GB later V 2847 outside the factory where it was built. (Builders photo: RHWA collection)

For many years the majority of the bogie goods vans on the W.A.G.R. system belonged to this class. Indeed until 1915 they also outnumbered the four-wheeled vans of class D. They first entered service in 1896 with 1841-1890 being the lowest numbered batch. Some (probably all) of this batch were built by Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Co. Numbers 2197-2212 (1896) and 2213-2246, 2847-2871 (1897) were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co. Stableford and Co built the rest, numbers 3250-3309, 3315, and 3322-5 entering service in 1897 followed by 3310-4, 3316-21, 3326-3449 in 1898. In their early days these vans' sides were varnished but not painted. This soon caused problems and it was decided to repaint them in the standard grey livery soon followed by the later Indian red.

Stableford builder's photo of GB later V3250 (RHWA collection)

There were detail differences between these vans as built with some having a much deeper cover over the runner at the top of the doors than others whilst there were also changes to the roof with some having a wider overhanging roof after the First World war. Similar changes happened to the NZR type D vans. Grounded van body showing remnants of diagonal planking. Initially the sides and ends of these vans featured diagonal planking as shown in the WAGR outline diagram above but over the years as the vans were re-clad this was replaced by more conventional vertical planking. However, some vans retained elements of the original arrangement to the end as in the photo above. V3277 in the WAGR official photo from the RHWA collection below shows the final form of many vans in this class.

Pre 1900	Before the 1900 renumberng most of these vans were class GB but there were two sub fleets within the class.  One group of 15 vans were labelled as class X (vans 2215, 2225, 2227, 2236, 2852, 2866, 3252, 3266, 3284, 3298, 3324, 3393, 3411, 3416, 3430) whilst another twelve were part of class P (vans 1852, 1855, 1867, 1871, 3256, 3260, 3291, 3293, 3407, 3413, 3423, 3432).  I am unsure of the role of class X (possibly passenger train work?) but I think that the class P vans were probably used for Gunpowder traffic as other P class vehicles certainly were.
1901/2	3346, 3405 converted to class WO.
1900-4	3253 written off (probably accident victim) 3380 became a workmen's van (later class VW)
1904-6	1850, 3269, 3402 to workmen's vans (later class VW)
1905/6	1877, 3271, 3354, 3372, 3427 to accident vans (later class VC)
1907?	3362 written off
1900-9	1846, 1879, 2862, 3361, 3391 converted to class R

From 1909 a more complete record is available of the changes to the class.
1910	2245, 3370 to R
1913	1882, 2847, 3322 to R 2242 to VA 3267 to VC 3421 to VW
1914	2244 used as survey van 1845, 1847, 1874, 2205, 2227, 2230, 2848, 2852, 3258, 3262, 3278, 3289, 3291, 3315, 3330, 3336, 3356, 3376, 3404, 3410, 3411, 3412, 3418, 3426 to VA 3424 to R 3434 to VW
1915	2208, 2860, 3448 to VW
1916	2228, 2229, 3259, 3292, 3335, 3349, 3423 to VA  1844, 1855, 2207 to VW
1917	1862, 2211, 2236, 2869, 3272 to VA
1918	1851, 2200, 2209, 2239, 2858, 3283, 3288, 3365, 3378 to VA 3375, 3381, 3449 to VW
1919	1889, 3347, 3413, 3438 to VA
1920	3282, 3331 to VW
1921	2225 to VW
1923	3268, 3290 to VW
1924	1869 to VW
1927	2224 to VW 3394 to VA
1931	3333 written off 3354 from VC
1935	3377 to VW
1936	3427 from VC 2244, 3321 to VW
1937	3290, 3377 from VW
1938	3267, 3271 from VC 2853, 3312, 3430 to VC
1940	1876, 3286 written off 3354, 3420 sold to Commonwealth Railways NVA class
1941	1856, 2865 written off
1942	3359, 3389, 3408,3442 written off 1865, 1870, 1873, 1857, 1885, 2201, 2210, 2214, 2241, 2863, 2867, 3264, 3297, 3299, 3303, 3308, 3314, 3318, 3319, 3338, 3344, 3383, 3386, 3414, 3417 to class VP
1943	1865, 1870, 1873, 1857, 1885, 2201, 2210, 2214, 2241, 2863, 2867, 3264, 3297, 3299, 3303, 3308, 3314, 3318, 3319, 3338, 3344, 3383, 3386, 3414, 3417 from class VP
1946	2246 written off
1948	3311 written off
1949	2202, 2212 written off
1950	2210, 3364 written off
1951	1872 to VW 3398 written off
1953	2233, 3256 to VW 1848, 1870, 1890, 2221, 2241, 2855, 3260, 3332, 3334, 3358, 3363, 3396, 3403 written off
1954	1849, 1859, 1868, 1878, 2218, 2223, 2866, 3250, 3251, 3255, 3257, 3273, 3279, 3280, 3296, 3302, 3373, 3392/5, 3428, 3440, 3441, 3447 to VW 1860, 3264, 3368 to VE 2226, 2864, 2867, 3298, 3299, 3314, 3367, 3414, 3435 written off
1955	2237, 3263, 3285, 3304, 3305, 3309, 3444 to VW 3338, 3390 to VC 1842, 1854, 2203, 2215, 2234, 2243, 2851, 2861, 3266, 3293, 3318, 3345, 3406 written off
1956	1853, 1886, 1888, 2204, 2217, 2240, 2868, 2871, 3277, 3344, 3348, 3374, 3382, 3397, 3407 written off 3300, 3329, 3341 to VW
1957	3295, 3377, 3386 to VW 1864, 1873, 2197, 2206, 3252, 3287, 3325, 3327, 3371, 3379, 3409, 3443, 3446 written off 1875 and written off 2215 to JETTY 167, 148 2213, 2231, 3307, 3416, 3443 (White Cross)
1958	2231 ex white cross stock 1883, 3281 written off 3350 to VW
1959	3284 to VC 2232 to VE
1960	3307, 3316, 3416, 3422, 3427 written off 1867, 2214, 3439 to VW
1961	1880, 2849, 3355, written off 2201, 2850, 3306, 3328 to VW 3399 to JETTY 72 written off 2861, 3325, 3416 to JETTY 82, 85, 84
1962	3337 to VC 3271, 3319, 3320, 3436 to VW 1843, 1861, 1884, 3445 written off written off 2868 to JETTY 291 3342 to JETTY 161
1963	2232, 3368 from VE 1858, 3388, 3415 to VW written off 3307 to JETTY 196.
1964	1860, 3264, 3368 from VE 3385 to VW 3419 written off
1966	1866 written off
1967	3393 written off
1968	written off 2206 to JETTY 155 1860, 1865, 2222, 2859, 3270, 3313, 3353, 3360,3368, 3383, 3433 written off
1969	3429 written off
1970	1841, 1852, 1863, 1871, 1881, 1887, 2199, 2213, 2216, 2219, 2220, 2231, 2232, 2238, 2854, 2856, 2857, 2863, 2870, 3254, 3265, 3267, 3274, 3275, 3276, 3290, 3294, 3297, 3303, 3308, 3310, 3317, 3323, 3324, 3339, 3340, 3343, 3351, 3357, 3366, 3369, 3384, 3387, 3400, 3401, 3417, 3425, 3431, 3432, 3437 to QBB
1972	1857, 1885, 2198, 2235, 3261, 3301, 3326, 3352 written off

At some point (probably in the twenties or thirties) V2244 served as a survey van whilst V2222 was used as an instruction van. The vans transferred to "white cross stock" were stencilled "North Fremantle - Robb's Jetty only" as they were unfit for general use. Despite being written off in 1972 V1885 served for many more years in the breakdown train until that was preserved in 1990.

The last active V class van V1885 in the breakdown train. Briefly preserved but scrapped by the HVR in 2003.