[Kevin WS]

LYS1 Lancashire and Yorkshire Low Sided Goods Wagon

The “Low Sided Wagons” were generally owned by the railway companies and were used by Traders to transport general goods.

Picture 1 is of a similar wagon – courtesy The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Society.

The fact that these wagons had low sides did not mean necessarily that they carried small loads.

The low sides, in fact, made loading and offloading easy, especially where this was handled manually. It also facilitated the carriage of awkward loads and goods that may not fit in a covered goods van. Goods were secured after loading by covering the whole load with tarpaulins and then roping the tarpaulin down

Picture 2 illustrates how the wagons were often loaded right up! Photo again courtesy The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Society.

The load here looks like cotton bales – it awaits its tarpaulin cover. Two tarpaulins would probably have been needed for a load this size.