Dapol O Gauge 7F-053-012 LMS 3466 12-Ton Open Wagon with Corrugated Ends LMS Grey
The British Railways standard design of 5 plank open merchandise wagon was adopted from the late LMS design wagons, fitted with robust steel panel ends. Being quite newly built wagons the LMS livery lasted into the early British Railways period.
British Railways Ideal Stocks Committee favoured the LNER all-steel design wagons as the standard high sided open merchandise wagons, but recognised that the all-steel wagons proved unsuitable for some traffic and wooden bodied wagons would also be required. Wood body wagons noticeably suffered from damage to the end planking as loads shifted, often during shunting. The LMS had addressed this issue with robust corrugated steel end panels and as BR sorted out the left-over pre-nationalisation building programmes diagrams 1/039 and 1/044 appeared as the first of the BR design 5-plank wagons to be built in large numbers.
5,650 wagons were built to diagram 1/039 with vacuum train brakes and sheet support rails, typically lettered 'HIGH-BAR' to indicate the fitting of the sheet rail.