Seaham Harbour chaldron wagon

Chaldron wagon, Seaham Harbour Tramway, Owned by Marquis of Londonderry (Vane-Tempest, George) from Seaham Harbour c.1870. No.31, wooden bucket design, painted black with "32 L 2.13.0" in white.

A ‘chaldron’ is an archaic term for a measure of coal; this measure varied regionally, but in the North East was 53cwt. ‘Chaldron Waggon’ as a name therefore has its origins in the North East coal industry. They were the first form of rail vehicle on the above ground coal railways and developed from the pre-railway coal wain.