Rapido Trains UK 973003 GER Dia.48 7-Plank Open Wagon NE (pre-36) No.609262

In early 1903 while wagons of the final order of Diagram 17 were under construction, the GER was busy preparing a new 7-plank design with both an increased carrying capacity and an improved load retention for low-weight but high-volume goods. Within two months a prototype of the new 7-plank design had been completed by converting an existing 5- plank Diagram 17 wagon originally built in 1898.

Trials of the wagon were successful, although the oil axle boxes which increased its load capacity to 12 tons proved to be unnecessary, and by the end of the year, the first examples of the new 10-ton production series rolled out of the workshop. Construction of the Diagram 48 wagons continued until the summer of 1908, by which time a total of 1300 had been built. To further increase the number in service at a minimal cost an additional 650 wagons were converted to Diagram 48 from earlier 5-plank designs between 1904 and 1911.

Although grouped under a single diagram, there were distinct visual differences between new builds and conversions, the most prominent being the length of the diagonal side braces. All new builds appear to have had the diagonal ironwork extended to the 7 th plank, while many (but not all) of the conversions retained the original braces to the 5th plank only.

Wagons to both Diagrams 17 and 48 began to receive upgrades as various parts were damaged or worn out in service. During the Edwardian period, new open-fronted brake lever guards and ribbed buffers were introduced, and by the early 1920s some wagons had been fitted with a second brake lever, the Morton reversions clutch, and a third brake block.

Most of these wagons survived through to the grouping era, and under LNER ownership it was decided that those built from 1897 onwards had sufficient working life expectancy to be given a full range of improved parts as they passed through the Works for repairs. Any wagons in this category that were not already fitted with them were given B1-type oil axle boxes, ribbed buffers, and the improved brake gear.

More than 400 of the wagons survived Nationalisation, but increasingly their twilight years were spent allocated to major depots and yards in the Eastern region as internal use wagons, or in Departmental service serving a wide variety of roles including Signal & Telegraph, Permanent Way and even breakdown trains. Although the final examples had disappeared from revenue service by the mid-1950s, the Departmental and internal user wagons soldiered on into the 1960s.

The new Rapido Trains UK OO Gauge Great Eastern Railway wagons will feature body tooling variants to cover Dia.17 5-Plank, Dia.48 7-Plank, and Dia.48 7-plank conversion variants.

They offer the usual wealth of full external, internal, and underframe detail, including different brakes, door types, builder's plate styles, buffers, axle boxes, safety Loops, and brake lever guards. All models feature Great Eastern style 8-spoke wheels with distinctive retaining rings and are finished off with brass bearings, NEM coupling pockets and a high-quality livery application.