Clark Railworks have announced a newly tooled range of Prestwin Silo Wagons in OO Gauge! Supplied as 3-Packs, these all-new wagons are set to arrive in November 2025.

Hot on the heels of the recently announced Demountable tank wagons, Clark Railworks have just announced their next wagon project - the Prestwin! These popular wagons have not received a new tooling for decades and Clark Railworks have answered the call here for a super detailed model of these powdered goods carriers.

The Clark Railworks models depict the 12ft-wheelbase variant that comprised the majority of the fleet. Prestwins often ran as rakes, and to reflect this, they are to be supplied in handy packs of three so that you can quickly build a prototypical train. There will be six sets of individually numbered wagons in total, covering pre and post-TOPS identities.

The wagons will include a diecast chassis, underpinned by separately fitted fine details including metal steps, grab handles and a myriad of valves and pipework. They will also feature variations in the axlebox design and each will glide with ease thanks to the inclusion of brass bearings.

The Prestwins will be entering production shortly and should be in stock in November of this year. Priced at £120 per pack.

Prestwins were British Railways’ answer to a problem encountered in the earlier Presflo design; namely, that finer-grained powdered solids tended to pool up in the Presflos’ square corners, preventing them from being fully discharged. Embracing the power of curves, Prestwins employed twin silos that enabled substances such as lime, sand and soda ash to slip effortlessly earthwards when subjected to compressed air (using the same principle as their angular cousins). The dual containers also allowed for quicker unloading.

Prestwins were constructed by both Metro-Cammell and Gloucester RCW and entered service from 1960. The first 31 vehicles sported a 10ft 6in wheelbase while the final 100 were longer (with a 12ft wheelbase) but lower and had a larger capacity.

Ranging far and wide, notable Prestwin traffic flows included alumina from Burntisland to Welwyn Garden City, sand from Staffordshire to Port Sunlight (Merseyside) and soda ash from Northwich. Sodium tripolyphosphate (no, it doesn’t have an easier name!) was another regular inhabitant of the twin tubs, and this was carried from the Cumbrian coast to both Merseyside and Essex. Prestwins were also trialled with a variety of other slippery solids, including china clay, slate powder and salt.

All Prestwins entered service in BR’s bauxite livery but had an extra paint layer that meant they stayed looking ‘bauxitey’ much longer than other vehicles, whose reddish hues quickly descended into faded grot. Some Prestwins were painted dark grey or black in their later years, with many soldiering on well into the 1980s.