Mp-Type 1941 tank wagon

The Mp-Type 1941 series tanks were built in the 1940s by modifying the chassis of P Type 1906 tanks. They can essentially be divided into three sub-series based on the number of fuel tanks fitted.

The first sub-series had six small tanks of approximately 3m³ mounted transversely to the chassis. The discharge system could be standard or rapid, and a guardhouse might or might not be present. They were used to transport water (marked M), fuel (marked Mp), foodstuffs (marked Mov) or transformer oil. Specifically regarding this latter version, there are photographs from 1994 showing a version with a guard’s cabin and the drains removed at the Bologna electrical substation on the Milan side. The marking of this wagon was VUh. Furthermore, some wagons of this series remained in Yugoslavia at the end of the war and were registered with the Yugoslav Railways (Jugoslovanske železnice – JŽ). In total, more than 800 wagons were built in this configuration.

The second sub-series had a single 20.5 m³ tank, and around 200 units were built. These too could have a guard’s cabin or not; however, unlike the first sub-series, they were used exclusively for transporting fuel, with the marking Mp. In this case too, they ended their service life as service wagons with the marking VUh.

The final sub-series, of which only 12 were built and for which documentation is extremely scarce, had two 10m³ tanks each, mounted lengthwise on the chassis. In this case too, they were used exclusively for transporting fuel and were marked ‘Mp’. There are no records of any wagons from this sub-series in service livery.

Despite the considerable number of wagons built, they did not have a long life: most were in fact converted into P-Type wagons during the 1960s.