HERITAGE WAGONS TRACK RECORD
Embsay is your Oyster!
Versatile LMS brake van restored to its former glory.
Compiled by Gareth Evans
THE sole surviving LMS Oyster brake van is now fit to undertake all duties required of it at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, after the final details were finished in early February.
Built by Cravens in 1932, No. 197266 can operate both as a ‘traditional’ brake van and also as a ballast plough, making it a valuable vehicle for permanent way duties. According to the Vintage Carriages Trust database, other Oysters are located at East Lancs, Yeovil Railway Centre and North Norfolk – but they are BR examples built by RY Pickering in 1950.