Tank wagons formed the largest sector of wagon provision that British Railways left to the private sector to provide. Their purpose is to carry liquids, including petrol, oil, tar, milk, bitumen, industrial chemicals etc..

In 1913, the 6-point black or white star seen on many wagons was introduced to denote the wagon's conformity to Railway Clearing House (RCH) design and suitability for use in 'fast' trains. The RCH wagon design on 10ft wheelbase chassis was confirmed in 1917 and remained unchanged until after the Second World War. Just before the war, wooden frames were dropped and inspection gantries around the tank top manhole began to appear. Many 10ft 14T tank wagons were built during the war for the Petroleum Board and these passed to the private sector after the war.

Bachmann has produced several designs of 14 ton tank wagon and the review model is one of the type 4 referred to in the Bachmann Pocket Book, except that it does not have ladders. It does have a 6 foot gantry (23mm) each side of the manhole, the cover of which is flat rather than domed like the others. The cover appears more detailed with a ring of bolt-heads on the upper surface. It has a hand wheel control valve projection beside it. The end stanchions are linked together by a horizontal wire which also ties them down to the frame.