. These contaminants, if left unchecked can hinder the electrical connectivity between the track and the...

Inevitably there is a need to provide lubrication to the wheels of locomotives and rolling stock as they operate on a train set. Oil-based lubricants have many advantages as they are thin and as such can offer an ideal lubrication solution. The...