Shell Oil Bitumen Tank Wagon no 9823

The most modern looking wagon preserved at Foxfield, this tank was built to carry bitumen, and has a similar underframe to Esso tank number 48527 but with improved auxilliary suspension The addition of lagging to the tank gives it distinct conical ends, and two flame tubes are fitted along the bottom of the tank interior, curve upwards through the middle of the tank and exit at the top. Burners would be inserted in these tubes and left to warm the load for a number of hours until the bitumen would flow out freely. Twin ladders at one end allow access to catwalks the full length of the tank. 

Number 9823 was built by Charles Roberts of Wakefield in 1963 and for twenty years was part of Shell UK Oil's fleet, carrying plain black livery and latterly fleet number 52441. Unfortunately much bitumen traffic transferred to road haulage and vacuum braked wagons were becoming obsolete, so Shell generously donated 9823 for preservation at Foxfield in 1983. It is now used as a water storage facility for steam locomotives at Foxfield Wood sidings, in Shell's black livery.