7 PLANK WAGON CHICHESTER COAL CO LTD

Open wagons were the first wagons used on the railroad. From the mid 1800s these developed and evolved into a wide range of styles and sizes. In 1923, the Railway Clearing House prepared a set of standards for open top wagons which included load limits and standards of construction. These standards applied to all company and private owner wagons.

The Dapol 7 plank 10ft wheelbase model is based on this 1923 standard end door version, indicating its main use for coal distribution. Tens of thousands of these wagons were produced with many being used well past nationalisation into the 1960s.