Model Railway Forum

PART 1
A guide to Special Constructed Railway Wagons which were built to carry exceptional loads. The name of the type is followed by the code name in capital letters, and a brief description. I hope this may prove useful.

British Railways telegraph codes for Specially Constructed Wagons –

Armour Plate – ARM – Short bogie flat wagon for heavy concentrated loads (British Railways standard type codes ARM WE, WF, EL, ET)

Boiler – BOILER – Bogie wagon for carrying boilers, originally intended to carry Lancashire boilers in a cradle in the wagon deck. (BOILER EG, EF), Also a multi axle wagon for carrying power station steam boilers (BOILER EB).

Chemical Pan – LOWMAC MH – Four wheel depressed centre wagon for carrying chemical pans, a Lowmac with a hole in centre of deck, and timber baulks.

Flat – FLAT – Long bogie flat wagon for awkward loads, also 4 wheeled flat wagon. (FLAT ED, EL, EQ, ET, EU, WG)

Girder – GIRDER – Separate bogie frames with turn tables for carrying exceptionally long loads such as bridge girders. The load becomes part of the wagon unit. (GIRDER WG)

Glass – GLASS – 4 wheel and bogie well wagon with supporting frame for glass in crates. (GLASS WC, EO, EP)

Gun – GUNSET – multiple bogie wagon for carrying large naval gun barrels.

Machine – LOWMAC – four wheel wagon with ramped ends and deck below 3’ above rail for wheeled machinery suitable for loading from end dock . (LOWMAC AB, EK, EO, EP, ER, ES, ET, EU, MR, MS, MU,SC, SF, SG, SH, WBB, WE, WP, WN, WV)

Machine – HYMAC - four wheel wagon with ramped ends and deck 3’ or over above rail for wheeled machinery suitable for loading from end dock . (HYMAC EP, EX)

Rectank – RECTANK – bogie wagon with ramped ends for wheeled /tracked machinery for loading from end dock. (RECTANK EC, WC)

Carriage truck – CARTRUCK - unfitted, CARFIT - with vacuum brake, – four wheeled flat wagon for wheeled vehicles for loading from end dock.

Roll- ROLL – four wheeled wagon for steel mill rolls in cradles.

Stator – STATOR – multi axle wagon for carrying generator Stators suspended on long girders.

Transformer – TRANSFORMER – bogie wagon with removable side girders for carrying large transformers and similar indivisible loads slung between them. (TRANSFORMER MC)

Trestle plate – TRESTLE – four wheel or bogie wagon for carrying wide plates on angled trestles. (TRESTLE AA, AB, EA, ED, EH)

Trolley, flat – FLATROL – four wheel or bogie wagon with depressed level flat deck between raised ends. Removable longitudinal baulks.(FLATROL EA, EAB, EAC, ED, EDC, EG, EL, EN, ET, EV, EX, EY, EZ, MCC, MDD, MHH, MJ, MSS, MUU, MVV, SB, WW, WX .

Trolley, propeller – PROTROL- . four wheel or bogie wagon with depressed well between raised ends with opening for carrying ships propellers supported between longitudinal timber baulks.(PROTROL ED, EG)

Trolley, trestle – TRESTROL – four wheel or bogie wagon with depressed well for carrying extra wide plates on angled trestles.(TRESTROL AB, EC, EO, EJ, EN, MO)

Trolley, well – WELTROL – four wheel or bogie wagons with depressed well deck between raised ends. Removable longitudinal baulks.(WELTROL EB, EC, EJC, EL, ENN, EP, MA, MC, MV, WBB,WGG, WH, WJ, WL, WP, WW, WZ)

Wheel – WHEEL – four wheel or bogie wagon with framework to support colliery head gear wheels carried vertically. (WHEEL EA, EL)

WD Flat (for tanks) – WARFLAT – 50 ton flat wagon originally intended for armoured fighting vehicles.

WD Case (for crates) – PARROT – 50 ton wagon originally intended for crates of aircraft parts

WD Well (for tanks) – WARWELL –50 ton well wagon originally intended for armoured fighting vehicles.

Specially Constructed wagons used by the Civil Engineer

Four wheel flat trolley – LORIOT

Multi Axle Boiler wagon modified to carry bridge girders – BRIDGE

150 ton Girder wagon set - CONGER

Part 2
Great Western Railway used the following telegraph codes for its Specials –

POLLEN – Girder wagon

TOTEM – Armour Plate

SERPENT – Roll Wagon, Car Truck

CROCODILE – Well Trolley, Flat Trolley, Boiler Trolley, Transformer

RECTANK – Rectank

MOREL – Propellor Trolley

LORIOT – Lowmac, 4 wheel Flat Trolley

BEAVER – Flat Truck

GADFLY – Flat Truck

HYDRA – Lowmac

MAYFLY – Four wheel transformer truck

London and North Eastern Railway used telegraph codes as follows –

Armour Plate Wagon – ARM

Bell wagon – BELL for carrying cast church bells.

Boiler – BOILER

Flat wagon – FLAT

Glass wagon – GLASS / WELL GLASS

Gunset – GUNSET

Machine wagon, high ramped – IMP (Hymac)

Machine wagon, low ramped – MAC (Lowmac)

Twin machine wagon, ramped – TWIN IMP

Rectank ramped – RECTANK

Traction engine – TRACTION

Pulley or Wheel wagon – PULLEY - for colliery winding wheels

Transformer – TRANSFORMER

Flat trolley wagon – FLATROL

Open Well wagon (removable crossbars) – WELTROL

Propeller trolley wagon – PROTROL

Trestle trolley wagon – TRESTROL

Part 4

London Midland and Scottish Railway used letter telegraph codes instead of names –

Armour Plate – HAX, AZ, AE

Gunset – GUNSET MB, GUNSET M

Low Machine – U10, U1R

Low Machine, Chemical Pan - U10

High Machine – TRK

Deep Case Truck – DCK

Glass Truck – GLK

4 wheel Flat Trolley – TYK, TYO, TYR

Bogie Flat Trolley – BTO, BTZ

Bogie Trestle Trolley – BTA, BTZ, BTP, BTE

Bogie Well Trolley – BTZ, BTP, BTC, BTO

Transformer – BTY, BTW

Girder Set – TGP, TGT,

The Southern had very few Specially Constructed Wagons and used MAC or WELL interchangably for Machinery wagons, and CROCODILE for Weltrol wagons.

Thank you LC. Fantastic. I wonder if this could be made a sticky.

Brilliant information, thank you so much for sharing this.