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BK Container Number Theory

The number of my BK container has been a mystery ever since it arrived. I've tried everything short of UV light to try to find it, and only the lack of a suitable UV lamp is preventing me from trying that idea.

Fundamentally, the problem is that the container was painted when new (1950s), then again when the colour changed from Maroon to Bauxite (1960s), then got left outside for about 30 years to go rotten, and then - to compound the problem - had a coat of white paint slapped on top of the rotten wood on both ends and one side.

The texture of the white paint is very rough, so it is impossible to see any lettering contours through the paint. On the white-painted side (currently the west side) the plywood is particularly poor and any attempt to rub the paint just brings off the top layer of plywood.

On the east side we are slightly luckier in that there is no white paint - but the left hand end of this side (where the number should be) has virtually no paint at all. There is the odd fleck to show where the maroon paint (with yellow lettering) used to be, probably enough to match the colour but certainly not enough to determine what the lettering actually said. The right hand end of this side is in fairly pristine bauxite, as this end was sheltered from the weather by the adjacent container BD48839B at its previous location, but rather annoyingly the only lettering this gives us is the end of the 'door to door' slogan!

After a lot of squinting under different lighting conditions, I think I've found the number in two places on the east side - one at the top, in small numerals prefixed '102' (the '2' being very clear), and again below, in larger numerals prefixed 'BK' but not very clear at all. Unfortunately there isn't enough in either place to be absolutely certain of the number. The '102', incidentally, appears on several containers and seems to be some sort of code for B-sized containers, though where it comes from I have no idea. It isn't part of the actual container number.

This brings us to the end door. Once again we have the dreaded white paint to contend with, but fortunately the plywood here is in slightly better condition (and the doors at least have been sheltered by a tarpaulin for a few months now, so are a bit drier too). I've seen a few photos of BK containers which give some clues about where to look for the lettering, but there does seem to be quite a bit of variation even within the same lot, so there are no guarantees that mine will match the photos.

So anyway... I decided to bite the bullet and chip off the loose flakes of white paint from where the number should be - and I think I've found it...

Morning Pictures



Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06

Some clues might help. These pictures show the top edge of the plywood sheet on the left hand door, but were not originally the top of the door. The dark space above was originally occupied by a piece of timber which formed part of the door frame, but this has fallen off years ago. The join was covered by a steel strip, the position of which is marked by the area along the top which is devoid of white paint. So it seems fair to assume that the numbers stopped below that - although I have seen pictures showing the side numerals overlapping the metal strips, so no guarantees.

You can click on the images for a closer look. Now, we know that it is a diagram 3/127 container which means that the number is BK____B with the gap being filled by a four-digit number somewhere between 8685 and 9434. If you look just below and to the left of the drilled hole, you can make out a couple of angled lines which look suspiciously like part of the 'K'. There is little or no trace of the 'B' but we can live without that. Now, look to the right of the 'K' and you can make out the top of the first digit - which we know must be an '8' or a '9', but which is it? Further across again and the second digit is fairly clear, and this determines what the first digit must be given the available number sequence. With me so far?

The second picture overlaps the first a little, so you can pick up from that fairly clear second digit and continue reading across. The third digit is a little troublesome, I have my theory on this but I'm not quite sure yet. The fourth digit is clearer again 'in the flesh', though perhaps less so on this picture. The trailing 'B' is a little hard to spot, but it is there if you know where to look.

Now, this isn't really very easy to read at all, so I took a few more photos of the troublesome central portion of the number:



Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06

Afternoon Pictures

By the afternoon the sun had moved around so I took some more under different lighting conditions. Each row contains a set of three photos showing the number; the middle line of photos was taken using a flash.



Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06


Photo © P. Hetherington 04/06/06

So there it is. I now have a fairly good idea of what the number is, but I'm not 100% sure, particularly of the third digit, so I'd welcome other peoples' opinions. Answers on a postcard please; you can reach me via the contacts page.

Have fun! Those 'magic eye' puzzles have got nothing on me...


Back to BK Rescue page.
Phil Hetherington
Last Modified: 12.12.07