AJ later ZJ class Bogie Brake vans

AJ later ZJ class Bogie Brake vans

In 1902 the first ten of the twenty-three AJ class passenger brake vans was delivered. These had no passenger accommodation but were used exclusively on passenger trains and so they had a coach class designation (i.e. beginning with the letter A). The first ten were built by the Ashbury carriage and Wagon Co. The bodies were 7'-4" wide and 49'-2" long and they originally had 5'-6" wheelbase coach bogies. Later they all had 6'-3" wheelbase bogies.

Number	Issued to traffic	New 6'-3" bogies	Green and Cream	Written off
AJ263	May 1902	?	Never	October 1957
AJ264	May 1902	?	Never	December 1954
AJ265	May 1902	February 1923	December 1963	April 1978
AJ266	May 1902	?	February 1963?	March 1992
AJ267	May 1902	?	October 1966	March 1984
AJ268	August 1902	?	May 1962	April 1978
AJ269	August 1902	?	September 1966	January 1980
AJ270	August 1902	?	May 1962	November 1985
AJ271	August 1902	?	May 1962	July 1981
AJ272	August 1902	May 1923	September 1960	August 1979

There are newspaper reports of a brakevan being destroyed by fire at Malcolm on 7 November 1904. It seems this was AJ266 as this van was recorded as "rebuilt" in September 1905.

The second batch of ten built in 1906/7 by Westralia Ironworks and W.A.G.R. were wider (7'-113/4") but otherwise identical. A final batch of three built by W.A.G.R. appeared in 1919. The AJ's all seem to have been re-equipped with 6'-3" wheelbase bogies at some point in the early 1920's and probably got electric light at the same time.

Number	Issued to traffic	Built by	New bogies	Green and Cream	Written off
AJ359	February 1907	Westralia Ironworks	?	June 1965	August 1973
AJ360	February 1907	Westralia Ironworks	?	Never	January 1949
AJ361	February 1907	Westralia Ironworks	May 1924	1964/5?	July 1981
AJ362	February 1907	Westralia Ironworks	?	1964/5?	July 1985
AJ363	February 1907	Westralia Ironworks	?	June 1965	April 1978
AJ364	December 1906	W.A.G.R.	?	April 1965	July 1981
AJ365	December 1906	W.A.G.R.	?	September 1964	July 1981
AJ366	January 1907	W.A.G.R.	December 1921	June 1964	April 1978
AJ367	January 1907	W.A.G.R.	?	January 1961?	July 1981
AJ368	January 1907	W.A.G.R.	?	1964/5?	October 1974
AJ427	July 1919	W.A.G.R.	From New?	June 1948 and September 1960	September 1982
AJ428	1919	W.A.G.R.	From New?	Never?	June 1957
AJ429	1919	W.A.G.R.	From New?	1964/5?	July 1985

Some AJ's got redundant bogies from AZ class sleeping cars when the AZ's had new ones fitted in the late thirties. The vans known to have been involved are 362 (from December 1938), 363 (from September 1938), 364 (from April 1939) and 367 (from July 1938). They are also noted as being fitted with electric light at this time. Numbers 267,269 and 272 gained milk shelves in 1923 whilst 272 was fitted with a cool chamber in July 1944. They were all reclassified ZJ in June 1940. Some of the ZJ's gained end gangways at some time. Vans known to have had this feature are 272, 367 and 427. This is shown in the end view of 427 at left. It is know that 367 gained its gangway in November 1947.
Some of the vans were repainted Green and cream in 1948 but during the 1950's all became plain green. Repainting in Green and Cream started again in the early 1960's In 1965 number 367 was rebuilt with a freezer compartment with special doors (rather than the cool chamber that most of the other vans had).
It seems probable that ZJ429 was the only member of the class to be repainted yellow but I stand to be corrected on this one.
Number 363, which suffered collision damage, was given a new plywood body in June 1967. The new body had no overhanging roof and thus it ended up looking rather different from the other members of the class. The final ZJ class brakevan was a rather different beast altogether. In February 1930 ZA class brakevan 9346 was rebuilt as an AJ class van. It was shorter than the rest of the class at only 42'-0" long. It was fitted with electric light in August 1930 and became a ZJ along with the rest of the class in June 1940. In September 1948 it was converted into bullion van number VY5000.