The TEA tankers first appeared in the late 1960s and were designed to take large loads of hazardous liquids from refineries to ports and storage facilities. With a loaded capacity of 100 tonnes, and often marshalled in long rakes, these wagons were required to be hauled by the heaviest of BR locomotives such as the Class 37 and Class 60. These smartly decorated and imposing tank wagons are a must have for sectorisation era and later layouts.
This particular TEA is painted in all over grey and red with Esso and BRT brandings.

History
Builders of these 100-ton oil and gas tank wagons included the Standard Wagon Company & Chas Roberts, Powell-Duffryn, Marcroft Engineering and Greenbrier Europe, who between them built hundreds of examples from the late 1960s through to the mid-2000s. Operated by private owners, EWS and VTG, many examples can still be seen in service today. This one is in the markings of Esso, which dates back to early 1900s when it was formed by the Standard Oil Company in America, though today is part of the global ExxonMobil empire.