Early 14 Ton Tank Wagons with timber saddles, cradles and wire hawsers were built in response to the need for oil products to fuel Britain's rapid development during the early-twentieth century, along with two world wars. As the hostilities of World War Two drew to a close, a new design of tank with a central anchor mechanism securing the tank to the chassis was agreed between the private operators, the Petroleum Board and the railway companies. Construction of this new wagon did not pick up pace until the early-1950s, and with the introduction of larger, vacuum braked tank wagons during the late-1950s, the Anchor-Mount design soon became obsolete, and the final wagons of this type were built in 1963.