GWR Toad
Encyclopedia
The GWR Toad was a railway brake van
, designed by and built for the Great Western Railway
. From 1894, it was used by the GWR and post-1947 by the Western Region
of British Railways to act as a safety brake on goods trains in the West of England
, the Midlands and Wales
. No longer in Network Rail
operational use, a number have survived on to preserved railways due to its long open veranda and large enclosed cabin, making it an ideal, cheap and versatile passenger carriage.
law, every goods train needed a brake van attached at the end of it. This was to because most wagons were only fitted with hand brakes, and so the brake van had an important part to play in the safe running of goods trains by adding additional braking capacity. Once trains fitted with vacuum brake
s were introduced (from 1904 on the GWR), a guard was required to travel at the rear of every train to ensure that it stayed as one train.
for a brake van, with each bespoke Toad model allocated diagrams in the AA series. The standard GWR brake van design dates from 1894, with many varieties were built between 1894 and the early 1950s. Early vans were just 10 or 12 tons weight, but this gradually increased to 20 tons.
Each Toad had a large guards compartment/cabin extending about two-thirds of the length of the van, with the remaining "veranda" open on three sides, but covered with a roof. Full length external footboards and hand rails allowed the guard or a shunter to ride on the outside during shunting movements. On the veranda, sand boxes were fitted to the rear to allow the guard to sand the rails if necessary, to stop the wheels slipping. A full height door allowed access from the veranda to the cabin, matched by a door on the far end of cabin in most versions. Whilst all versions had side entrances on both sides onto the veranda, some version included additional full height side doors into the cabin. Inside the cabin were: tool boxes; cupboards; a light and other electrical systems powered by an axle mounted dynamo
; a seat; a combined table/desk, often two, with one collapsible; and a stove
powered by wood or coal collected from the lineside. The guard was first aid trained, and so the cabin contained the trains main first aid kit. Like the roof, the inside of the cabin was painted white for safety reasons, derived from the practise of the time within hospitals. Windows in both ends of the cabin allowed the guard to see out and keep an eye on his train, but actual operations were only possible from the open veranda, which made this a cold and weather-beaten job all year round.
Most Toads carried the name of their home depot on the side. The GWR had a practise of allocating Toads to fixed runs, allowing the allocated guards to build up experience on a particular route, and hence increase safety.
line in south Wales
; it had an open veranda at each end. AA7 were small 12 ton vans for working over the Metropolitan Railway
’s underground lines to Smithfield Market. AA4 were fully enclosed vans for working through the lengthy Severn Tunnel
. Other fully enclosed vans were built for use on permanent way trains and were given diagram AA6. The next batch of permanent way vans were rated at 25 tons and fitted with ploughs to spread newly laid ballast (AA10). Diagram AA23 was the last GWR design of TOAD, and several vans from this lot of 326 never saw GWR service, having been completed under British Railways.
had reduced by two thirds the amount of trackage in the UK; resultantly, most steam locomotives had been withdrawn; and most British Railways standard-design diesel and electric locomotives had double-ended cabs. Resultantly, there was no operational need for so many brake vans, and like many designs the GWR Toads were withdrawn.
s through being deemed "safe" to be used by HM Railway Inspectorate for the transport of workers. It was deemed effectively a small railway carriage.
This generic safety approval was noted and followed initially by many railway preservation societies, who bought Toads to offer ride-on experiences on their developing lines. Hence the number of Toads that survived into preservation versus a number of other pre-grouping designs, and later British railways types, is relatively high.
Brake van
Brake van and guard's van are terms used mainly in the UK, Australia and India for a railway vehicle equipped with a hand brake which can be applied by the guard...
, designed by and built for the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. From 1894, it was used by the GWR and post-1947 by the Western Region
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
of British Railways to act as a safety brake on goods trains in the West of England
West of England
The West of England is a loose and locationally unspecific term sometimes given to the area surrounding the city and county of Bristol, England, and also sometimes applied more widely and in other parts of South West England.-Use in the Bristol area:...
, the Midlands and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. No longer in Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
operational use, a number have survived on to preserved railways due to its long open veranda and large enclosed cabin, making it an ideal, cheap and versatile passenger carriage.
Background
By HM Railway InspectorateHM Railway Inspectorate
Established in 1840, HM Railway Inspectorate was the British organisation responsible for overseeing safety on Britain's railways and tramways...
law, every goods train needed a brake van attached at the end of it. This was to because most wagons were only fitted with hand brakes, and so the brake van had an important part to play in the safe running of goods trains by adding additional braking capacity. Once trains fitted with vacuum brake
Vacuum brake
The vacuum brake is a braking system employed on trains and introduced in the mid-1860s. A variant, the automatic vacuum brake system, became almost universal in British train equipment and in those countries influenced by British practice. Vacuum brakes also enjoyed a brief period of adoption in...
s were introduced (from 1904 on the GWR), a guard was required to travel at the rear of every train to ensure that it stayed as one train.
Design
The nickname "Toad" was derived from the GWR's electric telegraph codeGreat Western Railway telegraphic codes
Great Western Railway telegraphic codes were a commercial telegraph code used to shorten the telegraphic messages sent between the stations and offices of the railway....
for a brake van, with each bespoke Toad model allocated diagrams in the AA series. The standard GWR brake van design dates from 1894, with many varieties were built between 1894 and the early 1950s. Early vans were just 10 or 12 tons weight, but this gradually increased to 20 tons.
Each Toad had a large guards compartment/cabin extending about two-thirds of the length of the van, with the remaining "veranda" open on three sides, but covered with a roof. Full length external footboards and hand rails allowed the guard or a shunter to ride on the outside during shunting movements. On the veranda, sand boxes were fitted to the rear to allow the guard to sand the rails if necessary, to stop the wheels slipping. A full height door allowed access from the veranda to the cabin, matched by a door on the far end of cabin in most versions. Whilst all versions had side entrances on both sides onto the veranda, some version included additional full height side doors into the cabin. Inside the cabin were: tool boxes; cupboards; a light and other electrical systems powered by an axle mounted dynamo
Dynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
; a seat; a combined table/desk, often two, with one collapsible; and a stove
Stove
A stove is an enclosed heated space. The term is commonly taken to mean an enclosed space in which fuel is burned to provide heating, either to heat the space in which the stove is situated or to heat the stove itself, and items placed on it...
powered by wood or coal collected from the lineside. The guard was first aid trained, and so the cabin contained the trains main first aid kit. Like the roof, the inside of the cabin was painted white for safety reasons, derived from the practise of the time within hospitals. Windows in both ends of the cabin allowed the guard to see out and keep an eye on his train, but actual operations were only possible from the open veranda, which made this a cold and weather-beaten job all year round.
Most Toads carried the name of their home depot on the side. The GWR had a practise of allocating Toads to fixed runs, allowing the allocated guards to build up experience on a particular route, and hence increase safety.
Derivatives
Specialised types included AA8 which had a low, central body to fit under small bridges on the PontnewynyddPontnewynydd
Pontnewynydd is a predominantly working class suburb of Pontypool, Torfaen in Wales. It should not be confused with Pontnewydd in nearby Cwmbran.- Location :...
line in south Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
; it had an open veranda at each end. AA7 were small 12 ton vans for working over the Metropolitan Railway
Metropolitan railway
Metropolitan Railway can refer to:* Metropolitan line, part of the London Underground* Metropolitan Railway, the first underground railway to be built in London...
’s underground lines to Smithfield Market. AA4 were fully enclosed vans for working through the lengthy Severn Tunnel
Severn Tunnel
The Severn Tunnel is a railway tunnel in the United Kingdom, linking South Gloucestershire in the west of England to Monmouthshire in south Wales under the estuary of the River Severn....
. Other fully enclosed vans were built for use on permanent way trains and were given diagram AA6. The next batch of permanent way vans were rated at 25 tons and fitted with ploughs to spread newly laid ballast (AA10). Diagram AA23 was the last GWR design of TOAD, and several vans from this lot of 326 never saw GWR service, having been completed under British Railways.
Withdrawal
In 1968, the requirement for fully fitted freight trains to end with a guard's van was lifted. From this point onwards, the guard was allowed to ride in the rearmost locomotive cab, giving a good view of the whole train. By this point in time: the Beeching AxeBeeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
had reduced by two thirds the amount of trackage in the UK; resultantly, most steam locomotives had been withdrawn; and most British Railways standard-design diesel and electric locomotives had double-ended cabs. Resultantly, there was no operational need for so many brake vans, and like many designs the GWR Toads were withdrawn.
Preservation
A sturdy and well built design offering a large enclosed open area, many Toads initially survived into a new life on industrial railwayIndustrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
s through being deemed "safe" to be used by HM Railway Inspectorate for the transport of workers. It was deemed effectively a small railway carriage.
This generic safety approval was noted and followed initially by many railway preservation societies, who bought Toads to offer ride-on experiences on their developing lines. Hence the number of Toads that survived into preservation versus a number of other pre-grouping designs, and later British railways types, is relatively high.
| No. | Image | Built | Date | Style | First allocation | Last allocation | Current location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17391 | Swindon Works Swindon Works Swindon railway works were built by the Great Western Railway in 1841 in Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire.-History:In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of a railway between London and Bristol. Its Chief Engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.From 1836, Brunel had been buying... |
AA21 | Bristol Harbour Railway | |||||
| 17908 | Swindon Works | 1913 | AA13 | Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... |
Bluebell Railway Bluebell Railway The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers... |
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| 35290 | Swindon Works | AA23 | Museum of the Great Western Railway | |||||
| 35413 | Swindon Works | 1942 | AA23 | East Somerset Railway East Somerset Railway The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway ran from Witham to Wells, meeting both the Cheddar Valley line and Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at the latter station.- History :The line was... |
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| 40362 | Swindon Works | AA6 | Severn Valley Railway Severn Valley Railway The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route... |
Fully enclosed permanent way derivative | ||||
| 56400 | Swindon Works | AA3 | Didcot Railway Centre Didcot Railway Centre Didcot Railway Centre, located in the town of Didcot in the English county of Oxfordshire, is based around the site of a comprehensive "engine shed" which became redundant after the nationalisation of the UK railways, due to the gradual changeover from steam to diesel motive power.-Description:The... |
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| 68500 | Swindon Works | Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre The Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre is a heritage centre based at Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, the terminus of the northern section of the Great Central Railway . The site includes locomotive and rolling stock workshops , as well as cafeteria and shops... |
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| 68684 | Swindon Works | AA15 | Didcot Railway Centre Didcot Railway Centre Didcot Railway Centre, located in the town of Didcot in the English county of Oxfordshire, is based around the site of a comprehensive "engine shed" which became redundant after the nationalisation of the UK railways, due to the gradual changeover from steam to diesel motive power.-Description:The... |
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| 68777 | Swindon Works | AA20 | South Devon Railway South Devon Railway South Devon Railway could mean:* South Devon Railway Company - the company that built the railway from Exeter to Plymouth* South Devon Railway Trust - the heritage railway from Totnes to BuckfastleighOther heritage railways in South Devon include:... |
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| Swindon Works | Manchester Ship Canal Manchester Ship Canal The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift... |
Gloucester Docks | ||||||