Dapol O Gauge 7F-059-008 Shell Lubricating Oils 1793 Yellow 14-Ton Class B Oil Tank Wagon
Expected Summer 2019
Air Ministry design class B oil tank wagon in use for Shell Lubricating Oils distribution with a yellow painted tank.
Tankers used for less volatile oil products such as lubricating and electrical oils were exempt from the usual rules for painting tanks in warning colours and a range of eye-catching liveries were applied.
These oil tank wagons were built to orders from the air ministry during WW2, increasing the British tank wagon fleet during a time of high demand for aviation fuel. The wagons were sold on to the oil companies after the end of hostilities.
Most were built as Class A wagons for highly flammable products like petrol and aviation fuel, using the standard RCH 17'6" long 10' wheelbase chassis equipped with either side brakes and oil axleboxes. The 4275 gallon cylindrical tank was saddle mounted on transverse timber baulks and usually platforms were provided either side of a central filler hatch.
Tankers for less flammable class B products (eg tar) were usually fitted with heating tubes to raise the temperature of heavy oil products and persuade it to flow more easily and bottom discharge valves, were not permitted for class A products.