The Furness Railway Trust is delighted to have securedthe purchase of the only known surviving Furness freight railway wagon .
FR bogie bolster wagon - believed to be FR Number5999 built in 1918 - was designed to transport heavy loadssuch as rails made at the Barrow steelworks for export through Barrowdocks.
Littleis known about the vehicle's history after the Furness Railway wasamalgamated into the London Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. It isknown that by 1961, or possibly earlier, the vehicle had been sold intoindustrial use with International Combustion of Derby where it was usedto transport large steel fabrications. This work came to an end in 1987and it was donated to the Midland Railway Trust at Butterley forpreservation.
The MRT had contacted the FRT when the wagon becamesurplus to its requirements and a sale was quickly agreed. The vehiclehas since been moved to the Ribble Steam Railway, Preston.
Thebogie bolster retains original features including its "FR" Number 9pattern stamped axle-box covers. This was the standard axle box used by the FR from about 1900 onwards for both passenger carriages andwagons. It is thought that the current timber decking, the 3 hole discwheels and rather stubby buffers are unlikely to be original, and ofcourse during its life it has also lost railway bolster.
Itneeds some minor remedial attention and will receive a repaint in duecourse. There are no known photographs of these vehicles in FR use, butphotographic evidence of a similar well wagon had it painted in FR greywith black bogies and axleboxes, and with the letters "FR" in white onthe solebars.
The FRT views this vehicle as not only a key part of thesurviving FR heritage, but a useful asset; indeed the wagon has alreadybeen put into action carrying the cab top and saddletank of the Trust's
FRT Chairman Tim Owen says "we had been aware of thiswagon for quite some time, and even enquired about buying it many yearsago, so we are extremely pleased to have added this vehicle to ourcollection".
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