ANTWERP, BELGIUM—The York Press reports that a wooden railway wagon made in England was discovered at the wall of a nineteenth-century fortress by members of the Urban Archaeology department of the City of Antwerp. The storage wagon was made approximately 100 years ago by the company London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operated between 1923 and 1948, when it was nationalized. “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,” said archaeologist Femke Martens. Inscriptions on the wagon included “FURNITURE REMOVAL TO HOUSE,” and “Enquire at any station.” The wagon also bore codes identifying its size, use, and company name. Researchers have determined that the wagon was the first model of its type, and was briefly used by LNER around 1930. To read about excavations that uncovered traces of nineteenth-century England's Great Western Railway, go to "A Tale of Two Railroads."
Unusual Railway Car Discovered in Belgium
News April 10, 2024
Recommended Articles
Digs & Discoveries September/October 2024
Moving Day
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2020
If These Walls Could Talk
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2016
The Blood of the King
Off the Grid September/October 2012
Aquincum, Hungary
-
Features May/June 2024
Alexander the Great's Untold Story
Excavations in northern Greece are revealing the world that shaped the future king
(Veronika Pfeiffer/Alamy) -
Letter from the Catskills May/June 2024
Ghost Towns of the Ashokan Reservoir
An archaeologist investigates how construction of New York City’s largest reservoir a century ago uprooted thousands of rural residents
(Courtesy the New York City Department of Environmental Protection) -
Artifacts May/June 2024
Medieval Iron Gauntlet
(Courtesy Canton of Zurich) -
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2024
Ancient Egyptian Caregivers
(Metropolitan Museum of Art)