Diagram 20 Small Cattle Wagon

Diagram 20 was a small cattle wagon which measured only 13ft 8½in long by 7ft 11in wide externally, with a wheelbase of 8ft. No general arrangement drawing has survived, neither is there an official photograph in the NRM York collection. In 1902 the oldest small cattle wagons in stock were the 133 vehicles built between 1876 and 1880. In 1882 a batch of 200 were ordered on capital account for the Holyhead Irish cattle traffic. By 1889 records show that there were 324 small vehicles in the Company stock. Subsequently, the medium design was adopted as standard and the small ones were replaced with medium wagons as they were condemned. The design became extinct in 1918.

The diagram book sketch of Diagram 20 indicates that the design features were similar to those of the contemporary 19th century medium and large cattle wagons. A pre-1909 sketch shows the lower plank on each side replaced by vertical iron bars. This style of construction has been noted on photographs circa 1890 of other L&NWR cattle wagons in traffic. No official photographs of this style exist. But other companies used similar vehicles. On balance the evidence is that the bars were an unsuccessful, short-lived modification rather than survivors of an earlier standard design.

The livery of the small cattle wagons up until 1908 would have been similar to that of medium and large ones. If after 1908 they carried the 'LNWR' letters they would have to have been smaller than the usual 16in high. There is documentary evidence from surviving 'Cattle Tickets' (invoices), for 30 running numbers carried by small cattle wagons and dating from the 1880s: 934, 3583, 12492, 14576, 14580, 14586, 14623, 14635, 14790, 14861, 15094, 15158, 15166, 15177, 15217, 15301, 15447, 15847, 15911, 15938, 16145, 21521, 22096, 24750, 32667, 46757, 46786, 46794, 46840, 46896.

The last 5 are probably from the 1882 batch.

The Model Engineer and Electrician July 29 1909

The Model Engineer and Electrician July 29 1909