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Great Western Railway 5-plank open wagon No. 87782

GWR 5-plank No. 87782, April 2003. Richard Salmon

This 10-ton capacity 5-plank vehicle was built for the Great Western Railway by the Gloucester Carriage and Wagon Company. It was one of a thousand (Nos. 87001–88000) in Lot 697, which was ordered on 20 October 1911 and completed on 28 December 1912. 87782, which was completed during week ending 23 November 1912, is thus a pre-Grouping vehicle. The average cost per wagon was £112. 10,815 of these vehicles were built by or for the GWR to their diagram O11, and they were known by the telegraphic code "OPEN A".

No.87782 is fitted with a handbrake only, this being of the Dean/Churchward ratchet type (as the name suggests this was designed by GWR mechanical engineers; it was widely used by the GWR but rarely by other railways). It thus had a relatively low original tare (empty) weight of 5 tons 18 cwt 0 qtr, although it was marked 5 tons 17 cwt on arrival at Bluebell.

The wagon was originally fitted with a sheet support rail. At the Grouping in 1923 most goods were carried in open wagons, those containing goods that required some protection being covered with a tarpaulin sheet. To prevent water accumulating in hollows and leaking onto the goods, many wagons were fitted with a sheet support which allowed water to run off.

During the Great War (1914–1918) a number of locomotives and wagons were taken over by the military for use overseas. 87782 was requisitioned on 21 February 1917 and was returned to the GWR on 11 April 1920. Our wagon is thus a veteran of the Great War!

Notes on 87782 from the GWR Wagon Register:

Type: Open goods
Body: Wood
Length: 15' 6"
Width: 7' 7"
Height: 3' 3"
Frame: Iron
Length of spring: 3' 4 1/4"
Axles -
Length between centres of journals: 6' 6"
Size of journals 8" x 3 3/4"
Diameter through boss of wheels: 5 1/4"
Diameter in middle: 4 3/4"
Wheels -
No: Four
Diameter: 3' 1 1/2"
Base: 9' 0"
Buffers: Self-contained
Drawgear: Special through
Brake: RH either side

Stabled Corr(espondence reference) 89492. Repaired and returned to traffic Corr No. 96435 11/5/32

Haywoods Slack Adjuster Sw(indon) 7.1.39

W87782 was condemned on the London Midland Region on 21 February 1959 and sold by BR to the Port of Bristol Authority on 26 December 1959. It was renumbered PBA 59627 and continued in service within the docks until the late 1970s, after which it was purchased for the Bluebell Railway by Neil Cameron, arriving with other vehicles from Bristol Docks in June 1981.

The wagons at Bristol were regularly repaired. This one has been fitted with replacement headstocks and reinforced door pillars. The original GWR self-contained buffers were replaced with Dowty pneumatic buffers. The solebars and underframe on this wagon are in particularly good condition, considering that it must be at least 96 years old!

With almost 11,000 of these wagons in service they would have travelled widely, and would have been regular visitors to the Southern Railway area over a 40-year period. Thus one would certainly not be out of place in one of Bluebell's goods trains.

The volunteer wagon gang would like to restore GW 87782 during 2009/10. Some individuals have offered to contribute towards the estimated £850 cost. This is where we need your help... see below.

This work will include:-
a) riveting the headstocks into position
b) modifying the door pillars to the original pattern and riveting them onto the solebars
c) obtaining and fitting suitable GWR pattern self-contained buffers or similar
d) repairs to body metalwork
e) fitting new floor and body timberwork, and painting.

To put the costs in perspective, each floorboard costs around £12; each 2.5 litre tin of paint costs almost £25. There will be no labour costs – all donations will be spent on materials.

We would also be interested in learning of any more specific history about the vehicle.

By September 2009 it was clear that we were more likely to raise the money for the project than not, so with a few hundred pounds in the kitty and work on LMS medium goods wagon 474558 drawing to a close, we requested that No.87782 be brought over to the down yard at Horsted Keynes so that we could commence work on it.

See full details and photos of progress with the wagon's restoration.