Old Goods Wagons with Center Roof Canvas?

[Auto-Train Original]

Can anyone tell me more about these wagons I see in a lot of photos from before WW2 all over Ireland? Who made them? When did they last get used and has anyone modelled them? Thanks in advance.

[leslie10646]

They are "convertible wagons which were to be found on GSWR, MGWR, LMSNCC, BCDR (?), SLNCR(?) and DSER to sorta with.

@jhb171achill will write you an essay when he has time off from sucking up to Americans!

[Flying Snail]

Take a look here to see the late KCME's model of a DSER convertible wagon

https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/10867-dwwr-dser-convertible-wagon/

They are the definitive pre-CIE Irish wagon. So named as they could be converted between being a cattle wagon and a covered wagon. The soft top could be rolled back to provide ventilation when needed. As Leslie said, all Irish railway companies had them - the transportation of cattle from fairs to the ports was one of the major goods traffic types on Irish railways.

 

[murrayec]

https://www.studio-scale-models.com

[Mol_PMB]

The roof opening also allowed heavy items to be craned into them and then covered over. 
Similar vans were used on the big island too, but they lasted longer in service in Ireland. 

[Mayner]

The 'soft topped" or convertible wagons were gradually phased out on CIE during the 1950s most likely gone by 1960. Although the majority of Convertible Wagons were built in the 19th Century and were 14' long, the MGWR had some (approx 100)longer 17'6 Irish Railway Clearing House (IRCH) 'Standard Covered Wagons" of the Post WW1 era built as convertible wagons. The MGWR IRCH 'convertibles" had the same rood profile as a standard H Van but fitted with a removable canvas centre.

CIE replaced its remaining soft topped wagons and GSR & pre-amalgamation 14' calltle Wagons (K) with longer KN wagons during the 1950s, but ended up with a surpluse of KNs as the traffic declined during the 1960s

[Northroader]

You can get them as a card kit from Alphagraphix (this one’s 7mm scale) and do your own chassis.