Morning chaps and chapesses

I have a question for you that's totally out of my steam-era, pre-war scope. A contact of mine has got his hands on some Graham Farish bogie tankers. They are in red, and are marked with Texaco, and I've been tasked with finding out whether they existed in reality or were a figment of GF's over-active imagination.



I've tried searching for bogie tankers, TEAs, etc, but haven't found anything other than the new red tankers that are being built by Revolution Trains. So now I'm turning to you for some helpful information, which I know you'll be able to provide 

Quote from: Pete33 on June 29, 2015, 11:10:44 AM
I have a question for you that's totally out of my steam-era, pre-war scope. A contact of mine has got his hands on some Graham Farish bogie tankers. They are in red, and are marked with Texaco, and I've been tasked with finding out whether they existed in reality or were a figment of GF's over-active imagination.

I've tried searching for bogie tankers, TEAs, etc, but haven't found anything other than the new red tankers that are being built by Revolution Trains. So now I'm turning to you for some helpful information, which I know you'll be able to provide 

Well a search through the excellent Paul Bartlett wagon site turned up nothing so I went to the wagon books I've got.

The only mention of Total bogie tankers I can find is in a 1989 book by David Ratcliffe in that they had 75 built between 1978 and 1987.  The only photo is of a 1987 built wagon, apparently using parts from older tankers, but it's painted grey, has different logos, solebars, ends and bogies and ladders i.e. nothing at all like the Farish product.

Now whether Total used tankers in a red colour scheme between 1978 and 1987 is open to debate but the book I've got makes reference that all bogie class A tankers, those that carry light petroleum, are in a statutory grey livery.  Statutory is an interesting word in that it might mean a legal requirement at the time that would assist the emergency services to quickly identify a train that could be carrying hazardous material.  For information class B tankers carry heavy oil stuff like bitumen and the Total tankers were all class A.

So a work of fiction..... possibly unless someone comes up with a photo or two.

Nigel

Hi Nigel

Thanks for your hard work in researching tankers. I was starting to think they were fiction myself, after not being able to find any hint of a real-life version online. I'm glad you were able to back that up with some hard facts. I'll be sure to pass on the 'good' news.

Peter

Farish didn't have permission to replicate these fuel tankers, only use of the brands and logos
This was the nearest they could come up with

Ironically, a few years later they obtained permission from Shell and BP
These can be recognised by the correct TEA wagon identifiers

I presume the same goes for the bright yellow 4-wheel Shell tankers you see in train sets then?


Paul