New light shed on 1930s LNER train unearthed in Belgium

New light has been shed on the discovery of a 100-year-old railway wagon which was unearthed in Belgium.

It is not known how the former LNER storage wagon came to be in Antwerp - more than 400 miles away from the UK company's headquarters in York.

However, more research has been done to find out about the rare model, which was only briefly in service.

It was found under a wall of the Northern Citadel fortress, which is being excavated as part of a project to build a ring road around the city.

Consultant archaeologist Femke Martens said: “The wooden removals truck is thought to be around one hundred 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."

The only identifiable features were inscriptions including "furniture removal to house", "enquire at any station" and crucially "LNER".

It was also inscribed with "BK769" - which identified the truck's size (B) and its use (K), for transporting furniture.

LNER said its internal research suggests the wagon was the first model of LNER removal, which was briefly in service around the year 1930.

A much more common model was a blue edition which was used more widely, making the discovery of this earlier model all the rarer.

LNER 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.”

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