GWR Siphon

The GWR, being a railway system which served the rural and highly agricultural West of England and South Wales, had a resultant large requirement to transport milk in volume.

75 wagons were built to this diagram under lot numbers 180 and 217, able to carry 17 gallon milk churns stacked two high.

The Siphon E was the first vehicle to use a tri-axle arrangement, introduced from post World War I they were withdrawn from the late 1930s as train speeds increased.

Often Siphons travelled singly, although on the most used routes from Devon and West Wales to Paddington railway station, express milk trains were scheduled.

After the introduction of specialised parcels vehicles, the Siphons were often used by the engineers department, with ENPARTS in large letters on the side transporting spares around the system.