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

When I was in the RAF in 1960 I was stationed at Linton on Ouse in Yorkshire. A full audit of equipment was carried out, it took weeks! It was discovered that a Vampire aircraft was missing; cue for much flapping and headless chicken impersonations.
After several days, it dawned on the brass that the aircraft had been dismantled and most of the bits used as spares. The only recognisable bit left was one tailboom which was found mounted on the wall of the flight crewroom!

Thank goodness for that.

48111

It sure has - though how and exactly when I couldn't say.

On the same theme, there was a well wagon on the old up side sidings at New Cross Gate for years that finally disappeared when the East London Line work started. Wonder if it went to a preservation society or was just scrapped?

And about a year ago I remember seeing a brake van (a Southern Railway type possibly?) in a siding on one of the Colchester line stations (maybe Shenfield).

The Brakevan / Engineers Plough alas is still at Shenfield Station! Ripple Lane West Yard has two roads of Cartics, Brake Vans, Parcels vehicles and other assorted vehicles left isolated when the yard was reorganised. These have been here for over a decade. They are a complete eyesore, a very poor advert for modern railfreight and give the impression of a clapped out run down mode of transport to the travelling public. Maybe DBS will bring a breaker and dispose of them one day. You don't see Eddie Stobart putting their wrecks in the public eye!

I shouldn't think the travelling public's expectations are very high in that respect, insofar as they think about the freight business at all. I should know - i work in it. Mind you, I would have thought that with scrap prices reaching all time highs within the past few years, it would have been worth someone's while to have disposed of all the junk at Ripple Lane.

Who actually owns these wagons and are the brakevans goods brakevans ?

48111

Think there two or three MGR coal hoppers still at the siding at shell in Ellesmere port,been parked there for at least 10 years now,trees and bushs are all round them.....

Theres half burnt out GWR brake van at the sidings at Shotten paper plant in Deeside North wales....

The best place for a
shark is to swim in the sea not for a Guard to ride in.