Class P and ZP four-wheeled Brake vans (Class D before 1900)

Before 1900 the four and six wheeled brakevans were divided into two groups. The passenger brake vans were in class C along with all of the bogie brake vans (later class Z) and the six wheelers. The goods brake vans were in class D. There was also a single ballast brake van of class DB dating from 1885.

The D class vans are less easy to follow than the C's. There were a total of thirteen goods type four wheelers in class D belonging to two diagrams. It is known that two of these thirteen vans were 1879 vehicles from the Northern Railway whilst another three were purchased from the M.R.W.A. in October 1893. These three were M.R.W.A. F class vans C, F and H (they were lettered not numbered on the M.R.W.A.). These may well have been D11-13 as only two of this type show up in the diagram book.

A Goods type P van at the head of a Kalgoorlie area suburban train. (Photo reproduced from "Travels in Western Australia", May Vivienne, Heinemann 1901)

Old Number	Believed Built	New wagon stock number	Date renumbered	Fate
D1	1881	P 4992	20/9/00	Destroyed by fire 3/2/1905 Midland Junction
D2	1884	-	-	Would have been 4993 but written off 1898-9
D3	9/1885	P 4994	13/11/00	Gone before 1913
D4	8/1886	P 4995	30/10/00	Gone before 1913
D5	1886	P 4996	6/10/00	Written off 1904-5?
D6	8/1886	P 4997	1/9/00	Gone before 1913
D7	6/1892	P 4998	1/9/00	Sold 1908-9 (probably to the G.W.S. Mundaring Weir Line)
D8		-	-	Would have been 4999 but written off about 1900
D9	6/1892	P 5000	28/11/00	Reclassified ZP June 1936. Written off March 1943 and sold at Hopetoun.
D10		P 5001	28/11/00	Written off before 1904
D11		-	-	Would have been 5002 but written off about 1900
D12	6/1892	P 5003	29/10/00	Sold to P.W.D. October 1915
D13	6/1892	P 5004	22/9/00	Sold to P.W.D. October 1915

The image above shows the sole survivor of the original W.A.G.R. D class vans. For many years after being sold from W.A.G.R. service it was used on the Onslow tramway and has since been preserved there. Following cyclone damage it has been moved to Midland for restoration and in seen above in the workshops (2004). Changes from original 1890's condition include the sliding doors and the steel ducket but the running gear (including the axleboxes) and most of the body looks original. The steel ducket suggests that it was one of the later survivors in W.A.G.R. service (possibly D9 later P5000)

In June 1918 a P van was transferred from the P.W.D. to the W.A.G.R. It was numbered 10077 by the W.A.G.R. and was probably one of the older vans sold out of service. It was rebuilt in May 1920 and written off in June 1929. It was used on the isolated Norseman-Esperance section during this period. From 1936 the remaining four-wheeled brake vans were reclassified ZP.

In addition there were two ex-Bunbury railway tramcar type brakevans which were not deemed fit for mainline use. They were 17'-0" long over headstocks with a clerestory roof , double doors in the sides, no windows and platform ends. One of these two vans had gone by 1899.

It is believed that one surviving ex Bunbury Tram type carriage was converted into an accident van at around the turn of the century. It was numbered P201 although for how long it retained the P classification is not known. In 1927 it was replaced by a D class van with the same number.

The photo at left is believed to show one of the two Bunbury brakevans (with the clerestory roof).(Photo courtesy J Austin)

The W.A.G.R.'s other brake vans can be found under Class Z. After 1936 the remaining four-wheeled vans were class ZP. In 1953 two experimental four-wheeled vans were built which were class ZF.