Class BD Cattle trucks

Class BD Cattle trucks.

Accident Victim BD8985 in January 1938. Note that the springs and axleboxes are missing so 8985 is not going anywhere in a hurry. S. Hood. (RHWA collection)

The final group of class B cattle wagons was 10107-10116, which were new 16'-0" long vehicles built in 1916. They were the first vehicles in what was to become class BD to which they were reclassified in 1920. They used the GC type underframe and in 1921/2 eighteen GC were nominally converted to class BD as follows:

1921	7066, 7448, 7560, 8741, 8744, 9078, 9805 ex GC
1922	1410, 6998, 7246, 7425, 7574, 7760, 7781, 8500, 8985, 9209, 9235 ex GC

Much of the BD class construction was of vehicles, which were at least nominally, rebuilds of other classes, particularly class B. It is difficult to know if any components were recovered from the replaced vehicles. The rebuilds were as follows:

1920	6308 ex B
1921	6288, 6291 ex B 7849, 7850, 7853, 7854, 7857-9, 7860, 7861, 7864, 7866, 7868, 7870, 7871, 7873-5, 7877, 7882, 7884, 7890, 7894 ex M
1923	6295, 6310 ex B
1924	107, 6309 ex B
1925	100, 6307 ex B
1928	110, 7537 ex B
1929	9742 ex B
1930	90, 6286, 6292 ex B
1932	6299 ex B
1933	9730 ex B
1936	7525 ex B
1937	113, 116, 9731 ex B
1941	7524 ex B
1943	7518, 9715 ex B
1944	95 ex B
1945	6298, 9733 ex B

One group of BD's was converted from 1931 to hold elephants for travelling circuses. This involved new 4'-6" wide doors and a higher roof. The vans converted were:
1931	7853, 10114, 10115
1932	6313, 9740 converted from class B
1934	6300 converted from class B
1954	5858 converted from class B
7849 was also converted to carry elephants but the date is not known. The last of these conversions (BD5858) was a replacement for a 15'-0" steel-framed van but it is likely that it had the standard GC type underframe. The WAGR outline diagram is shown below.

The ordinary BDs were disposed of as follows:
1950	7760, 7850 written off
1953	7874, 10110 written off
1954	95, 110, 113, 6295, 6298, 6310, 6998, 7246, 7425, 7448, 7518, 7524, 7858, 7864, 7866, 7870, 7873, 7877, 7890, 7894, 8500, 8741, 8744, 8985, 9209, 9235, 9733, 10107, 10108, 10116 written off
1955	6286, 6288, 6299, 6307, 7066, 7525, 7537, 7574, 7860, 7871, 7875, 7882, 9078 9731 written off
1956	90, 6292, 7859, 10109, 10111 written off
1957	6291, 6308, 7781, 7854, 7868, 7884, 9742, 10113 written off
1958	7857 written off
1959	1410, 9715 written off
1962	107, 861, 7560 written off
1964	6309 written off
1966	100 written off
1967	9730
1968	9805
1972	116, 10112

The elephant vans were written off as follows:

1953	10114 written off
1955	7853 written off
1957	10115 written off
1963	5858, 6313 written off
1972	6300, 7849, 9740 written off

The enlargement of a RHWA collection photo at right shows the roof of an elephant wagon nearest the camera.

Other Cattle trucks

The M.R.W.A. had some similar sized but steel framed vehicles in their CB class, which became part of class BD in 1964. They were all written off by 1972.

The W.A.G.R.'s other cattle trucks were classes B, BE, BS and the bogie vehicles in Classes T , TA and TAD.