| Class AJ later ZJ Bogie Brake vans |
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The WAGR official photo above shows one of the AJ's as running in the 1920s with the electric tail lights in the original low position. (RHWA collection) |
| In 1902 the first ten of the twenty-three AJ class passenger brake vans was delivered. These had no passenger accommodation but were used exclusively on passenger trains and so they had a coach class designation (i.e. beginning with the letter A) and were numbered in the carriage series. The first ten were built by the Ashbury carriage and Wagon Co. The bodies were 7'-4" wide and 49'-2" long and they originally had 5'-6" wheelbase coach bogies. Later they all had 6'-3" wheelbase bogies. |
| Number | Issued to traffic | New 6'-3" bogies | Green and Cream | Written off |
| AJ263 | May 1902 | ? | Never | October 1957 |
| AJ264 | May 1902 | ? | Never | December 1954 |
| AJ265 | May 1902 | February 1923 | December 1963 | April 1978 |
| AJ266 | May 1902 | ? | February 1963? | March 1992 |
| AJ267 | May 1902 | ? | October 1966 | March 1984 |
| AJ268 | August 1902 | ? | May 1962 | April 1978 |
| AJ269 | August 1902 | ? | September 1966 | January 1980 |
| AJ270 | August 1902 | ? | May 1962 | November 1985 |
| AJ271 | August 1902 | ? | May 1962 | July 1981 |
| AJ272 | August 1902 | May 1923 | September 1960 | August 1979 |
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There are newspaper reports of a brake van being destroyed by fire at Malcolm on 7 November 1904. It seems this was AJ266 as this van was recorded as "rebuilt" in September 1905. The WAGR outline diagram for the first batch AJ's as issued with 5'-6" bogies is shown below.
The second batch of ten built in 1906/7 by Westralia Ironworks and W.A.G.R. were wider (7'-11 3/4") but otherwise identical. A final batch of three built by W.A.G.R. appeared in 1919. The AJ's all seem to have been re-equipped with 6'-3" wheelbase bogies at some point in the early 1920's and probably got electric light at the same time.
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| Number | Issued to traffic | Built by | New bogies | Green and Cream | Written off |
| AJ359 | February 1907 | Westralia Ironworks | ? | June 1965 | August 1973 |
| AJ360 | February 1907 | Westralia Ironworks | ? | Never | January 1949 |
| AJ361 | February 1907 | Westralia Ironworks | May 1924 | 1964/5? | July 1981 |
| AJ362 | February 1907 | Westralia Ironworks | ? | 1964/5? | July 1985 |
| AJ363 | February 1907 | Westralia Ironworks | ? | June 1965 | April 1978 |
| AJ364 | December 1906 | W.A.G.R. | ? | April 1965 | July 1981 |
| AJ365 | December 1906 | W.A.G.R. | ? | September 1964 | July 1981 |
| AJ366 | January 1907 | W.A.G.R. | December 1921 | June 1964 | April 1978 |
| AJ367 | January 1907 | W.A.G.R. | ? | January 1961? | July 1981 |
| AJ368 | January 1907 | W.A.G.R. | ? | 1964/5? | October 1974 |
| AJ427 | July 1919 | W.A.G.R. | From New? | June 1948 and September 1960 | September 1982 |
| AJ428 | 1919 | W.A.G.R. | From New? | Never? | June 1957 |
| AJ429 | 1919 | W.A.G.R. | From New? | 1964/5? | July 1985 |
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The WAGR outline diagram above shows a second batch van fitted with 6'-3" bogies. Some AJ's got redundant bogies from AZ class sleeping cars when the AZ's had new ones fitted in the late thirties. The vans known to have been involved are 362 (from December 1938), 363 (from September 1938), 364 (from April 1939) and 367 (from July 1938). They are also noted as being fitted with electric light at this time. Numbers 267, 269 and 272 gained milk shelves in 1923 whilst 272 was fitted with a cool chamber in July 1944. They were all reclassified ZJ in June 1940. Some of the ZJ's gained end gangways at some time. Vans known to have had this feature are 272, 367 and 427. This is shown in the end view of 427 at left. It is know that 367 gained its gangway in November 1947. The WAGR outline diagram of a second series van with a cold storage chamber is shown below. |
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In 1965 number 367 was rebuilt with a freezer compartment with special doors (rather than the cool chamber that most of the other vans had).
Some of the vans were repainted Green and cream in 1948 but during the 1950's all became plain green. Repainting in Green and Cream started again in the early 1960's. | |
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It seems probable that ZJ429 was the only member of the class to be repainted yellow but I stand to be corrected on this one. | |
| Number 363, which suffered collision damage, was given a new plywood body in June 1967. The new body had no overhanging roof and thus it ended up looking rather different from the other members of the class. |  |
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The final ZJ class brake van was a rather different beast altogether. In February 1930 ZA class brake van 9346 was rebuilt as an AJ class van. It was shorter than the rest of the class at only 42'-0" long. It was fitted with electric light in August 1930 and became a ZJ along with the rest of the class in June 1940. In September 1948 it was converted into bullion van number VY5000. The WAGR outline diagram of ZJ260 is shown below.
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