Class V Bogie goods vans (Class Gb before 1900)

Class V Bogie goods vans (Class Gb before 1900)

For many years the majority of the bogie goods vans on the W.A.G.R. system belonged to this class. Indeed until 1915 they also outnumbered the four-wheeled vans of class D. They first entered service in 1896 with 1841-1890 being the lowest numbered batch. Numbers 2197-2212 (1896) and 2213-2246, 2847-2871 (1897) were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co. Stableford and Co built the rest, numbers 3250-3309, 3315, and 3322-5 entering service in 1897 followed by 3310-4, 3316-21, 3326-3449 in 1898. In their early days these vans' sides were varnished but not painted. This soon caused problems and it was decided to repaint them in the standard grey livery soon followed by the later Indian red.

The last active V class van V1885 in the breakdown train

Initially the sides and ends of these vans featured diagonal planking but over the years as the vans were re-clad this was replaced by more conventional vertical planking. However, some vans retained elements of the original arrangement to the end.

Records prior to the start of the wagon cards in 1909 are incomplete but the history of the class in this period is broadly as follows:

Grounded van body showing remnants of diagonal planking.

1901/2	3346, 3405 converted to class WO.
1900-4	3253, 3380 written off (probably accident victims)
1904-6	1850, 3269, 3402 to workmen's vans (later class VW)
1905/6	1877, 3271, 3354, 3372, 3427 to accident vans (later class VC)
1907?	3362 written off
1900-9	1846, 1879, 2862, 3361, 3391 converted to class R

From 1909 a complete record is available of the changes to the class.

1910 1913	2245, 3370 to R 1882, 2847, 3322 to R 2242 to VA	1953	2233, 3256 to VW 1849, 1859, 1868, 1878, 2218, 2223, 2866, 3250/1/5/7, 3273/9, 3280, 3296, 3302, 3373, 3392/5, 3428, 3440/1/7 to VW
	3267 to VC 3421 to VW		1848, 1870, 1890, 2221, 2241, 2855, 3260, 3332/4, 3358, 3363, 3396, 3403 written off
1914	2244 used as survey van 1845/7, 1874, 2205, 2227, 2230, 2848, 2852, 3258, 3262, 3278, 3289, 3291, 3315, 3330/6, 3356, 3376, 3404, 3410-2/8, 3426 to VA	1954	1860, 3264, 3368 to VE 2226, 2864/7, 3298/9, 3314, 3367, 3414, 3435 written off
	3424 to R 3434 to VW	1955	2237, 3263, 3285, 3304/5/9, 3444 to VW 3338, 3390 to VC
1915	2208, 2860, 3448 to VW		1842, 1854, 2203, 2215, 2234, 2243, 2851, 2861, 3266, 3293, 3318, 3345, 3406 written off
1916	2228/9, 3259, 3292, 3335, 3349, 3423 to VA 1844, 1855, 2207 to VW	1956	1853, 1873/5, 2197, 2206, 3252, 3287, 3325/7, 3371/9, 3409, 3443/6 written off
1917	1862, 2211, 2236, 2869, 3272 to VA		3300, 3329, 3341 to VW
1918	1851, 2200/9, 2239, 2858, 3283/8, 3365, 3378 to VA 3375, 3381, 3449 to VW	1957	1864, 1873/5, 2197, 2206, 3252, 3287, 3325/7, 3371/, 3409, 3443/6 written off
1919	1889, 3347, 3413, 3438 to VA		3295, 3377, 3386 to VW
1920	3282, 3331 to VW		2213, 2231, 3307, 3416, 3443 (White Cross)
1921	2225 to VW	1958	2231 ex white cross stock
1923	3268, 3290 to VW		1883, 3281 written off
1924	1869 to VW		3350 to VW
1927	2224, 3394 to VW	1959	3284 to VC
1931	3333 written off 3354 from VC	1960	2232 to VE 3307, 3316, 3416, 3422/7 written off
1935	3377 to VW		1867, 2214, 3439 to VW
1936	3427 from VC 2244, 3321 to VW	1961	1880, 2849, 3355, 33999 written off 2201, 2850, 3306, 3328 written off
1937	3290, 3377 from VW	1962	1843, 1861, 1884, 3242, 3445 written off
1938	3267, 3271 from VC 2853, 3312, 3430 to VC		3337 to VC 3271, 3319, 3320, 3436 to VW
1940	1876, 3286 written off 3354, 3420 sold to Commonwealth Railways NVA class	1963	2232, 3368 from VE 1858, 3388, 3415 to VW
1941	1856, 2865 written off	1964	1860, 3264, 3368 from VE
1942	3359, 3389, 3408,3442 written off 1865, 1870/3, 1857, 1885, 2201, 2210/4, 2241, 2863/7, 3264, 3297/9, 3303/8, 3314/8/9, 3338, 3344, 3383/6, 3414/7 to class VP	1966	3385 to VW 3419 written off 1866 written off
1943	1865, 1870/3, 1857, 1885, 2201, 2210/4, 2241, 2863/7, 3264, 3297/9, 3303/8, 3314/8/9, 3338, 3344, 3383/6, 3414/7 from class VP	1967 1968	3393 written off 1860/5, 2222, 2859, 3270, 3313, 3353, 3360/8, 3383, 3433 written off
1946	2246 written off	1969	3429 written off
1948 1949 1950	3311 written off 2202, 2212 written off 2210, 3364 written off	1970	1841, 1852, 1863, 1871, 1881/7, 2199, 2213/6/9,2220, 2231/2/8, 2854/6/7, 2863, 2870, 3254, 3265/7, 3274-6, 3290/4/7, 3303/8, 3310/7, 3323/4, 3339, 3340/3,3351/7, 3366/9, 3384/7, 3400/1, 3417, 3425, 3431/2/7 to QBB
1951	1872 to VW 3398 written off	1972	1857, 1885, 2198, 2235, 3261, 3301, 3326, 3352 written off

At some point (probably the twenties or thirties V2244 served as a survey van whilst V2222 was used as an instruction van. The vans transferred to "white cross stock" were stencilled "North Fremantle - Robbs Jetty only" as they were unfit for general use. Despite being written off in 1972 V1885 served for many more years in the breakdown train until that was preserved in 1990.