| Class FD Louvred vans |
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WAGR Official photo of FD13466 when new (RHWA collection) |
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Up until 1952 the number of louvred vans owned by the W.A.G.R. was quite small and consisted of the wagons in class F, FA, FB and FC. However, in 1953-5 a total of one thousand FD class vans were built by Commonwealth Engineering on the Standard post-war 18'-0" chassis. They entered service as follows:
These were probably the most complex of the vehicles built on this chassis simply because of the fully louvred sides and doors. It was probably also asking for trouble on the maintenance front. |
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In 1968 FD14292 was rebuilt with a completely new all metal body similar to the VH class bogie vans. This was clearly one solution to the problem of broken louvres but it was also clearly far too expensive to be applied to the whole class. |
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In 1970 three further wagons (13964, 14086, 14140) were converted to an arrangement similar to the VG class vans with plywood lower sides and metal louvres on the upper part of the sides. Once again this conversion did not go any further than these three vehicles although it did point the way ahead.
FD14140 N Pusenjak (RHWA collection) |
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In later years most FDs ran with their lower sides sheeted in with plywood. Some vans retained their original doors but on the majority the doors were completely sheeted over. A small number of vans such as FD13481 above remained in almost their original configuration until the end. It seems that generally plywood sheeting was only used to replace the louvres where they had been damaged and so some vans ran with only part of the lower side sheeted in and they could also be different on either side! The doors seem to have been particularly vulnerable and so FD14119 is unusual in retaining its original door (on one side at least). |
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The FD class also formed the basis for a number of other classes. The first variant of the class were the twenty FDM class meat vans (a traditional louvre van traffic). These vans were equipped internally with meat hooks and distinguished externally by a white band around the body. From 1973 a number of vans were rebuilt with plywood sides and very small metal louvres, branded for poison traffic and reclassified FDP. A similar conversion later resulted in the FDF class vans although a number of vans given this conversion (see 13757 below) were not actually reclassified FDF but remained as class FD until written off. |
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With such a large class it was inevitable that there would be accident victims and it is likely that most of the early withdrawals were due to this cause. The end of wagonload traffic brought about the demise of most of the class at the point when they were just about life expired in the mid-1980s. |
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The fate of the FD class wagons were as follows: | |
| 1954 | 13498, 13860 to FDM |
| 1955 | 13413, 13469, 13533, 13539, 13627, 13631, 13651, 13655, 13746, 13766, 13845, 13873, 13901, 13907, 14036, 14118, 14130, 14324 to FDM |
| 1956 | 13869, 14080, 14189 written off |
| 1959 | 13912, 14063, 14221 written off |
| 1962 | 13540, 13856 written off |
| 1963 | 13847 written off |
| 1964 | 13406 |
| 1965 | 13507 |
| 1967 | 13948 to NO |
| 1968 | 14292 rebuilt with VH style body (see photo above) |
| 1969 | 13586, 14066, 14164, 14375 written off
13892, 14249, 14266 to NW |
| 1970 | 13413, 13469, 13533, 13539, 13627, 13631, 13651, 13655, 13746, 13845, 13860, 13873, 13901, 13907, 14118, 14130, 14324 from FDM
13419, 13861, 13994 written off 13964, 14086, 14140 rebuilt with VG style bodies. |
| 1971 | 13766, 14036 from FDM |
| 1972 | 13498 from FDM
13953, 14128, 14239, 14389 written off |
| 1973 | 13433, 13698, 13935, 14031, 14037, 14126 to FDP
13407, 14173 written off |
| 1974 | 13401, 13475, 13495, 13564, 13574, 13582, 13587, 13598, 13622, 13629, 13661, 13676, 13711, 13802, 13807, 13826, 13836, 13840, 13883, 13968, 14003, 14018, 14046, 14052, 14058, 14123, 14136, 14197, 14284, 14355, 14370, 14372 to FDP
14200 written off |
| 1975 | 13533 written off |
| 1976 | 13445, 13697, 13845, 14140, 14279, 14336 written off |
| 1977 | 13417, 13611, 13667, 13693, 13786, 13997, 14079, 14083, 14090, 14203, 14340, 14388 written off |
| 1978 | 13583, 14228 written off |
| 1979 | 13459, 13640, 13890, 13921, 14044, 14097, 14366 written off |
| 1980 | 13752, 14070, 14088, 14160, 14254, 14309 to FDP
13565, 13753, 13919, 13937, 14196 written off |
| 1981 | 13636, 13820 written off |
| 1982 | 13527, 13806, 14023, 14335 to FDF
13416, 13468, 13757, 14156, 14259, 14331 fitted with FDF style bodies |
| 1983 | 13404, 13411, 13418, 13420, 13421, 13425, 13434, 13437, 13440, 13441, 13444, 13447, 13448, 13454, 13456, 13458, 13460, 13462, 13465, 13466, 13467, 13469, 13470, 13471, 13473, 13476, 13477, 13483, 13484, 13488, 13489, 13492, 13494, 13496, 13497, 13499, 13500, 13501, 13502, 13504, 13506, 13508, 13509, 13510, 13511, 13512, 13515, 13520, 13522, 13525, 13528, 13529, 13531, 13532, 13539, 13545, 13547, 13550, 13551, 13556, 13559, 13570, 13572, 13575, 13579, 13580, 13581, 13585, 13588, 13589, 13593, 13594, 13595, 13596, 13597, 13600, 13605, 13613, 13615, 13617, 13619, 13620, 13633, 13635, 13639, 13642, 13644, 13645, 13647, 13648, 13650, 13654, 13655, 13658, 13660, 13662, 13663, 13666, 13670, 13672, 13673, 13679, 13683, 13686, 13688, 13690, 13695, 13696, 13699, 13702, 13704, 13705, 13709, 13713, 13718, 13728, 13732, 13734, 13740, 13747, 13750, 13758, 13761, 13763, 13765, 13767, 13768, 13769, 13771, 13772, 13779, 13781, 13782, 13787, 13789, 13791, 13793, 13796, 13798, 13803, 13804, 13809, 13811, 13816, 13822, 13823, 13824, 13825, 13827, 13828, 13834, 13835, 13838, 13841, 13844, 13846, 13851, 13852, 13860, 13865, 13867, 13868, 13870, 13873, 13874, 13876, 13882, 13884, 13888, 13889, 13893, 13894, 13895, 13897, 13901, 13902, 13905, 13906, 13908, 13913, 13915, 13918, 13922, 13923, 13924, 13927, 13933, 13939, 13944, 13945, 13946, 13949, 13950, 13952, 13955, 13956, 13959, 13961, 13962, 13965, 13970, 13971, 13974, 13981, 13983, 13984, 13985, 13987, 13990, 13993, 14004, 14005, 14011, 14013, 14015, 14019, 14033, 14034, 14036, 14039, 14042, 14043, 14047, 14049, 14053, 14057, 14071, 14073, 14076, 14081, 14082, 14091, 14093, 14094, 14096, 14098, 14099, 14101, 14102, 14104, 14109, 14110, 14113, 14117, 14119, 14122, 14129, 14133, 14137, 14138, 14139, 14141, 14142, 14143, 14145, 14146, 14147, 14148, 14150, 14152, 14153, 14155, 14158, 14159, 14161, 14167, 14172, 14175, 14177, 14186, 14188, 14190, 14191, 14199, 14201, 14202, 14204, 14213, 14214, 14218, 14222, 14227, 14229, 14231, 14232, 14238, 14240, 14241, 14244, 14248, 14251, 14258, 14259, 14260, 14262, 14265, 14268, 14272, 14282, 14283, 14286, 14294, 14295, 14296, 14298, 14303, 14304, 14306, 14310, 14316, 14318, 14319, 14321, 14323, 14324, 14328, 14343, 14344, 14346, 14350, 14351, 14353, 14356, 14357, 14360, 14361, 14363, 14368, 14373, 14378, 14382, 14383, 14384, 14386, 14391, 14392, 14393, 14395, 14397, 14398 written off |
| 1985 | 13402, 13403, 13408, 13409, 13410, 13414, 13416, 13422, 13423, 13427, 13430, 13431, 13432, 13439, 13442, 13443, 13451, 13452, 13453, 13455, 13461, 13464, 13478, 13479, 13480, 13486, 13487, 13491, 13493, 13514, 13523, 13524, 13536, 13537, 13538, 13543, 13548, 13552, 13555, 13557, 13562, 13566, 13576, 13577, 13584, 13590, 13591, 13602, 13606, 13616, 13628, 13634, 13638, 13646, 13651, 13657, 13665, 13669, 13671, 13678, 13691, 13694, 13700, 13701, 13703, 13706, 13708, 13710, 13715, 13721, 13724, 13726, 13727, 13731, 13735, 13737, 13743, 13749, 13757, 13759, 13764, 13766, 13770, 13773, 13775, 13776, 13790, 13794, 13795,1 3797, 13801, 13805, 13808, 13810, 13812, 13814, 13818, 13821, 13833, 13839, 13843, 13848, 13858, 13862, 13863, 13864, 13866, 13872, 13875, 13877, 13880, 13885, 13886, 13887, 13891, 13900, 13903, 13904, 13909, 13920, 13928, 13929, 13931, 13942, 13951, 13958, 13960, 13967, 13976, 13979, 13982, 13986, 13989, 14000, 14001, 14007, 14009, 14010, 14020, 14024, 14025, 14026, 14027, 14028, 14029, 14040, 14041, 14048, 14050, 14051, 14054, 14056, 14061, 14067, 14068, 14072, 14075, 14077, 14085, 14086, 14087, 14089, 14095, 14100, 14105, 14107, 14111, 14112, 14115, 14120, 14121, 14127, 14131, 14132, 14144, 14149, 14151, 14154, 14157, 14163, 14169, 14170, 14174, 14176, 14180, 14181, 14182, 14185, 14187, 14194, 14195, 14198, 14205, 14208, 14210, 14215, 14216, 14217, 14219, 14223, 14226, 14235, 14243, 14246, 14247, 14252, 14253, 14263, 14264, 14270, 14273, 14274, 14278, 14280, 14288, 14291, 14292, 14293, 14300, 14302, 14311, 14315, 14320, 14322, 14325, 14326, 14327, 14328, 14333, 14337, 14341, 14345, 14347, 14348 ,14354, 14362, 14365, 14369, 14371, 14377, 14379, 14380, 14387, 14394, 14396 written off |
| 1986 |
13405, 13413, 13415, 13424, 13426, 13428, 13435, 13436, 13438, 13446, 13449, 13450, 13457, 13463, 13468, 13472, 13474, 13481, 13482, 13485, 13490, 13498, 13503, 13505, 13513, 13516, 13517, 13518, 13519, 13521, 13526, 13530, 13534, 13535, 13541, 13542, 13544, 13546, 13549, 13553, 13554, 13558, 13560, 13561, 13563, 13567, 13568, 13569, 13571, 13573, 13578, 13592, 13599, 13601, 13603, 13604, 13607, 13608, 13609, 13610, 13612, 13614, 13618, 13621, 13623, 13624, 13625, 13626, 13627, 13630, 13631, 13632, 13607, 13641, 13643, 13649, 13652, 13656, 13659, 13664, 13668, 13674, 13675, 13677, 13680, 13681, 13682, 13684, 13685, 13687, 13689, 13692, 13707, 13712, 13714, 13716, 13717, 13719, 13720, 13722, 13723, 13725, 13729, 13730, 13733, 13736, 13738, 13739, 13741, 13742, 13744, 13745, 13746, 13748, 13751, 13754, 13755, 13756, 13760, 13762, 13774, 13777, 13778, 13780, 13783, 13784, 13785, 13788, 13792, 13799, 13800, 13813, 13815, 13817, 13819, 13829, 13830, 13831, 13832, 13837, 13842, 13849, 13850, 13853, 13854, 13855, 13857, 13859, 13871, 13878, 13879, 13881, 13896, 13898, 13899, 13907, 13910, 13911, 13914, 13916, 13917, 13925, 13926, 13930, 13932, 13924, 13925, 13926, 13928, 13940, 13941, 13943, 13947, 13954, 13957, 13963, 13966, 13969, 13972, 13973, 13975, 13977, 13978, 13980, 13988, 13991, 13992, 13995, 13996, 13998, 13999, 14002, 14006, 14008, 14012, 14014, 14016, 14017, 14021, 14022, 14030, 14032, 14035, 14038, 14045, 14055, 14059, 14060, 14062, 14064, 14065, 14069, 14074, 14078, 14084, 14092, 14103, 14106, 14108, 14114, 14116, 14118, 14124, 14125, 14130, 14134, 14135, 14156, 14162, 14165, 14166, 14168, 14171, 14178, 14179, 14183, 14184, 14192, 14193, 14206, 14207, 14209, 14211, 14212, 14220, 14224, 14225, 14230, 14233, 14234, 14236, 14237, 14242, 14245, 14250, 14255, 14256, 14257, 14261, 14267, 14269, 14271, 14275, 14276, 14277, 14281, 14285, 14287, 14289, 14290, 14292, 14297, 14299, 14301, 14305, 14307, 14312, 14313, 14314, 14317, 14319, 14330, 14331, 14332, 14339, 14342, 14349, 14352, 14358, 14359, 14364, 14367, 14374, 14376, 14381, 14385, 14390, 14399, 14400 written off |
| 1987 | 13412 written off |
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The original WAGR outline diagram is shown below.
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Other louvred vans Other 4 wheel louvred vans in this group can be found in classes F, FA(17'-0"), FA(15'-0"), FB, FC, FD, FDF, FDM, FDP, MRWA BL, MRWA BLA whilst their bogies counterparts are in classes VA(exV), VA(long), VB(Composite frame), VB(Steelframe), VD, VDA, VDB, VDL, VDR, VF, VFA, VFL, VG, VGA, VH |
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