Yahoo News More details revealed about mystery wagon from York-based rail firm found in Belgium
More details have been revealed about a railway wagon belonging to a York-based firm found buried in Belgium.
The former LNER storage wagon was found by archaeologists in Antwerp.
LNER said the archaeologists found it under a wall of an old fortress known as the Northern Citadel from the 19th century.
Consultant archaeologist Femke Martens said the wooden wagon was thought to be 100 years old.
“It’s a mystery as to how the carriage came to be in Antwerp, and unfortunately there’s very little left of the relic as it disintegrated while being excavated,” she said.
“Upon closer examination, its only identifiable features were the inscriptions which included ‘FURNITURE REMOVAL TO HOUSE,’ ‘Enquire at any station,’ ‘BK769,’ (which identified the truck’s size – B – and its use, for furniture, - K) and crucially ‘LNER’.”
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LNER said its own research suggests this wagon was the first model of LNER removal which was briefly in service around the year 1930.
A more common model was a blue edition which was used widely, making the discovery of this earlier model all the rarer and more unique, it added.
The rail firm’s communications director Stuart Thomas said: “This curious find has certainly generated lots of interest and we are delighted the team from the Urban Archaeology department of the City of Antwerp have helped shed more light on the discovery.
“We’re fascinated by LNER’s history, and we’d like to thank the team for their help in unearthing more information about LNER’s proud past.”
