One of the key drivers of industrial growth throughout the 20th century was the idea that good could be transported in standardised containers. Flat wagons provided a huge amount of versatility due to the fact that goods could be loaded into the container before being placed onto a train, and the container could be removed at the other end to continue its journey to the customer.
The most common type of Conflat wagon was the Conflat A which could carry two type A containers or a single type B container. The Conflat B wagon was able to carry wider containers such as a pair of AFP frozen food containers.