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Departmental Denparts / Enparts Wagons
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Various wagons and coaches used for the transportation of components
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between regional motive power depots and the main engineering workshops.
Ian Kirk Mink C. The plan was to rebuilt it as one of the later, similar, vans that ended
up in the WR Enparts fleet. These were actually six inches longer (and with a 12ft 6in
wheelbase) but I decided I could live with that as the Kirk body mouldings were so nice.
The ends were discarded and replaced with Ratio examples. The outside framed door was
then roughly filled in with 60-thou sheet offcuts ahead of rebuilding it as the later,
more familiar, inside framed variety.
WR Denpart wagons. A small fleet of these worked from Swindon to the larger WR depots
carrying diesel parts including DMU engines and gearboxes. Built on former horse box
underframes between 1958-62 (plus a later replacement), a pair of Parkside chassis were
selected. The two I chose were DW150199 (a former GWR N13 horse box), and the 1969
replacement for a damaged wagon, DW150409, an ex-LNE diagram 5 horse box. After
assembling the two Parkside chassis I realised that this LNER example should have a
two-foot longer wheelbase than the kit. Oops! So it was out with the razor saw
DW150199. Much shorter than the other wagon, this was assembled straight from the Parkside parts.
This started life as a standard ex-LMS unfitted plate wagon but had been converted by
the WR to carry locomotive wheels. At that time it had been delivering class 08 wheels
to Canton depot but I have seen it loaded with a Western bogie at Laira, so it was well
travelled around the region. Base model was an already built Parkside kit. Working back
to Swindon via a circuitous route from Cardiff having arrived at Morfa Bank on the 9O86
Penarth Curve Sidings to Morfa Bank Tip spoil working. It will head back to Margam Yard
on the local trip before joining the 6B62 Margam to Swindon freight. The load should
most probably be sheeted but having spent so long on the detailing I didn’t want to
cover it all up with a big tarpaulin so these are probably unserviceable wheelsets
heading back to Swindon for overhaul.
One of a batch of eight BR Mk.1 BSOs converted to Enparts vans by the WR in 1969. This was a
stock Hornby model, bought cheaply, and retained its maroon livery until at least 1974. The
others carried a mix of liveries but the Enparts markings were consistent throughout. Carrying
the number DB975039, the transfers were created on the computer and on this example all the
windows had been either painted or plated over. Some of the replacement doors on conversion
were painted maroon but remained unlined.
