Factfile: Wickham Type 27 Inspection Trolley
Wickham’s motorised inspection trolleys were built in their hundreds, for a wide range of worldwide customers, with the Type 27 first appearing in 1948 as part of an order for Nigerian Railways.
A year later, the Western Region of British Railways began acquiring a fleet of Type 27A trolleys, equipped with a 10hp Ford petrol engine and constructed at Wickham’s Hertfordshire works. The trolleys were subsequently moved to other BR regions over the years, with examples continuing in service well into the 1990s, albeit in modified form.
Various private owners, the British Ministry of Supply and even the Royal Engineers also purchased Type 27 trolleys, many of which also ended up on Britain’s railways over the years.
One set of controls were installed, with a synchromesh gearbox providing smooth operation and easy driving characteristics. Designed to allow track gangs to travel quickly and easily to locations along rail routes, for regular maintenance and inspection duties, provision was made to haul up to two small trailers on which tools and equipment could be carried.
Open-top versions were constructed for use abroad, but BR’S versions all featured canopies, with side curtains to protect staff from the elements. However, as the curtains had to be fastened from the outside, they were not always used while the trolleys were in transit.
A crew of eight could be accommodated, including the driver, and the motor trolleys were light enough to be moved on and off the track by a handful of men. Furthermore, a compact portable turntable could be employed to rotate the vehicle to face the required direction of travel.
The only form of braking consisted of hand-operated wood blocks bearing against the metal wheels, which were not particularly efficient in wet weather!