Diagram 25 19ft 9in Cattle Wagon with Drovers Compartment

A further six wagons for prize cattle traffic, which were built in 1899, incorporated for the first time a drover's compartment. There is no known photograph of this type but a general arrangement drawing, Earlestown GA15 [HMRS1159], see below, still exists. The cattle section was similar to the Diagram 23 vehicles but a careful comparison of their respective drawings shows that the inside length, 15ft 9in, was shorter than the D23's. The drawing indicates that these vehicles had both hand and vacuum brakes with Westinghouse through-pipes. It is worth noting the early version of the clasp brake with blocks bearing only on the outside rim of all four wheels. Note also the release valve for the vacuum sack, which is located in the centre of the solebar and indicated by a letter 'A'.

The running numbers assigned to these wagons were 67397 to 67402 inclusive. In the absence of a photograph we may reasonably assume that the livery was again the modified 'Lake' with yellow lining so as to match the contemporary non-passenger carriage stock and with lettering similar to that shown in the photograph of the D26 wagon. All six of them survived to pass into the hands of the LMS in 1923. The fate of most is unknown but nos. 67397 and 67400 were withdrawn in August and November 1933 respectively and, although they had been renumbered 43960 and 43961 in the LMS non-passenger coaching stock series, it is unlikely that the new numbers were ever carried. For fuller details of this renumbering see D26.