No. 331 is a very large convertible 20-ton coke wagon from an order for 200 placed with the Gloucester company in 1929. It is of nine planks (note the very narrow plank second from top) with two doors on each side, each with two door stops, bottom doors and an end door. It is most unusual for the Gloucester company not to declare the wagon livery, instead a comprehensive set of dimensions has been provided: length over buffers 24ft 6in.; length over headstocks 21ft 6in.; inside dimensions: 21ft 0in. x 7ft 6in.; wheelbase 12ft 0in.; height: without coke rails 9ft 3in., with coke rails 11ft 0in.; tare weight without coke rails: 9t. 14cwt 2q., with 9t. 19cwt 3q. The wagons were finished with a red body, unshaded white letters, vertical ironwork black. Italic lettering at bottom right reads: 'Empty to Bedwas Colliery Sidings, Bedwas, G.W.R.'.








Illustrated are three types of tank wagon built by the Gloucester RC & W Co. for specialised transport of chemicals in bulk. No. 133 was photographed in April 1929 and is from the order for thirty such vehicles placed in May the previous year. Its dimensions are: tank, inside diameter 21ft 5in. x 6ft 4in.; overall length 21ft 6in. over headstocks, 24ft 6in. over buffers; width over headstocks 8ft 10in., over crossbraces 6ft 10in.; wheelbase 12ft 0in. The tare weight was 11 tons 12 cwt. Unfortunately Gloucester do not specify what colours the tank wagons they built were painted. Small lettering reads 'Return when empty to Astmoor Works Sidings, Via Warrington and Acton Grange, (Manchester Ship Canal Rly)'. The rectangular plate on the underframe reads: 'the chemical & metallurgical corporation ld, head office, 701 salisbury house, london EC2.' with the secretaries name in the bottom left-hand corner. The plate to the right of the builders plate is an owners plate for Wagon Finance in Sheffield.

A stunning picture postcard view of the Garth Merthyr Colliery in the Llynfi containing much of interest ­ from the proud display of the owner's name on the side of the screens building to the number and variety of wagons in the sidings. Many of these are coke wagons and the bank of coke ovens can be seen to the left in the middle distance. Notice that several of the coke wagons are sheeted over with tarpaulins bearing the wording 'Elders Navigation Specially Selected Foundry Coke'. This would have been hand-picked, loaded into the wagons and then covered to keep it dry in transit ­ not many foundries would have wanted to waste energy in drying the coke in their forges and furnaces before getting any real heat from it. Most of the wagons identifiable belong to Elders, some branded for Maesteg, others for Cardiff. In the line closest to the camera are a 6-plank coke wagon, No. 506 branded Cardiff; what could be a 5-plank with side and end doors and external diagonal strapping, No. 407 for Maesteg; a 4-plank dumb-buffered No. 125 for Maesteg; No. 422, possibly 6-plank with side and end doors and a completely different lettering layout with Maesteg to the right; No. 69 lettered for Maesteg; then four sheeted coke wagons No's 277 (lettered for Maesteg), 535, 515 and 584 for Cardiff;finally 665 and 813 both again displaying differences in lettering styles. In the rows behind coke wagons No's 587 and 518, and coal wagons No's 341 and 713 can be identified.
Emerging from the screens are two wagons for A. E. T. Richards, Traffic Agent, Tondu, numbered 4 and 5, the latter being dumb-buffered. Albert Richards is known to have taken two wagons from Gloucester in 1899, one of which was numbered 2. Photographs of this nature show how little has been recorded of many fleets.