Class BC Agricultural Bank Managers vans (Class AE before 1900)

Class BC Agricultural Bank Managers vans (Class AE before 1900)

The Agricultural Bank was set up to provide farmers in Western Australia access to finance more easily that might otherwise have been the case. This was particularly important in remote areas and so the provision of a suitable railway vehicle to allow the bank to do its business was important. The BC class vehicles provided a passenger compartment for the bank official, together with accommodation for two horses and space for a horse drawn road vehicle.

The exact time that the first BC was built is a bit of a mystery. It seems that the first one (1926) was converted from an R class bogie open wagon in about 1898 and classed AE. This vehicle was 30'-0" long. The very early WAGR outline diagrams are not the most reliable but in the case of BC1926 the diagram below may be the only indication of what it looked like.

AL37 and a BC at Collie

In 1907 two more were built (BC185 and 186). These were 33'-4" long and used 5'-6" wheelbase bogies. It was only at this point that the BC classification came into use. Unlike the first BC, they had full-length bodywork, or at least that is what the WAGR outline diagram below shows although I still haven't seen a photo of one like this.

The advent of motor vehicles seems have removed the need for these vans. In1921-2 BC185 was converted into a survey van but what this involved is unclear. In 1927 BC185 was converted to Z185 (later Z20) and BC1926 was converted to a ZB class brake van in the same year. The fact that it was converted to a ZB tends to confirm it was on a 30' underframe and shorter than the other two vans. The last in service was BC186, which became Z186 (later Z21) in 1934.

Above: WAGR official photo of BC185 (RHWA collection)

Below: State Library of WA BA375/14-86 showing how the bank manager's trap was stowed.