Swansea Wagons 1 - Harry D Evans & Rogers
7 Plank Private Owner Wagon
(No longer available)
Introducing the club's first exclusive model
The club recently commissioned Dapol to produce a limited edition of the private owner wagon "Harry D.Evans & Rogers" in 7mm ( 0 Gauge ), 4mm ( 00 Gauge ) and 2mm ( N Gauge ).
A brief history of Harry D Evans & Rogers - a local coal agency
Harry D Evans and Rogers were local coal agents who transported coal from pit-heads to various companies all over the U.K and France. The partnership was formed at the turn of the 20th. century and used its own wagons to move coal by rail to the docks at Swansea, Llanelli and Burry Port for shipment. Some wagons also travelled throughout the UK via the wider rail network. Harry D Evans and Rogers ran profitably for nearly 30 years but was eventually wound up on 2 July 1928.
The early 20th. century was a period of near-endless merger and acquisition amongst the large number of coal-associated businesses serving the South Wales coalfield. Evans & Rogers had offices in Swansea and Llanelli and were conveniently situated to serve the collieries adjacent to the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway. It also held the sales agency for the Pontyclerc Colliery, north of Pantyffynon, for several years until that colliery was absorbed into Amalgamated Anthracite. The Llanelli address was influenced by the substantial agency business transacted with the Pentremawr Colliery. Pentremawr worked 4 drift mines between Ponthenry and Pontyberem on the Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley Railway. Evans & Rogers was the sole inland distributor for that colliery through which all accounting and commercial business was funnelled.
Evans & Rogers private owner wagons travelled far and wide and were recorded in Horwich, Kendal, Criggion (via The Shropshire & Montgomery Light Railway), Salford, Frodingham, Elland, Newton-le-Willows, Ipswich, and Tovil (Maidstone). Considerable business also took place in South East England as part of a contract with The Royal Naval Dockyard, Chatham, where all coal travelled by rail. Evans & Rogers shipped coal from its Welsh ports to big French customers although some U.K. distribution also went by sea.
Harry Dawkin Evans and Philip Rogers were highly successful as the partnership proved lucrative particularly in its early years and they each bought large properties as the business expanded. Eventually however, the fixed-price French contracts proved unsustainable when volatile spot prices proved too costly. Both partners retired when the partnership was terminated.
Philip Rogers’ grandson, John Rogers, is a long-time member of Swansea Railway Modellers Group.
