Missing Wagon.
 

Heres a good one. Whilst looking through very old BR notices, all yellowed by age, in fact I did not remember I still had them.
I came across BRITISH Railways, London Midland Region, General Instructions and Notices Period of Saturday 6 july to Friday 2 August 1968.

Missing vehicles.

SK M1902 M
The above mentioned vehicle has been reported missing and if located please wire Euston for Instructions
.........................................
LSV 75558 allocated to the Crewe - York - Gateshead working has not been seen since 18 November 1967. If located please wire Derby.
.......................................
Non Gangwayed Stock missing.
Push & Pull SM15884M IS OUTSTANDING for condemnation, is missing if located wire Euston
......................................
Container SW82061 in Truck No 417500 M
The container is missing containing 50 side lamps and 50 Tail Lamps. If located please wire Derby.
..................................


"Oh" dear "Silly Billys losing all that LOL.

48111

There was a aggregates hopper in Godstone sidings for years. I don't think it was lost - it probably had with some sort of immobilsing defect. It was there in about 2000/01 when I first started using the Redhill-Tonbridge line on a regular basis and it finally disappeared after about five years.

I think the Russian railways have been reputed to have lost whole trains between Moscow and Vladivostock.

In the 80's Southern lost a Class 73 for a while
Found round the back of Stewarts Lane somewhere

That would be before TOPS. As I remember it, a major motivation in acquiring TOPS was to try and keep track of the thousands of individual wagons BR had at that time.

missing waggons
 

Not the only time - and it still happens today!

Several locations that I can think of, may not know about all that is hiding 'round the back'! (and not just the standard gauge main lines, try some of the narrow gauge places....):D

Theres been a wagon in Slough yard for years now it will never be more by rail again as the track is no longer there :rolleyes:

All the best,Ian

I remember that wagon! I always looked out for it when I passed through Godstone. So it's finally gone has it?

Pre-TOPS there were legendary tales of Scrap Merchants where wagons would disappear. One such was a long gone Lea Valley private siding where the M25 now occupies. Preparing for the introduction of TOPS an exercise was carried out where every wagon was identified and number recorded, even grounded bodies and wagons sold to third parties. Bruces Wharf at Grays, Essex had wagons off the Caledonian Railway at the shipbreakers sidings. When TOPS came into being many a heated telephone conversation was held where wagons were requested to be forwarded and they could not be found by the yard staff concerned. On searching it soon became obvious these wagons were stores, farm animal shelters or seriously damaged non-runners which had lain forgotten for years.

While working for BP in about '84 in Johannesburg, I was called by someone who had purchased a couple of tank cars of LPG at the Goods Auction for the South African Ralways.

Normally, the purchases are damaged boxes of oranges!

Two of us drove out to the East Rand to inspect them. One was empy one was full of LPG. I guess we had the last laugh..... the loaded one had got lost and was carrying a Shell load!

I remember hearing a story about EWS losing a loco for a month once and it turned up on Healey Mills shed where it had been all along. It was shortly after that episode that EWS fitted GPS to all its loco's so they wouldn't lose any again. :D