Multi-coloured ‘Sharks'

Shark ballast plough brake vans survived in traffic well into the Privatisation era, adorned in numerous different liveries.

‘SHARK’ 20t ballast plough brake vans became the standard BR design, based on the LMS ‘Oyster’ ballast plough brake van design. While they followed the same format as the standard BR 20t brake van family in having two verandahs and a central cabin, they were characterised by having distinctively shaped steel ploughs mounted under the verandahs, requiring a shorter nine-foot wheelbase to make room for them.

The wagons were new-build, constructed in nine lots between 1951 and 1962 to two diagrams. Some variations existed between the various lots, the majority of which were built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company to Diagram 1/597. The first four of Diagram 1/597 were fitted with guard rails across the entrances to the verandahs, while the remainder were fitted with doors. They featured heavy duty buffers, vacuum brakes with tall brake hose pipes at the end (the design of which varied in style) and oil axleboxes.

The second Diagram 1/598 consisted of 20 wagons built in the early 1960s by Central Wagon Co. and were more modern, being fitted with roller bearings and Oleo buffers.

The Sharks survived privatisation to see use in the 2000s, in small numbers. By 2005, most were out of traffic and being snapped up by heritage railways. It is interesting to have documented a 1990s survivor remaining in BR olive green livery, although faded when the photo was taken.

Cabin

The bodies were built with wooden planks secured by metal work and bracing in the corners and inside the verandah openings. A steel ducket was fitted to both sides for the use of the guard, alongside a single stove which is located on the side without a vee–hanger below the solebar. During repairs to the wagon body, plywood was used instead of new planking, giving many Shark brake vans a plain appearance, depending on the extent of the repairs.

Liveries were fairly standard until privatisation. Black and gulf red/ bauxite were common, being replaced by standard BR engineers olive colour as repainting fell due. As sectorisation gathered pace, a number of vans received engineers yellow/grey livery with white markings, a livery which survived privatisation alongside a handful painted in olive green. Surviving Shark brake vans were painted in EWS maroon, Loadhaul black and orange as well as Mainline Freight blue after the start of the privatisation process.

Underframe

All Shark brake vans were fitted with vacuum brakes, with some receiving air brakes later in their working lives as vacuum braked ballast hopper wagons became increasingly rare.

The underframe was equipped with eight-shoe clasp brakes and had a small vee-hanger on one side, making the wagons ‘handed’. Headstocks were fitted with self-contained buffers and tall vacuum brake pipes which varied in height, or were replaced with standard vacuum brake hoses on Diagram 1/597 and Oleo buffers on the 20 Diagram 1/598 wagons. Couplings also varied between ‘Instanter’ or screw shackles, the latter being the most common.

Ballast plough

The equipment for working the ballast ploughs was located on each verandah and consisted of what appears to be a ship’s wheel mounted on a frame for lowering the plough in to position.

Levers on either side of the wheel fixed the plough in place. When in the lowered position, it ran along the surface of the rails to roughly distribute ballast discharged from ballast hopper wagons such as ZEV ‘Catfish’, ZFV ‘Dogfish’, YGH ‘Sealion’ and YGB/YGA ‘Seacow.’

The plough’s distinctive shape comes from the slots for the running rails and to clear rail fixings, allowing the plough to distribute ballast between the rails and below the rail top. Operators would have to be alert to equipment fitted to the track, such as turnout rails and AWS ramps.

Number sequence

The first four wagons were numbered as DB993709-712, built at Derby in 1959.

The remainder of diagram 1/597 were built in seven Lots numbered DB999713-809 and DB993816-920.

This was followed by the 20 Diagram 1/598 wagons, numbered DB993921-940.

20t Ballast Plough Brake van or ZUV ‘Shark’ No. DB993716, built in 1956, was found dumped at Warrington Arpley on March 15, 2003. The body planking appears to be complete with no plywood replacement and the livery is faded engineers yellow and grey. While the markings were faded to extinction, the builders plate remained on the underframe.

Brake vans seem to attract arsonists and unfortunately that was the fate that met No. DB993856, built in 1957. The wagon was painted in engineers yellow and grey livery and was recorded at Longport on June 6, 2008. It had gained Oleo buffers during its travels and retained the tall vacuum brake pipe.

Shark ballast plough brake vans were used as runner wagons when their use as ballast plough duties came to an end. DB993916 was a notable survivor in 2008, close to the end of its operational life when photographed at Crewe. It was built in 1959 and by the time it was photographed, it was recoded as an RUQ runner wagon with through air brake pipe and no operational brakes. The legend ‘BRAKE FORCE 0 TON’ is stencilled at the right-hand end.

EWS maroon applied to No. DB993791, which was coded ZUW, with vacuum brakes and through air brake pipe allowing its use in air-braked trains. The location, a reliable place to spot Sharks at one time, is Didcot, on February 2, 2000.

Close-up detail of No. DB993916, showing replacement roller bearings, brake shoes and spring detail.

A through air brake pipe had been fitted to No. DB993764, which had been coded ZUW when photographed at Didcot on February 2, 2000. It retains what appears to be faded BR olive livery alongside tall vacuum pipes on the ends. Post-2000 electrification notices are applied.

ZUW No. DB993748 has been extensively re-clad with plywood but retains its tall vacuum brake pipes. Finished in Mainline Freight blue, it was observed at Westbury in November 1997.

Air brakes and roller bearing axleboxes are among the changes applied to No. DB 993876 to modernise it, probably during routine maintenance. The tall vacuum brake pipe has been removed and an air tank is visible behind the running boards. Recorded in ‘Loadhaul' orange and black livery at Didcot on May 4, 2002.