Speedlink Volume 3 : International Ferry Stock

This final volume in the series examines the important role played by the internationally registered wagons that operated on Speedlink services. Such rolling stock had been seen on the railways of Britain since the 1920s and, due to the fact that all the types entering the country were air braked, they were ideal for Speedlink. By the 1980s, many new designs had appeared, especially bogie vans, and formed an important part of the stock to be seen on Speedlink services across the country. Before the opening of the Channel Tunnel, international vehicles came into the UK via the train ferries to Dover and Harwich, and a wide variety of these European wagons from countries as far afield as Yugoslavia could be seen on Speedlink services. The wagons employed included vans, flats and tankers; the latter for commodities ranging from chemicals to china clay. The sight of these overseas vehicles on Speedlink services added a hint of the exotic these workings.