The ‘Shenfield Shark’: Essex icon is no more

A SHARK brake van which stood marooned next to a main line station siding for three decades despite efforts by enthusiasts to have it saved has been scrapped.

There are not many pieces of rolling stock that develop a cult following; locomotives catch the eye of the majority and encourage people out to travel. That is even truer when it comes to main line steam, with local residents often flocking to boundary fences and stations to glimpse classic traction passing through.

However, on a rare occasion, sometimes a piece of workaday rolling stock catches the public’s attention and weaves its way into their hearts. There appears to be enthusiasts who had not heard of the ‘Shenfield Shark’, one of BR’s ballast plough brake vans, which was laid up in a siding adjacent to the Essex station for more than 30 years.

End was nigh

Sadly, over the final weekend of February, the van – which had become somewhat synonymous with the station – was cut up in situ while the line was under a possession as full recovery was ultimately found to be impossible.

Built in 1956, the precise date of its abandonment at Shenfield is uncertain, but it is believed that it was sometime during either 1988 or 1989, having been failed with a hotbox during a ballast trip working to Southend Victoria and shunted into the siding that was to become its home – until now.

As a result, its working life was therefore a minimum of 32 years long. Conversely, this has meant that its time sitting in the siding has been a maximum of 36 years.

An attempt to recover the vehicle was made in 2014 when Network Rail made provisions to tow it on skates to Chelmsford for collection by road. Its eventual destination was to be the Epping Ongar Railway, which would have seen it preserved in close proximity (and with a direct connection to it, as the heritage line occasionally runs a vintage bus connection to Shenfield station for some of its events).

During final checks to confirm ownership of andNR’ s subsequent right to dispose of the vehicle, a query was raised that resulted in the plan being halted. Further concerns about the vehicle’s structural stability then meant that this option was no longer practical.

Over the years there have been several enthusiasts and groups asking after the Shark. Recognising that there was ample interest in the vehicle, in November 2021 DB Cargo advised that the vehicle was officially up for disposal, with the proposed method of extraction being to crane it out while the line was under an engineering possession.

However, safety concerns raised also resulted in this option not being viable.

Towards the end

In February it was finally revealed that with no safe way of removing it complete, the brake van was to be cut up at the end of the month. Accordingly, over February 17/18 a possession commenced that saw NR engineers attend the site and assess the vehicle prior to No. DB993733 then being pinch barred the 100 yards up the siding to a headshunt spur adjacent to the station car park –the first time and furthest distance it had travelled in all its years there – where it was cut up by contractors over February 24/25.

A statement issued by the DB press office said: “Our most recent plan was to find a way of lifting the wagon out whole from Shenfield station, working in collaboration with Network Rail.

“This is something we have looked at several times over the years with various approaches explored, but we have never found away of achieving this which met fully with all of the safety requirements.

“We had thought that moving the Shark further away from the overhead lines would enable us to finally lift it out.

“However, Network Rail has made a decision on safety grounds that the use of a crane is not possible, so we are unable to remove the vehicle from site as we would have liked.

“Regrettably, we only have a very narrow window to fulfil this operation while a possession is in place and therefore, we have to proceed with the revised plan to dismantle it on site.

“Unfortunately, we are not in a position at this late stage to hold up the contractor.”

OWEN HAYWARD As the sun sets on February 20, the iconic ‘Shenfield Shark’ awaits its fate, having moved for the first time in more than 30 years to a spur at the opposite end of the siding it had been stabled on, ready to be scrapped on February 24. Despite having been exposed to the elements for so many years, its external condition was still surprisingly good.

OWEN HAYWARD Left: Taken during an arranged viewing on November 10, 2021, this image shows the interior of the guard’s cabin, a testament to the build quality of the vehicle.