The LNER Encyclopedia

Archaeologists from the City of Antwerp made a special revelation at the Oosterweel junction site. During excavations at the North Castle, they discovered a large train set that was almost 100 years old!
The wagon was dug into the Noordkasteelwal and through the inscriptions they were able to determine that it dates from the 1930s! So you see: even history has a place on our yards.

Archaeologists from the city of Antwerp made a special revelation at the yard of the Oosterweel junction. During excavations at the North Castle, they discovered a large train set that was almost 100 years old. The historic wagon was completely dug into the Noordkasteelwal, and through the inscriptions they were able to determine that it dates from the 1930s.

After investigation it turned out that this was a wagon of a train set of the 'conflat, red oxide' type. The wagon was dug into the embankment and had inscriptions such as '…NITURE REMOVAL TO HOUSE', 'Enquire at any station', 'BK 1820' and 'LNER'. It remains a mystery how the train ended up in Antwerp and why it was buried. It may have been used as a storage space when the North Castle became a recreational spot.

Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the old train carriage was so fragile that it was impossible for the archaeologists to recover the find. That is why a lot of footage was made, so that everyone can enjoy the special find. You can view more photos via this <link... see above>.

Origin train

In the early 19th century, simple square boxes were used in England for rail transport. Railroad companies quickly switched to standardized containers that were easier to load and unload.

The first model of LNER (London North Eastern Railway), one of the four English railway companies, was painted reddish brown around 1930. A few years later this color changed to the characteristic blue. The red container was only in use for a few years, which makes this find very rare.

65447 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2024 11:55 am BK1820 was to LNER Diagram 31. The first lot of 200 was built in 1938 and the second lot of 200, including BK1820, was built in 1940.

stefanic wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2024 7:54 am ... Can anyone give me the general dimensions of such a container? I'm currently making an Antwerp docks layout (1/32 scale) picturing the 1950s, and such a container would be a special addition 'with a story'.