Class W (Class QB before 1900)

All of the W.A.G.R. standard gauge wagons had and have four letter codes beginning with W but they are not considered here. Instead they have their own pages here.

In 1897-8 the W.A.G.R. introduced twelve QB class cold storage vans into service. At first they were numbered separately from the rest of the wagon stock and it was not until 1900 that the wagons were given numbers in the main series. They also became class W at the same time. Although some of these wagons were later converted for other traffics they were only written off when the more modern vans entered traffic in from 1958. In 1901/2 two V class vans were converted into WO class meat vans by inserting louvres in the upper sides. In 1935/6 they were reclassified VA and became the prototype for a larger class. In 1957 three VD class vans were rebuilt to incorporate a freezer compartment and reclassified WVD. They were similar to the VDR class vans used for ice-cream traffic. In 1958 a batch of eight new bogie freezer vans classified WA entered traffic. They were followed by 10 more in 1960/1 and a final batch of six in 1963. In the same year two of the WA's were converted to WAR standard with mechanical refrigeration. The final three new freezer vans were the WBR class vehicles built in 1967. They were however followed by the conversion of six WA class vans to the WAM standard in 1971/2. The final group of vehicles to carry W series codes were the 44 hoppers owned by the Western Mining Corporation in class WMC introduced in 1965. Some were written off but the remaining wagons were reclassified WMD in 1975 for wheat traffic and then some were also reclassified to WME in 1987.

Other cold storage vans

Four wheeled cold storage vans can be found in classes E, EA, EB and EBE.