This image, blown up from State Library of WA 010239PD taken in 1922 near Wubin, a 4 door R wagon at left and one of the R's modified to have full drop sides (later class RD) at right. At this stage it still seems to be just class R.

By 1920 a whole new area of business had opened up - transporting motor cars. Some of the RDs were modified for this traffic by being rebuilt to a width of 8'-0". At some point after 1930 the motor car wagons were reclassified RM. Two of these wagons (RD686 & 1307) worked on the isolated Port Hedland - Marble Bar line from 1937.

RD1308 in a train on the Midland Line. This photo suggests that 1308 either never was classified RM or reverted to RD. (RHWA collection)

Conversion of the classes were as follows:
1910	684-688,1304-1309,1310-1313,1315-1328, 4896 converted from R to RD but probably not reclassified at this time
1920	1308, 1313 altered to carry motor cars
1930	1323 altered to carry motor cars - possibly reclassified RM
?	1308-1311, 1322, 1323 All believed rebuilt to 8'-0" width and to have become class RM. However 1308, 1310 were listed as an RD at write off. There is some doubt as to whether 1313 was modified to 8'-0" width.
1937	RD686, 1307 vacuum brake removed and transferred to Port Hedland - Marble Bar line
1939	R2176 reclassified as RD

The photo below (enlarged from an old postcard) shows R2176. It has full drop sides and four stanchions on the end rather than two so has clearly been converted to RD standard and yet the postcard dates from the 1920s at the latest so clearly the 1939 reclassification of R2176 to RD2176 was at best a catching up exercise. The record card for class RD has the note, "Apparently reclassified RD some years previously but not recorded as a separate classification until June 1970"!! This is not unusual for WAGR record keeping but does make life "interesting" for the historian.

Disposal of the classes were as follows:
1951	RD1306 to JETTY 863 RD686, 1307 transferred to PWD Port Hedland
1953	RD1312, RM1323 written off
1954	RD1318 written off
1957	RD1304 written off
1958	RM1311, RD1319, RD2176 written off
1959	RD685, RM1309, RD1320 written off
1964	RM1313?, RM1323 written off
1965	RD1321 written off
1967	RD687, RD1305, RD1325, RD4896 written off
1968	RD1327 written off Written off 1305, 1325 to JETTY 338, 339 RD684, RD1317, RD1328 to JETTY 349, 341, 343
1970	RM1310, RD1315 written off
1971	RD1316 written off
1972	RD688, RM1308, RD1324, RD1326 written off

The WAGR outline diagram for the RD is shown below.

WAGR official photo of RD 684 in 1942. (RHWA collection)

Frank Stamford's photo shows RD1326 at Geraldton in February 1966 as a "White cross" wagon not in general use.