One of Bristols major coal factors, Alfred Smith operated a significantly sized fleet of open coal wagons in this red livery. The arch style lettering was designed to be eyecatching, acting as an advertisment in goods yards and while passing through the city stations.

This wagon would have travelled widely, coal factors purchased bulk quantites of coal direct from collieries and obtained a variety of different coal grades. These were then sold on to local coal merchants across the South West for domestic sales, supplied to the factory boilers of Bristols' industries and to the steam ships at the docks. Few Bristol companies appear to have owned coal wagons, likely due to the ready supply of coal from the factor companies, also offering the ability to blend coals to get the best mix for the factory boilers at little extra cost.

Click here for our current OO gauge Special Edition wagons.

Specially commissioned from Dapol, this 7-plank open wagon is a model of T Butt & Sons wagon number 2.

This well-known Stroud firm remained has had a long association with the building trades in Gloucestershire, trading as builders merchants until 2007. Our models of their wagons have followed this theme and wagon number 2 is planned to carry a load of bricks, complementing the timber load supplied with our 2007 release of wagon number 3.

Records indicate that the company operated up to seven wagons, both owned and leased, for many years. The Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company photographic records contain an image of number 2, indicating that this was delivered in November 1911. T Butt & Sons' business is described on the sides as coal, salt and builders merchants.

This bright blue coal wagon was operated by coal merchants and factors Richard White & Son of Evesham, the company name being signwritten in a flamboyant sweeping arch along the side. Wagon number 109 was recorded by the Gloucester C&W company photographer in February 1924.

Richard White had been buying wagons from the Gloucester builders for several years, wagon number 50 having been photographed in November 1898. This eralier wagon was painted grey and lettered in a much more conservative style, the 1920s livery no doubt was much more effective advertising.

This unusally bright and decorative livery is sure to be noticed on your layout.

Click here for our current OO gauge Special Edition wagons.

Antics Special Edition Model

This wagon operated by the Coventry Ordnance factory would have been used to convey manufactured ordnance, shells for instance, to government ordnance depots or to ports for export. The model is based on a prototype wagon built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon company and photographed outside the company's works in Gloucester in March 1907.

Painted dark red, this must be one of the more unusual companys' operating privately owned wagons.

Latest Antics Special Edition

Hoare Brothers of Marsh Mills, Plymouth operated a fleet of railway wagons for many years. The wagons advertised the brothers' business as tarmacadam and stone merchants, these four plank types formed most of the early fleet. The low sides helped prevent overloading with heavy stone materials. Road building materials were conveyed from quarries and roadstone coating plants to depots in South Devon. The main depot was at Marsh Mills, however the wagons would often have been unloaded in local station goods yards near to the current customer or road surfacing project.

This wagon, number 60, has been modelled from a photograph where it is seen alongside a GWR 2721 type pannier tank circa 1930.

A fine coated roadstone load is supplied, representing material used for forming a tarmacadam road surface, ready to extend the network of surfaced roads around your local station.

A new special edition wagon expected early December 2008.

A new addition to our Stroud valleys range this wagon is painted and lettered in an attractive style John Rogers & Sons, coal merchants at Nailsworth Glos.
John Rogers appears to have taken over the business of Cecil Thompson, who in turn had taken over from Henry Heaven whose wagon we have previously produced. Wagon number 3 was bought new on a 7-year agreement and photographed at the Gloucester RCW works in October 1913.

In the mid-1920s a new partnership was formed of Rogers & Dennis Ltd. of Nailsworth. It appears that Dennis' business was the supply of fertillizer, lawn sand and lime, expanding on the coal business run by John Rogers and the partnership continued to trade at least into 1939. We are seeking information and a photograph of the railway wagons in Rogers & Dennis livery, please contact us if you can help!

Antics special edition model, maximum production of 250.

Well-known as builders of portable internal combustion engines, R A Listers ordered this 7-plank open wagons from the Gloucester RCW Co. to supply coal for their plant at Dursley, Glos. in May 1910. Painted chocolate brown with white lettering and black shading.

A P Hudson of Worcester operated this red painted 7-plank open wagon, supplied by the Gloucester RCW in October 1907 and registered with the GWR. The wagon is lettered to fully describe A P Hudson's diverse business in coal and oil fuels, with the term general merchant, probably indicating that he also supplied building material from his yard. This specially commissioned model depicts wagon number 21, which was lettered specifically to operate between Birch Coppice colliery (near Tamworth) and Midland wharf in Worcester.

Our latest addition to the range of special edition wagons.

W W Milton distributed coal from Montpelier railway station in Bristol, on the GWR/LMS joint line to Avonmouth. Wagon number 6 was photographed in January 1910 when taken on hire from the Gloucester RCW Co. painted lead grey with white lettering. W W Milton used a monogram logo on the side door of his wagon, combining the letters W and M. S Brookman, who also traded from Montpelier station, had a similar SB monogram painted on his wagons.

W W Miltons' later wagons were painted a chocolate brown colour, we also have wagon 6 available in this livery.

Supplied with a limited edition certificate

When WW Milton wagon number 6 was photographed in January 1910 it was painted lead grey, however by September 1911 the companys' new wagons were being painted chocolate brown. Wagon number 6 has been modelled in the revised brown livery as a variation to our special edition model in the grey livery.

W W Milton distributed coal from Montpelier railway station in Bristol, on the GWR/LMS joint line to Avonmouth. The company used a monogram logo on the side door of his wagon, combining the letters W and M.

Wagon number 6 is also available in the as-delivered lead grey livery.

A specially commissioned model of Edward Langford's 5-plank open wagon number 6. The original wagon was built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company and was recorded by their photographer in March 1901. The wagon had probably just been painted, ready for delivery to Edward Langford at Stonehouse in lead grey with black shaded white lettering.

New Antics Limited Edition

Based on a wagon produced in 1916 by the Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd. for Walker & Rodgers of Warwick. As far as is known the company traded mainly in domestic coal and certainly survived until 1940.

Joining the Antics Limited Edition range in conjunction with the opening of our newest shop in Coventry this well detailed 7-plank open coal wagon carries the livery of Walker and Rodgers, coal merchants from nearby Warwick. Featuring a removable coal load and metal wheels for smooth running.

7-plank open coal wagon as used by the Bute company.

Antics Limited Edition. E. T. Ward & Son, a coal merchant from Stroud, had premises in the town in 1935. There was also a possible link to the Coleford Red Ash Colliery. Wagon No. 4 has been based on a Gloucester Railway & Wagon Co. photograph taken at Gloucester in 1905.

Antics Limited Edition
Detailed model of a 5-plank open merchandise wagon built for Wyken and Craven, a small collery north of Coventry on the LNWR line to Nuneaton. The wagon has a removable coal load and is fitted with metal wheels for smooth running.

Antics now has a branch in Coventry and this is the first of a planned series of specially commissioned local wagons.

A specially commissioned model of C W Jones' 5-plank open wagon number 19. The original wagon was built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company and was recorded by their photographer in December 1901. The wagon had probably just been painted, ready for delivery to C W Jones in lead grey with black shaded white lettering.

A new book from wagon reseacher Ian Pope covering wagons owned by companies and merchants in Gloucestershire. Featuring over 450 high quality illustrations, accompanied by captions and details of the owners and operators. Often colourfully painted and sometimes with extensive lettering private owner wagons offered mobile advertising for their owners. Mostly used to haul coal, there are many other businesses who owned wagons in Gloucestershire, plus the city of Gloucester boasted one of the most prolific and successful railway wagon building companies.
This book covers Gloucestershire, north of the Badminton route and the Bristol county boundary, with a book on Bristol in the future.