Lowmac well wagon Profile and Models

Lowmac is a United Kingdom railway term for a design of low-floored ('well') wagon. A Lowmac's purpose is for carrying vehicles or equipment that would normally be over the recommended height of a normal flatbed wagon, and hence exceed the loading gauge. This LOWMAC (code for implement truck) design dates back to the Great Central ‘MAC N’ 20t machine wagon. With a few revisions to the original concept, the LNER upgraded the design in 1938 into the diagram 143 ‘MAC NV’ wagon, increasing the wagon's carry weight to 22 tons. Pressures of the wartime era called for a greater load weight, so prior to production, another batch of improvements were carried out. The design was refined by replacing the 12in by 6in main longitudinal sections with 14 in by 6in equivalents, this increased the load to 25t, thus creating the diagram 173 ‘MAC PV’ we know today. Featuring 4 binding chains, and 16 lashing rings this all-purpose implement truck was fit for any load. Shildon Wagon Works received its first order for diagram 173 ‘MAC PV’ Implement Trucks in 1943, and by 1944 production was complete. The first batch of 60 wagons rolled out just in time to assist with the heavy freight traffic that was heading to the South Coast in preparation for the liberation of Europe. 30 wagons went to the LMS and the LNER retained 30 for themselves, however, in the last year of the war, and first year of peacetime, the LNER ordered a further two batches of 25, taking the Shildon built quota up to 110 vehicles. The 173 ‘MAC PV’ machine wagons were reclassified as LOWMAC EP. Having proven successful throughout its working life under the Big 4, British Railways decided to build even more of them – giving them the diagram 2/242 in their number system. Passing the contract to P & W Maclellan in 1950, a further 38 vehicles were produced. Incredibly, the LOWMAC continued serving Britain's railways as an engineering vehicle way into the '00s.

(Information provided by Rapido Trains UK)

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