Wagons of the Early British Railway Era

David Larkin continues his comprehensive survey of freight wagons by turning to the British Rail era. 1969 has been chosen as the starting point for this volume as it was the first full year of non-steam operation.

At this time, orders were placed for the first air-braked general purpose open and van designs, and a major step forward was the introduction of the TOPS computerised wagon record system in 1972. The air-braked fleet was separated from other wagons, firstly by code (ABN), and then by name- Railfreight. Compatible privately owned wagons operated with BR-owned stock on set routes, echoing the old Condor and Speedlink services and on a par with Freightliner services.

Profusely illustrated, like the other books in the series, this book includes a lot of diagram details, wagon number ranges, builders and livery details.