From the early days of the railways, there was a need to carry motor cars or farm machinery and a flat wagon with fixing chains was the most suitable for this. Many were used in industry and particularly in quarries for transporting large rocks. The use of a low sided wagon was similar to that of a flat wagon, the only difference being that the sides prevented sideways movement of the load. As its name implies, a 1-plank wagon had only a single narrow plank making up each side and this would be hinged along the bottom to allow it to drop down to make loading and unloading easier. All four railway companies had them and British Railways built 3,150 'Lowfits', as they were called. The first 400 had wooden bodies but, after that, they were built in steel.