Parkside Kits O Gauge PS33 RCH 1923 13-ton 8 Plank Open Wagon on Steel Underframe
This kit models the 8 plank height version of the 1923 wagon with a steel underframe. These wagons were commonly ordered by collieries and coal factors and for use with less dense coals, where the extra height was needed for a full 12 tons load. The LNER owned a number of wagons built to this design for mineral traffic. The robust steel underframe many of these wagons lasted in service with British Railways into the 1960s, making this kit suitable for a range of liveries from private owners through wartime economy lettering and unpainted wood finish to BR grey.
Supplied with metal wheels and 3 link couplings. Transfers for BR ex-private owner wagon lettering.
Following the grouping the Railways Clearing House (RCH) issued a thoroughly updated set of wagon design specifications in 1923.
The mineral wagon was larger than previously, increasing to 16ft6in over ends, and in 7 or 8 plank height form intended to convey 12 tons of coal. The new specification required that new wagons be equipped with oil lubricated axleboxes, which ran more freely and required less maintenance than grease lubricated axleboxes. The LMS and LNER both adopted RCH 1923 designs as their standard mineral wagons, initially with wood and later steel underframes.
The wagon fleet was taken into government control in 1939 for the duration of WW2, during which time the government asked that private owners continue to order new wagons in proportion to their fleets, these wagons going directly to pool service. Steel was now becoming the usual underframe construction used by the major wagon building companies and after the war the nationalisation of Britain's railways resulted in the wagons never being returned, their owners being paid hire and purchase payments in compensation.
After 6 years of war service British Railways found itself possessing a large fleet of mineral wagons, some of considerable age. The majority of the pre-1923 design wagons were thoroughly worn out, while many of the wood underframe 1923 type were also in poor condition, having faced 10 years of minimal maintenance. The steel underframe wagons fared much better, as unless involved in a serious accident the underframe usually needed far less routine maintenance and could be expected to still be serviceable, with just the body requiring repairs.
While BR embarked on a programme to build (eventually around 200,000) steel bodied coal/mineral wagons this would take many years, so many 1923 type wagons, both steel and wood framed versions, which were in a suitable condition for repair were overhauled, allowing the more rapid scrapping of older wagons to take place. The overhauled wagons were replaced steadily through the 1950s with the BR all-steel 16 ton mineral, though could still be found in the mid-1960s with many seeing further service as 'internal user' wagons at NCB collieries into the early 1980s.