Wagon fleet news and discussion

[Oxfordblues]

I'm sure there must be a rational explanation, but I really can't see why wagons in store at one location have to be moved to another location for further storage. Are these HTAs: (1) awaiting a resumption of coal traffic; (2) shortlisted for conversion to aggregate hoppers; or (3) being held hoping for an increase in scrap prices before disposal?

 

[Adrian Barr]

Wagon Review of the year 2024

You haven't been waiting for it, but here it is anyway! A selection of interesting wagon moves / fleet developments, although far from comprehensive. Beginning with coal wagons; I haven't put together the rest yet...

I've attached links to photos of the moves on flickr, where I could find them.

====================
2024 HTA movements (GBRF):
====================

The HTA set used by GBRF on Immingham - Ratcliffe coal trains was outbased at Barnetby. HTAs were occasionally tripped to March or Peterborough for maintenance, via Doncaster / Peterborough. For example, 66784 hauls 5 HTAs as 4R01 Peterborough - Barnetby on 2nd Feb:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/197671115@N03/53521198153/

In the other direction, there was an even shorter 4L79 18:25 Barnetby - March Up Yard on 25/06/24, consisting of 66784 plus a single HTA 310630.
Considering the final Ratcliffe coal train was only three days later, the long-distance movement seems a bit strange! This wagon has since ended up at Cockshute sidings, Stoke (see below).

This is how the sidings at Barnetby looked on 24th July, with the now redundant Ratcliffe HTA set stabled (24 wagons) plus 9 more assorted HTA:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfrombedford/53899288275/

66787 ran light from Doncaster to Barnetby on 30th July and worked a 4M59 14:28 Barnetby to Collyhurst sidings with 18 HTAs, pictured here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tramsntrains/53892004959/
The same loco collected another 11 HTAs the following day, and also moved them to Collyhurst as a 4M59. This left 4 HTAs at Barnetby (which are still there at the end of the year).

18 of the HTAs at Collyhurst were moved back to Barnetby as 6Z37 on 20/09/24. These 18 subsequently moved on to Wrenthorpe (siding near Wakefield Westgate) on New Year's Eve as 4Z66 behind 66789.

The remaining 11 HTAs at Collyhurst moved to Doncaster Down Decoy as 4Z52 on 28/11/24, then on to Leeds Whitehall Road for further storage next day as 6D18 on 29/11/24.

Stored HTAs also congregated at March and Peterborough, although most have now been cleared out as follows:

66787 took 13 HTAs as from Peterborough to Stoke Cockshute sidings for storage as 4K70 on 11/07/24. Some had arrived from March Yard earlier the same day as 4E69. Why Stoke? Answers on a postcard...
https://flickr.com/photos/d1021/53851619528/

66781 took two HTAs from March to Stoke Cockshute sidings as 4Z70 on 19/08/24, seen at Stafford behind 66781:
https://flickr.com/photos/d1021/53936550393/

HTAs to Shirebrook: Back in 2021, GBRF were using two HTA sets on the Ratcliffe services (with ones of the sets also working to West Burton as required). When this was reduced to a single HTA set (working alongside a set of IIAs), this left HTAs in storage at Doncaster and other locations. A surprising movement of 16 of these HTAs from Doncaster to Shirebrook occurred on 3rd October this year, running as 6N64. Shirebrook is not normally a storage or scrapping location - it's not beyond the realm of possibility these could be shortened into aggregate hoppers. HRAs were previously converted from HTAs at Shirebrook for DB, as seen in this 2018 shot: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dbs60100/46298866101/

Apart from the movements and locations already mentioned, TOPS shows leftover GBRF HTAs 310814 at Peterborough, 310070 + 310184 at March plus 7 more at Doncaster.

===================
Ratcliffe IIA set (GBRF)
===================

At the start of the year, GBRF were using a set of ~24 IIA coal wagons on the Ratcliffe coal workings alongside their HTA set. The last loaded working of this set into Ratcliffe was 6M81 on 16th Jan, which ran back empty to Doncaster as 4E77. 18 of these IIAs returned empty to Ratcliffe for temporary storage as 6M61 from Doncaster Hexthorpe on 22nd Jan, and another 6M61 ran with 6 empty IIAs from Doncaster to Ratcliffe on Feb 5th, as seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/149450236@N06/53513782020/

The re-formed set of 24 IIAs moved from Ratcliffe to Wrenthorpe behind 69004 on April 16th, the loco making an unusual sight within the Ratcliffe complex:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/37923727@N04/53658409858/

The IIAs then went into use on Arcow Quarry workings, appearing on 6M37 to Pendleton on 7th May:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132021571@N08/54215418266/

This was possibly the last full-length coal set in use on aggregate workings - these IIAs are still 61ft long compared to those converted to HYAs and shortened to 50ft. The IIAs lasted in use on Arcow services (to Pendleton / Bredbury / Hunslet) into July, returning to Wrenthorpe as 6E38 from Pendleton on 20th July. They departed on 6th August and ended up stored in Hexthorpe yard - the set was visible from passing trains on the Sheffield line.

Twelve of these IIAs at Hexthorpe moved to Peterborough on 23rd Dec, hitching a ride on the Barnby Dunn sand empties (6L63 20:30 Barnby Dunn to March Up Yard), which calls at both Doncaster Hexthorpe and Peterborough to facilitate wagon or loco movements as required.

================
DB HTAs for scrap:
================

66131 took 10 HTAs from Newport AD Junction into Unimetals, Newport Docks on 5th March as a 6Z37:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/70710639@N05/53569865326/

On 1st August, 66168 took 5 HTAs from Doncaster Belmont to Attercliffe for scrap as a 6Z83. These had previously been used on the Cwmbargoed - Earles coal flow.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/49068127@N06/53895130311/

On 20th August, 66084 moved 11 HTAs from Tees Yard to Booths at Rotherham Masborough for scrap as 4Z82 04:15 from Tees.
The last recorded loaded coal workings of these wagons include Immingham - Scunthorpe, Cwmbargoed - Aberthaw, Onllywn - Immingham CPL, Greenburn - Cottam and Tower - Aberthaw, so quite a mixed bag.

10 more HTAs moved from Tees on 3rd September as 4Z76 08:00 to Milford Sidings behind 66061. These went forward as 4Z48 22:59 from Milford to Booths at Rotherham on 5th September behind 66175. This was an equally mixed bag, with last recorded loaded coal workings being Immingham HIT - Drax, Hunterston - Longannet, Redcar - Scunthorpe CHP, Onllwyn - Immingham CPL, Hunterston - Longannet and Portbury - Ratcliffe. There was also a wagon (311135) last used on a Rylstone - Hunslet stone working, back when HTAs displaced from coal workings were operating out of Rylstone Quarry.

A small number of HTA sets remain in service with DB based at Scunthorpe, for the Immingham - Scunthorpe coke/coal workings and Immingham - Earles coal.

I'm sure there must be a rational explanation, but I really can't see why wagons in store at one location have to be moved to another location for further storage. Are these HTAs: (1) awaiting a resumption of coal traffic; (2) shortlisted for conversion to aggregate hoppers; or (3) being held hoping for an increase in scrap prices before disposal?

One reason for movements of stored wagons may relate to the cost of storing them and contracts relating to this. Generally, unless the haulier is storing their wagons on their own land, some company or other is probably charging rent or "facilities access" for them to be there. If the haulier already has an agreement in place to use certain locations / sidings for specific periods of time, they might leave wagons there for some time before moving them somewhere else when agreements expire. For wagons owned by third-party companies, the status of the wagons as on or off hire will also affect where they are stored.

For example, although Cockshute is an unexpected storage location, Collyhurst and Leeds Whitehall Road were previously used by GRBF for spoil trains to Roxby, and not too long ago Wrenthorpe was regularly used to stable the set of GBRF wagons used on Arcow quarry workings. So they could have agreements in place to use those already. Barnetby sidings is possibly owned by Network Rail (not sure) requiring an agreement in place to stable wagons there.

I doubt the GBRF HTAs have any realistic prospect of further coal traffic, but the movement of 16 of them to Shirebrook in October suggests option (2) - conversion to aggregate hoppers - is at least a possibility.

With hindsight, the peregrinations of stored wagons don't always make a lot of sense, even when they were just moving between different EWS yards. Where wagons are stored in working yards, they can get in the way and perhaps result in pressure from local managers to get them moved somewhere else...

The unpredictability of these sort of wagon moves, the unusual destinations and varied traction, trying to puzzle out the logic behind them, makes them more interesting I think!

 

[Gloster]

The VGAs and VKAs there have been out of traffic since ~2017 or so and are earmarked for scrap, like pretty much all DB's remaining 2-axle wagons in storage (although some VGA and VKAs remain in use on MoD services, and also on movements of wire rod from Cardiff Tidal to Burton).

That makes me feel terribly old. The VGA were probably only just thought of and were several years in the future when I used to sweep out VVV Vanfits (and MCV 16 tonners).

 

[DBS92042]

Wagon Review of the year 2024

You haven't been waiting for it, but here it is anyway! A selection of interesting wagon moves / fleet developments, although far from comprehensive. Beginning with coal wagons; I haven't put together the rest yet...

I've attached links to photos of the moves on flickr, where I could find them.

====================
2024 HTA movements (GBRF):
====================

The HTA set used by GBRF on Immingham - Ratcliffe coal trains was outbased at Barnetby. HTAs were occasionally tripped to March or Peterborough for maintenance, via Doncaster / Peterborough. For example, 66784 hauls 5 HTAs as 4R01 Peterborough - Barnetby on 2nd Feb:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/197671115@N03/53521198153/

In the other direction, there was an even shorter 4L79 18:25 Barnetby - March Up Yard on 25/06/24, consisting of 66784 plus a single HTA 310630.
Considering the final Ratcliffe coal train was only three days later, the long-distance movement seems a bit strange! This wagon has since ended up at Cockshute sidings, Stoke (see below).

This is how the sidings at Barnetby looked on 24th July, with the now redundant Ratcliffe HTA set stabled (24 wagons) plus 9 more assorted HTA:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfrombedford/53899288275/

66787 ran light from Doncaster to Barnetby on 30th July and worked a 4M59 14:28 Barnetby to Collyhurst sidings with 18 HTAs, pictured here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/tramsntrains/53892004959/
The same loco collected another 11 HTAs the following day, and also moved them to Collyhurst as a 4M59. This left 4 HTAs at Barnetby (which are still there at the end of the year).

18 of the HTAs at Collyhurst were moved back to Barnetby as 6Z37 on 20/09/24. These 18 subsequently moved on to Wrenthorpe (siding near Wakefield Westgate) on New Year's Eve as 4Z66 behind 66789.

The remaining 11 HTAs at Collyhurst moved to Doncaster Down Decoy as 4Z52 on 28/11/24, then on to Leeds Whitehall Road for further storage next day as 6D18 on 29/11/24.

Stored HTAs also congregated at March and Peterborough, although most have now been cleared out as follows:

66787 took 13 HTAs as from Peterborough to Stoke Cockshute sidings for storage as 4K70 on 11/07/24. Some had arrived from March Yard earlier the same day as 4E69. Why Stoke? Answers on a postcard...
https://flickr.com/photos/d1021/53851619528/

66781 took two HTAs from March to Stoke Cockshute sidings as 4Z70 on 19/08/24, seen at Stafford behind 66781:
https://flickr.com/photos/d1021/53936550393/

HTAs to Shirebrook: Back in 2021, GBRF were using two HTA sets on the Ratcliffe services (with ones of the sets also working to West Burton as required). When this was reduced to a single HTA set (working alongside a set of IIAs), this left HTAs in storage at Doncaster and other locations. A surprising movement of 16 of these HTAs from Doncaster to Shirebrook occurred on 3rd October this year, running as 6N64. Shirebrook is not normally a storage or scrapping location - it's not beyond the realm of possibility these could be shortened into aggregate hoppers. HRAs were previously converted from HTAs at Shirebrook for DB, as seen in this 2018 shot: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dbs60100/46298866101/

Apart from the movements and locations already mentioned, TOPS shows leftover GBRF HTAs 310814 at Peterborough, 310070 + 310184 at March plus 7 more at Doncaster.

===================
Ratcliffe IIA set (GBRF)
===================

At the start of the year, GBRF were using a set of ~24 IIA coal wagons on the Ratcliffe coal workings alongside their HTA set. The last loaded working of this set into Ratcliffe was 6M81 on 16th Jan, which ran back empty to Doncaster as 4E77. 18 of these IIAs returned empty to Ratcliffe for temporary storage as 6M61 from Doncaster Hexthorpe on 22nd Jan, and another 6M61 ran with 6 empty IIAs from Doncaster to Ratcliffe on Feb 5th, as seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/149450236@N06/53513782020/

The re-formed set of 24 IIAs moved from Ratcliffe to Wrenthorpe behind 69004 on April 16th, the loco making an unusual sight within the Ratcliffe complex:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/37923727@N04/53658409858/

The IIAs then went into use on Arcow Quarry workings, appearing on 6M37 to Pendleton on 7th May:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132021571@N08/54215418266/

This was possibly the last full-length coal set in use on aggregate workings - these IIAs are still 61ft long compared to those converted to HYAs and shortened to 50ft. The IIAs lasted in use on Arcow services (to Pendleton / Bredbury / Hunslet) into July, returning to Wrenthorpe as 6E38 from Pendleton on 20th July. They departed on 6th August and ended up stored in Hexthorpe yard - the set was visible from passing trains on the Sheffield line.

Twelve of these IIAs at Hexthorpe moved to Peterborough on 23rd Dec, hitching a ride on the Barnby Dunn sand empties (6L63 20:30 Barnby Dunn to March Up Yard), which calls at both Doncaster Hexthorpe and Peterborough to facilitate wagon or loco movements as required.

================
DB HTAs for scrap:
================

66131 took 10 HTAs from Newport AD Junction into Unimetals, Newport Docks on 5th March as a 6Z37:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/70710639@N05/53569865326/

On 1st August, 66168 took 5 HTAs from Doncaster Belmont to Attercliffe for scrap as a 6Z83. These had previously been used on the Cwmbargoed - Earles coal flow.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/49068127@N06/53895130311/

On 20th August, 66084 moved 11 HTAs from Tees Yard to Booths at Rotherham Masborough for scrap as 4Z82 04:15 from Tees.
The last recorded loaded coal workings of these wagons include Immingham - Scunthorpe, Cwmbargoed - Aberthaw, Onllywn - Immingham CPL, Greenburn - Cottam and Tower - Aberthaw, so quite a mixed bag.

10 more HTAs moved from Tees on 3rd September as 4Z76 08:00 to Milford Sidings behind 66061. These went forward as 4Z48 22:59 from Milford to Booths at Rotherham on 5th September behind 66175. This was an equally mixed bag, with last recorded loaded coal workings being Immingham HIT - Drax, Hunterston - Longannet, Redcar - Scunthorpe CHP, Onllwyn - Immingham CPL, Hunterston - Longannet and Portbury - Ratcliffe. There was also a wagon (311135) last used on a Rylstone - Hunslet stone working, back when HTAs displaced from coal workings were operating out of Rylstone Quarry.

A small number of HTA sets remain in service with DB based at Scunthorpe, for the Immingham - Scunthorpe coke/coal workings and Immingham - Earles coal.



One reason for movements of stored wagons may relate to the cost of storing them and contracts relating to this. Generally, unless the haulier is storing their wagons on their own land, some company or other is probably charging rent or "facilities access" for them to be there. If the haulier already has an agreement in place to use certain locations / sidings for specific periods of time, they might leave wagons there for some time before moving them somewhere else when agreements expire. For wagons owned by third-party companies, the status of the wagons as on or off hire will also affect where they are stored.

For example, although Cockshute is an unexpected storage location, Collyhurst and Leeds Whitehall Road were previously used by GRBF for spoil trains to Roxby, and not too long ago Wrenthorpe was regularly used to stable the set of GBRF wagons used on Arcow quarry workings. So they could have agreements in place to use those already. Barnetby sidings is possibly owned by Network Rail (not sure) requiring an agreement in place to stable wagons there.

I doubt the GBRF HTAs have any realistic prospect of further coal traffic, but the movement of 16 of them to Shirebrook in October suggests option (2) - conversion to aggregate hoppers - is at least a possibility.

With hindsight, the peregrinations of stored wagons don't always make a lot of sense, even when they were just moving between different EWS yards. Where wagons are stored in working yards, they can get in the way and perhaps result in pressure from local managers to get them moved somewhere else...

The unpredictability of these sort of wagon moves, the unusual destinations and varied traction, trying to puzzle out the logic behind them, makes them more interesting I think!

Thank you very much for putting this together, very interesting read. Very glad I made a very ad-hoc journey to Trowell Jnc on 25th June to catch the penultimate Ratcliffe coal working (https://flic.kr/p/2pZrjjH)!

Also managed to catch (likely) one of the last moves of coal hoppers through Severn Tunnel Junction back in February (https://flic.kr/p/2pvNaNR), which I thought I'd never get the chance to capture

 

[Adrian Barr]

Wagon Review of the year 2024

continued...

=============
Aggregate Hoppers
=============

A significant development during 2024 has been the commencement of deliveries of 203 new HOA-B hoppers for Mendip Rail. These are being built in Poland and delivered through the channel tunnel.

The new wagons are in the number series 70.6774.076 to 278, a continuation of a number series used for similar wagons built in 2019/2020.
The different batches of HOA-B are shown here on the LTSV Rail Data website: https://www.ltsv.com/rd/tops_detail.php?id=T-HOAB

When the order was announced, it was explained that the new wagons would replace 98 "O&K" JHA Hopper wagons and 105 "LTF" JHA hopper wagons
(see VTG newsletter 41 which can be downloaded from the bottom of this page): https://uk.vtg.com/news
The "O&K" wagons are the Yeoman branded wagons in blue and silver with the large y letter, with OK 193xx numbers
The "LTF" (low track force bogie) wagons were in Hanson livery (and before that in ARC livery), with large numbers (179xx or 19xxx) on the ends.

The new HOA wagons, plus the JHA types they are replacing, are illustrated nicely in this blogpost:
https://www.47soton.co.uk/2024/09/old-and-new-wagon-notes-westbury-19th.html

102 of the wagons were delivered in 2024, as follows (with links to photos where available):
Particular credit must go to Steven Clements who managed to capture several of the new deliveries, and movements of the old JHAs for scrap, in the Westbury area.
There's also a brief 30 second YouTube clip from VTG if you search "VTG Rail UK Delivers First HOA Hopper Wagons to Mendip Rail: In Action"

05/08/24 - 6Z66 05:36 Dollands - Wembley, 66792 + 34 new Mendip HOAs (wagons 076-109)
See "Brand New wagons on delivery to the UK - August 2024" by HSTHoward on YouTube
05/08/24 - 6Z10 14:10 Wembley to Westbury, 66120 + 34 new Mendip HOAs (076-109)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/radfordstransportphotos/53905520938/
05/08/24 - 6C66 20:10 Westbury - Whatley, 59101 + 34 new Mendip HOAs (076-109)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153712773@N08/53904719634/

07/10/24 - A google search comes up with a snippet from Railways Illustrated saying that the second batch of 34 wagons (110 to 143) were hauled from Dollands Moor by 66762 (presumably to Wembley Yard for onward movement by Freightliner).

11/11/24 - 6Z66 03:28 Dollands - Wembley, 66758 + 34 new HOA (144 to 177)
11/11/24 - 6V31 08:35 Wembley - Whatley, 66562 + 34 new HOA (144 to 177)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153712773@N08/54133112658/

Photos showing good detail of the new wagons, sparkling clean on delivery:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93293618@N05/53904995780/
And beginning to look a little work-stained:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153712773@N08/53908852424/

Details from TOPS (design code HO006A):

817067740768 HOAB HO006A OL:050FT/15.193M IL:00.000M OW:2.780M IW:0.000M
DW:00.000M HT:0.000M
CP: DSGN 079.2T ACTL 079.2T CU:00.0 TARE: DSGN 22.400T ACTL 22.400T
44BSU MS 75MPH RA1 VBF00 ABF15 BKEFCE CHG: 00.000T SPDCHG: 22.500T
GROSS DATA: GLW101.600T MS 60MPH RA0 VBF00 ABF47 BUILT: 24 CCS00
COUPLING DETAILS: TYPE: D AXLES: 4.0 NO. UNITS: 1
*BRAKE DISTRIBUTOR DATA NOT AVAILABLE* REG.DTLS: 80VTG

==========
JHA Disposals:
==========

These movements caught plenty of attention at the northern end, due to the class 37 haulage to the EMR scrapyard at Attercliffe!

01/08/24 - 6Z36 11:21 Whatley - Crewe Basford Hall (via Shrewsbury). 66555 + 66606 with 15 Hanson JHAs for Attercliffe + 10 IIAs for Shirebrook
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcw1987/53897866065/
13/08/24 - 6E25 Crewe South Yard - Attercliffe, 37800 & 37884 + 15 Hanson JHAs for scrap
https://www.flickr.com/photos/154436450@N04/53921672792/
20/08/24 - 6E28 09:33 Crewe South Yard to Shirebrook, 37218 + 10 IIAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/197671115@N03/53952506271/

Note - the reason for the movement of the 10 IIAs to WH Davis at Shirebrook is unknown. They are not among the wagons expected to go for scrap, but the 10 wagons were part of a specific batch of 20 IIA-Bs (70.6955.140 to 159) that all seem to be off hire.
https://www.ltsv.com/rd/batch_detail.php?id=BEV-70695514037

7Z36 30/09/24 Merehead - Crewe Sth Yard - 66558 + 32 Yeoman JHAs
The old meets the new in this shot of 7Z36 passing new hoppers returning from Theale on 6C31:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153712773@N08/54032867975/
16/10/24 - 7E25 09:14 Crewe South Yard to Attercliffe, 37608 + 17 Yeoman JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/143996761@N04/54071924042/
29/10/24 - 7E25 Crewe South Yard to Attercliffe, 37884 + 15 Yeoman JHA for scrap
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31190-d5613/54104499590/

07/11/24 6M36 12:01 Whatley - Gresty Green. 66562 + 66414 hauling 34 Hanson JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/glen_batten/54125770948/
13/11/24 7Z25 08:30 Crewe Gresty Green - Attercliffe, 37510 + 19 Hanson JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/72996689@N02/54159411183/
26/11/24 6E25 08:48 Crewe Gresty Green - Attercliffe, 37901 + 15 Hanson JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/terry47401/54166271046/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwpeakdaleworkscom/54191523363/

 

[Class15]

Why were DB hauling new Freightliner wagons out of curiosity?

 

[Adrian Barr]

I'm not sure why that 6Z10 movement on 5th August had DB traction to Westbury, I did find it amusing that the wagons managed to get GBRF, DB and Freightliner haulage between Dollands Moor and Whatley!

GBRF must have the contract to move the the new HOAs through the tunnel and deliver them to Wembley, but it seems logical for Freightliner to pick them up from there as a lot of their Mendip empty jumbos originate from Wembley anyway.

One possible reason is that the wagons would technically be for Mendip Rail rather than Freightliner, so their delivery movements (or at least that first one) might not be part of the regular Freightliner Mendip haulage contract.

Another slight haulage oddity until recently has been stone trains from Whatley to Cricklewood changing from Freightliner to DB traction at Westbury, although Freightliner now seem to be hauling them through to Cricklewood - again probably related to contract changes.

 

[43096]

I'm not sure why that 6Z10 movement on 5th August had DB traction to Westbury, I did find it amusing that the wagons managed to get GBRF, DB and Freightliner haulage between Dollands Moor and Whatley!

GBRF must have the contract to move the the new HOAs through the tunnel and deliver them to Wembley, but it seems logical for Freightliner to pick them up from there as a lot of their Mendip empty jumbos originate from Wembley anyway.

One possible reason is that the wagons would technically be for Mendip Rail rather than Freightliner, so their delivery movements (or at least that first one) might not be part of the regular Freightliner Mendip haulage contract.

They may not be Mendip's until they get to Westbury and are accepted by them. Delivery will be either for the builder or the leasing company, depending on when and where they accept them, so it may be they were delivered to Wembley by GBRf for the builder, accepted by VTG there and VTG then contracted DB to deliver them to the customer (Mendip).

 

[Adrian Barr]

Wagon Review of the year 2024

--------------------------------
JHA Disposals, continued...
--------------------------------

Continuing the theme of JHA disposals from post #35, there was another movement at the end of 2024:

20/12/24 7C73 Merehead - Exeter Riverside, 59101 + 33 Yeoman JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153712773@N08/54216620431/ (Photo: Steven Clements)
The wagons went forward in January as:
09/01/25 7M36 Exeter Riverside - Crewe Gresty Green, 66572 + 33 Yeoman JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisperkins/54256702756/ (Photo: Chris Perkins)
21/01/25 7E25 12:13 Crewe Gresty Green - Attercliffe EMR, 37218 + 17 Yeoman JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robmcrorie/54279809478/ (Photo: robmcrorie)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/knozza55006/54278455822/ (Photo: Ian Kinnear)

For completeness, it's also worth noting that 19 Hanson JHA wagons were moved to Gascoigne Wood back in February 2023. They have since disappeared from TOPS, so I assume they were scrapped there. They moved as follows:

10/02/23 6Z68 Whatley - Bristol Freightliner Terminal, 19 Hanson JHA
15/02/23 6M36 Bristol Freightliner Terminal - Crewe Basford Hall, 66553 + 19 Hanson JHA
https://www.flickr.com/photos/99220921@N03/52702463152/ (Photo: Chris Davies)
16/02/23 7E53 10:17 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood, 66419 + 19 JHA
https://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwpeakdaleworkscom/52693609019/ (Photo: Jon Gavin)

As a transition to the next topic of box wagons - and previously mentioned in post #22 - it's worth including the movement of 16 HHA coal hoppers from York to Shirebrook on December 9th, likely in connection with this Freightliner project to convert coal wagons into aggregate box wagons: https://www.freightliner.co.uk/news/wagon-fleet-re-purposing-project/.
This is not a new idea - Freightliner already used components from HHAs as the basis of their MWA wagons back in 2016.
09/12/24 4D66 08:56 York Yard South to Shirebrook, 66502 + 16 HHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/75892080@N06/54192127937/ (Photo: Wilbert B)

---------------------------
Aggregate box wagons
---------------------------

New Deliveries:

It's been hard to keep up to date with deliveries of new box wagons over recent years.

One interesting development in 2024 was the delivery of 25 new JNA-Z wagons for DRS, built by WH Davis at Shirebrook (see VTG newsletter 43).
The number series is 70.5932.812 to 836. These have not yet been used in traffic, and all 25 ended up out of use at Motherwell TMD, as follows:

20/03/24 - 4Z10 Shirebrook - Sellafield, 66427 & 66126 top&tail + 25 JNA-Z
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yamdood/53601519524/
21/03/24 - 4Z11 Sellafield - Carnforth - Carlisle, 5 JNA-Z
09/04/24 - 4Z68 Carlisle Kingmoor DRS - Motherwell TMD, 5 JNA-Z
28/06/24 - 4S88 10:00 Sellafield - Motherwell DRS, 68006 + 20 JNA-Z
https://www.flickr.com/photos/75784477@N08/53825516556/

TOPS details (design code JN074A):

817059328127 JNAZ JN074A OL:046FT/13.970M IL:12.688M OW:2.708M IW:2.416M
DW:00.000M HT:0.000M
CP: DSGN 079.1T ACTL 079.1T CU:60.0 TARE: DSGN 22.500T ACTL 22.500T
44BSU MS 75MPH RA1 VBF00 ABF13 BKEFCE CHG: 00.000T SPDCHG: 22.600T
GROSS DATA: GLW101.600T MS 60MPH RA0 VBF00 ABF50 BUILT: 24 CCS79
COUPLING DETAILS: TYPE: S STRENGTH:C ( 56.000T) AXLES: 4.0 NO. UNITS: 1
*BRAKE DISTRIBUTOR DATA NOT AVAILABLE* REG.DTLS: 80VTG


Another batch of 25 new JNA-Z wagons (this time unbranded) were taken from Shirebrook to Barrow Hill by 37218 as a 6A25 on 21st August.
These are also out of use, and remained at Barrow Hill by the end of the year.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/37923727@N04/53938904258/ (Photo: Paul Robertson)

Numbers are 70.5932.837 to 861 (same design code JN074A as the delivery for DRS):

817059328374 JNAZ JN074A OL:046FT/13.970M IL:12.688M OW:2.708M IW:2.416M
DW:00.000M HT:0.000M
CP: DSGN 079.1T ACTL 079.1T CU:60.0 TARE: DSGN 22.500T ACTL 22.500T
44BSU MS 75MPH RA1 VBF00 ABF13 BKEFCE CHG: 00.000T SPDCHG: 22.600T
GROSS DATA: GLW101.600T MS 60MPH RA0 VBF00 ABF50 BUILT: 24 CCS00
COUPLING DETAILS: TYPE: S STRENGTH:C ( 56.000T) AXLES: 4.0 NO. UNITS: 1
*BRAKE DISTRIBUTOR DATA NOT AVAILABLE* REG.DTLS: 80VTG

----------------------------------

GBRF had 50 new JNA-X wagons delivered from Greenbrier in 2024, to supplement another 50 built in 2022.
https://www.gbrailfreight.com/50-new-jna-x-box-wagons-are-on-the-way/
Delivered in 2 batches in August and October, the wagons have been working out of Tunstead / Hindlow.

Number series is 70.5932.912 to 961 (with the previous JNA-X batch from 2022 being 70.5932.757 to 806).

817059329125 JNAX JN071A OL:046FT/13.970M IL:12.730M OW:2.742M IW:0.000M
DW:00.000M HT:0.000M
CP: DSGN 077.4T ACTL 077.4T CU:00.0 TARE: DSGN 24.450T ACTL 24.450T
46BSU MS 75MPH RA1 VBF00 ABF16 BKEFCE CHG: 00.000T SPDCHG: 25.000T
GROSS DATA: GLW101.850T MS 60MPH RA0 VBF00 ABF49 BUILT: 24 CCS00
COUPLING DETAILS: TYPE: D AXLES: 4.0 NO. UNITS: 1
*BRAKE DISTRIBUTOR DATA NOT AVAILABLE* REG.DTLS: SBGB SWGBRF

HSTHoward captured video of 66794 hauling 25 of the GBRF-branded wagons from Dollands to Wembley on 6th August
(See "Brand New wagons on delivery to the UK - August 2024" on YouTube - the JNAs appear in the second part of the video after the Mendip HOAs)

The second batch of 25 appeared on 14th October, hauled by 92032 as 4Z92 08:10 Dollands Moor - Wembley.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/60854097@N06/54066092888/ (Photo: Pats Trains UK)

HSTHoward's video of the GBRF-liveried 92032 passing through a rainy Ashford is rather good:

GBRf 92032 passes Ashford International delivering a brand new rake of wagons - 14/10/24

---------------------------------------
My next post will look at box wagons going off-hire - wagons for storage, JNA-As for disposal, KEAs for conversion...

 

[DBS92042]

Spotted in a video of the Brighton Belle at Crewe yesterday was four newly refurbished DB BAA steel slab wagons, numbered: 900402/403/404/407. They were from Arpley (presumably ex Stoke Marcroft) to Margam

 

[Rhysdabeast]

Spotted in a video of the Brighton Belle at Crewe yesterday was four newly refurbished DB BAA steel slab wagons, numbered: 900402/403/404/407. They were from Arpley (presumably ex Stoke Marcroft) to Margam

Correct, they are new build wagons, the frames are manufactured by DB Cargo Polska, the bogies are refurbished HTA bogies and the running gear is from scrapped 900xxx wagons.
These are the current known numbers and former numbers:

Number	RIV Number	Former Number
900400	82.70.4614 020-4	900004
900401	82.70.4614.044-2	?
900402	82.70.4614.045-1	900063
900403	82.70.4614.056-8	900111
900404	82.70.4614.066-7	900129
900407	82.70.4614.129-3	900278

The RIV numbers are a bit of a mystery but for stuff coming out of Marcroft its not uncommon, just take the MXA's they did, numbers were just picked at random!

 

[DBS92042]

Correct, they are new build wagons, the frames are manufactured by DB Cargo Polska, the bogies are refurbished HTA bogies and the running gear is from scrapped 900xxx wagons.
These are the current known numbers and former numbers:

Number	RIV Number	Former Number
900400	82.70.4614 020-4	900004
900401	82.70.4614.044-2	?
900402	82.70.4614.045-1	900063
900403	82.70.4614.056-8	900111
900404	82.70.4614.066-7	900129
900407	82.70.4614.129-3	900278

The RIV numbers are a bit of a mystery but for stuff coming out of Marcroft its not uncommon, just take the MXA's they did, numbers were just picked at random!

Thank you for that, hadn't realised they were new build frames meaning they're quite the mix of parts!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Feb 2025 ==

Correct, they are new build wagons, the frames are manufactured by DB Cargo Polska, the bogies are refurbished HTA bogies and the running gear is from scrapped 900xxx wagons.
These are the current known numbers and former numbers:

Number	RIV Number	Former Number
900400	82.70.4614 020-4	900004
900401	82.70.4614.044-2	?
900402	82.70.4614.045-1	900063
900403	82.70.4614.056-8	900111
900404	82.70.4614.066-7	900129
900407	82.70.4614.129-3	900278

The RIV numbers are a bit of a mystery but for stuff coming out of Marcroft its not uncommon, just take the MXA's they did, numbers were just picked at random!

900400/405/406 leaving Stoke Marcroft for Arpley today. 401/402/403/404/407 all in service in South Wales so far

 

[Rhysdabeast]

Thank you for that, hadn't realised they were new build frames meaning they're quite the mix of parts!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Feb 2025 ==


900400/405/406 leaving Stoke Marcroft for Arpley today. 401/402/403/404/407 all in service in South Wales so far

Here are some pictures of 900400/405/406 on 6V71 Arpley to Margam tonight at Crewe

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Feb 2025 ==

2 more brand new BAA steel wagons have left Stoke Marcroft today, those being 900409 and 900411. These 2 are configured as Slab Carriers and carry different RIV numbers to the rest of the fleet so far, these being 900409 (82.70.4689.283-6) and 900411 (82.70.4689.222-6)

Realtime Trains | 6F52 1200 Stoke Marcroft Engineering to Arpley Sidings | 11/02/2025

Real-time train running information for 6F52 1200 departure from Stoke Marcroft Engineering to Arpley Sidings on 11/02/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Adrian Barr]

Wagon Review of the year 2024

Continued from post #39, a somewhat delayed installment...

------------------------
Box wagons off hire
------------------------

At the start of 2024, there were 146 modern JNA-T wagons operating on the HS2 spoil trains from Willesden Euroterminal, with VTG reporting that the final delivery took place in October 2023. The pool has wagons from several different batches built between 2019 and 2023, with this being the most recent:

817059328119 JNAT JN063B OL:046FT/13.970M IL:00.000M OW:2.742M IW:0.000M
DW:00.000M HT:0.000M
CP: DSGN 077.8T ACTL 077.3T CU:00.0 TARE: DSGN 23.750T ACTL 24.250T
46BSU MS 75MPH RA1 VBF00 ABF16 BKEFCE CHG: 00.000T SPDCHG: 24.500T
GROSS DATA: GLW101.550T MS 60MPH RA0 VBF00 ABF47 BUILT: 23 CCS00
COUPLING DETAILS: TYPE: D STRENGTH:C ( 56.000T) AXLES: 4.0 NO. UNITS: 1
*BRAKE DISTRIBUTOR DATA NOT AVAILABLE* REG.DTLS: 80VTG

The pool also included 23 JNA-A wagons (VTG 34xx and VTG 35xx), which were displaced by the newer JNA-T wagons. As mentioned in post #22, the last use of the JNA-A set (on the Willesden to Cliffe spoil circuit) was in February 2023, after which they had been stored at Willesden. They are seen here on the left, languishing behind the newer JNA-Ts in this October 2023 shot of Willesden Euroterminal:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayrail/53270885219/ (Photo: Jim Ramsay)

The 23 JNA-As were moved to Sunderland Docks behind 66075 on 12th December 2024 as 6L03 - reported in post #6 to be for assessment of condition before a decision to keep or scrap.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonhorrocks/54199033512/ (Photo: Jon Horrocks)

---------------------------------
Mendip box wagons off hire
---------------------------------

The VTG Newsletter (No. 41) that talked about the new HOA Hoppers for Mendip Rail also mentioned the earlier replacement of box wagons, with "155 new JNA-T box wagons introduced to replace and/or supplement old fleets in 2022." For this section I think it's worth going back to 2022 to look at the older box wagons displaced from Mendip traffic (some of which, mainly the KEAs, are relevant to 2024 developments).

A snapshot of the changeover period is seen in this October 2022 post on the "47soton" blog:
https://www.47soton.co.uk/2022/10/mendip-rail-workings-and-wagons-week-of.html

The initial deliveries of the new box wagons are discussed, together with a breakdown of the 206 older "non Greenbrier" box wagons in service at the time. Of these, 90 were JNA-As and JNA-Ds in the NACO / VTG (originally CAIB) 39xx series dating from 2000. These wagons (which themselves replaced former iron ore tipplers) were unaffected by the new deliveries. It's worth noting that both Nacco and CAIB were taken over by VTG in the years since the wagons were produced (CAIB in 2002 and Nacco in 2018). N.B. Both the NACO 39xx bogie boxes and the VTG 34xx / 35xx bogie boxes are classified as JNA-A, but all other references to JNA-As in this 2024 review are talking about the VTG 34xx / VTG 35xx wagons.

With the NACO / VTG 39xx wagons unaffected, that left 116 older Mendip box wagons to be displaced by the new arrivals:

>24 KEA
>2 JNA-N (practically identical to KEA)
>57 JYA
>33 JNA-A in the VTG 34xx / 35xx number series

This LTSV profile on pre-1990 open wagons has some good information on the older types under discussion: https://www.ltsv.com/rd/profile_detail.php?id=62

First to go for storage were the Mendip KEAs (along with the two lookalike JNA-N wagons, VTG 3160 and VTG 3167).

19 KEAs (plus JNA-N wagon VTG 3167) moved to Gascoigne Wood in summer 2022, as follows:
04/07/22 6A26 Whatley - Wembley Yard
04/07/22 6M51 Wembley Yard - Crewe Basford Hall
05/07/22 6E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood

The remaining 5 KEAs, plus JNA-N wagon VTG 3160, followed three weeks later:
25/07/22 6A26 Whatley - Wembley Yard, 66538 + 5 KEA, 1 JNA-N
https://www.flickr.com/photos/192176924@N02/52241197346/ (Photo: Oliver Keeves)
25/07/22 6M51 Wembley Yard - Crewe Basford Hall
28/07/22 6E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood

Some of these KEAs were taken out of storage during 2024, to be discussed later...

Next of the Mendip box wagons to be taken out of traffic in 2022 were the 45mph O&K JYA wagons.
https://www.47soton.co.uk/2022/10/jya-disposal-commences-october-2022.html

Delving into the movements of JYAs for storage / scrapping at Gascoigne Wood, I was startled to come across an image of 90003 hauling 22 JYAs from Wembley to Crewe Basford Hall (the wagons went forward to Gascoigne Wood the following day):
13/10/22 7M51 Wembley Yard - Crewe Basford Hall (90003 + 22 JYAs)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mkrail/52490557711/ (Photo: MKRail)
14/10/22 7E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood

Another batch of 25 JYAs were moved to Gascoigne Wood in November 2022, as follows:
04/11/22 7C61 Merehead - Westbury Tarmac sidings (25 JYA)
14/11/22 7M36 Westbury Tarmac Sidings - Crewe Basford Hall
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022anson/52510524051/ (Photo: Westerleigh Westie)
15/11/22 7E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood

A final batch of 9 JYAs reached Gascoigne Wood in February 2023:
06/02/11 7A91 Merehead - Hanwell Bridge Loops (most likely as part of a jumbo working)
07/02/11 7Z66 Hanwell Bridge Loops - Wembley Yard
Unknown working from Wembley Yard to Crewe Basford Hall
08/02/11 7E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Hunslet Sidings
09/02/23 7D52 Hunslet Sidings - Gascoigne Wood (70016 + 1 Hanson JHA, 9 JYAs)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/140584851@N08/52680273381/ (Photo: chris.mark.gee)

The JYAs have since disappeared from TOPS. As 45mph wagons built in the late 80s, it's not surprising for them to be scrapped.

Finally, the Mendip VTG 34xx / 35xx JNA-A wagons moved to Gascoigne Wood in a 32-wagon block at the end of 2023:
27/11/23 6F51 Whatley - Westbury Tarmac
01/12/23 6A57 Westbury Tarmac - Wembley Yard (32 JNA-A)
02/12/23 7M05 03:02 Wembley Yard - Crewe Basford Hall, 66415 + 32 JNA-A
04/12/23 6E53 10:20 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood Sdgs, 70016 + 32 JNA-A (via Stockport, Guide Bridge, Huddersfield)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robstibz/53374447762/ (Photo: Rob.S)

See also this post on the 47soton blog: https://www.47soton.co.uk/2023/12/mendip-jna-wagons-moved-to-storage-at.html

Although the 34xx / 35xx JNA-A wagons are not that old (built in 1998 by Marcroft Engineering at Stoke) they were technically conversions, with some of the components re-used from older wagons, as described in the caption to this photo of VTG 3486 by Adrian Nicholls: https://www.flickr.com/photos/36034969@N08/44422274224
Those 32 ex-Mendip JNA-As are still in storage at Gascoigne Wood, and 60 JNA-A wagons are included in a document on the VTG website (resembling "top trumps" cards) showing which wagons are currently available for hire. Scroll down to the newsletters at https://uk.vtg.com/news, click on issue 44 to view it as a PDF, and within the newsletter click the red link for the wagon catalogue on page 14 (the catalogue is periodically updated so the link may stop working at some point).

-----------------------------
Non Mendip box wagons
-----------------------------

Other VTG 34xx / 35xx JNA-As have been displaced by new JNA-Ts on DB Cargo workings around London, mainly the FCC spoil workings (from Neasden / Cricklewood / Bow / Barking) and the Brett sea-dredged aggregate workings from Newhaven and Cliffe. Most of these JNA-As were removed from traffic during 2023 and tripped in batches from Acton to Wembley for storage by the beginning of 2024, along with some JXA and KEA types described in post #11 and #22. For example, a movement of 33 wagons occurred on 5th December 2023, when 66116 hauled a 6Z32 09:52 Acton to Wembley Yard with 2 JXA, 10 KEA, 17 JNA-A, 3 JNA-N and 1 JNA-G.

Unlike the JNA-A wagons mentioned earlier which reached Sunderland Docks from Willesden Euroterminal for assessment of condition, two movements of box wagons from Wembley to Sunderland Docks occurred last year which were destined straight for scrap (the wagons had been shunted around at Wembley and their fate had probably been decided there). Info from marty56110 in post #21:

All scrapped. All taken out by road to a scrap yard in Bishop Auckland more or less soon as there arrived, all gone within a week.
Parts from these wagons did reappear a few weeks later at Celsa in Sunderland, such as buffers, bogies and frames that then got loaded onto the DB service to Cardiff…….

An initial movement of 15 wagons from Wembley to Sunderland Docks occurred in June. It had 15 wagons in total - fourteen of the VTG 34xx / VTG 35xx JNA-A types but also VTG 3259, probably the last JNA-G (originally PXA - https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/trlpxatml)
The TML Roundel is still visible in this picture of another wagon from the 3248-3259 batch, VTG 3254 in 2019:
https://wagons-library.weebly.com/uploads/6/9/2/9/6929845/jna-vtg-3254-03-04-19-6m76_orig.jpg
These 15 JNAs moved from Wembley as follows:
06/06/24 6Z26 Wembley Yard - Tyne Yard, 66009 + 14 JNA-A and 1 JNA-G (VTG 3259)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/92001115@N06/53774701035/ (Photo: Martin Simmons)
18/06/24 - 6Z90 Tyne Yard - Sunderland Docks, 66109 + 14 JNA-A and 1 JNA-G (VTG 3259)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/northbritonrailways/53799810309/ (Photo: Michael's North Briton Railways)

Another movement from Wembley started as a 6Z26 10:27 Wembley - Tees Yard on 4th September, with 66085 hauling a mixed rake of 9 JNA / 7 KEA / 4 JXA.
After some issues with the brakes at Welwyn, it reached Doncaster Belmont over 7 hours late where it was cancelled.
Video of it on the ECML here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/53971294846/ (Video: LNERGE1)
The wagons eventually reached Sunderland as follows:
10/09/24 6Z45 07:00 Doncaster Belmont - Tees Yard, 66161 + 9 JNA / 7 KEA / 4 JXA
18/09/24 6Z90 Tees Yard - Sunderland Docks, 66005 + 9 JNA / 7 KEA / 4 JXA

Wagon numbers in that move are noted in this sighting report on the LTSV website - https://www.ltsv.com/rd/sighting_detail.php?id=41999
Most of the wagons discussed here had previously been in use on the FCC spoil trains mentioned above.
In addition to seven JNA-As there were two JNA-Ns (3162 & 3168) from the 3160-3169 batch built for Foster Yeoman (originally PXA) which are very similar to KEAs: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/prpxayeoman

There were seven KEAs on the train, including VTG 3246 seen here when in traffic:
https://wagons-library.weebly.com/uploads/6/9/2/9/6929845/kea-vtg-3246-21-12-18-6c12_orig.jpg
Those were PXAs originally, and you could just about make out the TML Roundels under the dirt on some of them... https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/pxatmlyeoman

There were also four JXAs, including VTG 3144 pictured here when in traffic:
https://wagons-library.weebly.com/uploads/6/9/2/9/6929845/jxa-vtg-3144-07-11-13-6z57_orig.jpg
That type of JXA (3140-3149) were originally PXAs for Yeoman: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/pxapxo29c

Another of the JXAs in the train was VTG 3157, seen here when in traffic:
https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/U...ex-Sheerness-Steel-newbuild-boxes/i-m9kMdVT/A
It's last recorded working was in the Newhaven ash set before GBRF took over those workings.
Those JXAs in the 3150-3159 batch were originally PXAs for Sheerness steel, and slightly different to the other JXA type (3100-3139) which were originally POAs: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/sheernesssteelpxa

Some of these small batches of pre-1990 box wagons are now passing into history. TOPS shows 3 KEAs and 28 of the later VTG 34xx / VTG 35xx JNA-As still at Wembley, plus VTG 3166, another JNA-N from the 3160-3169 batch built for Foster Yeoman as PXAs.

-------------------
KEA movements
-------------------

KEAs starting 2024 at Gascoigne Wood were mainly ex-Mendip, as discussed earlier. The KEAs stored at Wembley were last used on FCC spoil workings, and like many of the other box wagons, were tripped there from Acton for storage. As an example, this was a movement in August:
19/08/24 6Z42 10:47 Acton Yard - Wembley Yard, 66073 + 2 KEA (VTG 3187 + VTG 3246)

Four KEA wagons, previously in storage at Gascoigne Wood, had an outing to Margam and back in the summer.
The numbers were VTG 3167 (actually a JNA-N of very similar design) / 3170 / 3181 / 3196, moving as follows:

14/06/24 6K77 Gas Wood - Milford Sdgs
15/06/24 6Z18 Milford Sdgs - Immingham Sorting Sidings
21/06/24 6J99 22:40 Immingham Sorting Sidings - Rotherham Steel Terminal, 66182 + 3 KEA / 1 JNA-N
24/06/24 6Z02 Rotherham Steel Terminal - Margam (The normal 6V02 Tees - Margam steel empties amended to call at Rotherham to pick these up)

I believe this movement was for Tata to assess the wagons. They were not used on any traffic in South Wales and returned to Gas Wood as follows:

27/08/24 6Z20 15:51 Margam - Immingham, 66121 + 9 IHAs for Hull (detached at Rotherham), 8 IHAs for Immingham Nordic, 3 KEA / 1 JNA-N)
02/09/24 6Z18 06:35 Immingham - Milford Sdgs, 66006 + 3 KEA / 1 JNA-N
07/09/24 6K77 12:30 Milford Sdgs - Gascoigne Wood, 66190 + 3 KEA / 1 JNA-N

The LTSV website reported on the possible Tata interest in their News section in November:

The latest issue of Rail Express magazine illustrates the first of 25 KEA-Z box wagons to be cut-down by W H Davis. Although it now looks like a low-sided box wagon (similar to various types used for ballast and spoil), the conversions are reported to be for steel slab traffic for Tata.

This was later confirmed in the Rail Freight Flows and News thread, when GBRF took 9 KEAs from Margam to Portbury on 4th Feb 2025.
There's a photo taken by DBS92042 of a reduced-height KEA in Post #1641 of that thread.

In order for the conversions to take place, there were several movements of KEAs to Shirebrook in 2024, from both Gascoigne Wood and Wembley, featuring some unlikely traction:

06/09/24 6Z44 04:55 Wembley Yard - Shirebrook, 43423 & 43467 + 9 KEA (VTG 3200,3193,3225,3194,3192,3185,3226,3180,3207)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/40263244@N04/53999942212/ (Photo: Peter Foster)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenjb/53988819969/ (Photo: Darren JB)

04/10/24 6Z43 07:55 Gascoigne Wood - Shirebrook, 43423 & 43467 + 5 KEA (VTG 3173,3208,3224,3243,3244)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/195339731@N04/54049074245/ (Photo: Vincent Hardy)

29/10/24 6Z43 08:08 Wembley Yard - Shirebrook, 43465 & 43484 + 7 KEA (VTG 3199,3216,3182,3184,3237,3221,3209,)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/141634695@N02/54176460604/ (Photo: Lincs Trainspotter)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/65580215@N02/54108286534/ (Photo: John Rudd)

After being cut down for use as slab carriers, 9 of the KEAs were moved from Shirebrook to Margam as follows:

10/12/24 6N03 Shirebrook to Doncaster Down Decoy
10/12/24 6V24 14:21 Doncaster Down Decoy - Margam, 66789 + 9 KEA (VTG 3173,3224,3226,3194,3192,3237,3221,3216,3196)

Three more KEAs moved from Wembley to Shirebrook in December (with the orientation of inner vs outer couplings being the most likely reason they moved one-by-one):

16/12/24 6E01 04:02 Wembley Yard to Doncaster Down Decoy, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3198)
16/12/24 6N02 Doncaster Down Decoy to Shirebrook, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3198)

17/12/24 6Z16 03:23 Wembley Yard to Doncaster Down Decoy, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3211)
17/12/24 6N02 Doncaster Down Decoy to Shirebrook, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3211)

18/12/24 6Z16 03:14 Wembley Yard to Doncaster Down Decoy, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3210)
18/12/24 6N02 Doncaster Down Decoy to Shirebrook, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3210)

The use of KEAs on slab traffic has yet to commence (as of 13/02/25) and we await further movements of converted KEAs from Shirebrook to South Wales.

The next post will look at JRAs and the varied types of box wagon that have been used in the FCC spoil sets...

 

[DBS92042]

Wagon Review of the year 2024

--------------------------------
JHA Disposals, continued...
--------------------------------

Continuing the theme of JHA disposals from post #35, there was another movement at the end of 2024:

20/12/24 7C73 Merehead - Exeter Riverside, 59101 + 33 Yeoman JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153712773@N08/54216620431/ (Photo: Steven Clements)
The wagons went forward in January as:
09/01/25 7M36 Exeter Riverside - Crewe Gresty Green, 66572 + 33 Yeoman JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisperkins/54256702756/ (Photo: Chris Perkins)
21/01/25 7E25 12:13 Crewe Gresty Green - Attercliffe EMR, 37218 + 17 Yeoman JHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robmcrorie/54279809478/ (Photo: robmcrorie)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/knozza55006/54278455822/ (Photo: Ian Kinnear)

For completeness, it's also worth noting that 19 Hanson JHA wagons were moved to Gascoigne Wood back in February 2023. They have since disappeared from TOPS, so I assume they were scrapped there. They moved as follows:

10/02/23 6Z68 Whatley - Bristol Freightliner Terminal, 19 Hanson JHA
15/02/23 6M36 Bristol Freightliner Terminal - Crewe Basford Hall, 66553 + 19 Hanson JHA
https://www.flickr.com/photos/99220921@N03/52702463152/ (Photo: Chris Davies)
16/02/23 7E53 10:17 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood, 66419 + 19 JHA
https://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwpeakdaleworkscom/52693609019/ (Photo: Jon Gavin)

As a transition to the next topic of box wagons - and previously mentioned in post #22 - it's worth including the movement of 16 HHA coal hoppers from York to Shirebrook on December 9th, likely in connection with this Freightliner project to convert coal wagons into aggregate box wagons: https://www.freightliner.co.uk/news/wagon-fleet-re-purposing-project/.
This is not a new idea - Freightliner already used components from HHAs as the basis of their MWA wagons back in 2016.
09/12/24 4D66 08:56 York Yard South to Shirebrook, 66502 + 16 HHAs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/75892080@N06/54192127937/ (Photo: Wilbert B)

Another 34 condemned JHA wagons are being moved by 66557 from Whatley Quarry to Crewe Basford Hall today (headcode 6Z36)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Feb 2025 ==

Wagon Review of the year 2024

Continued from post #39, a somewhat delayed installment...

------------------------
Box wagons off hire
------------------------

At the start of 2024, there were 146 modern JNA-T wagons operating on the HS2 spoil trains from Willesden Euroterminal, with VTG reporting that the final delivery took place in October 2023. The pool has wagons from several different batches built between 2019 and 2023, with this being the most recent:

817059328119 JNAT JN063B OL:046FT/13.970M IL:00.000M OW:2.742M IW:0.000M
DW:00.000M HT:0.000M
CP: DSGN 077.8T ACTL 077.3T CU:00.0 TARE: DSGN 23.750T ACTL 24.250T
46BSU MS 75MPH RA1 VBF00 ABF16 BKEFCE CHG: 00.000T SPDCHG: 24.500T
GROSS DATA: GLW101.550T MS 60MPH RA0 VBF00 ABF47 BUILT: 23 CCS00
COUPLING DETAILS: TYPE: D STRENGTH:C ( 56.000T) AXLES: 4.0 NO. UNITS: 1
*BRAKE DISTRIBUTOR DATA NOT AVAILABLE* REG.DTLS: 80VTG

The pool also included 23 JNA-A wagons (VTG 34xx and VTG 35xx), which were displaced by the newer JNA-T wagons. As mentioned in post #22, the last use of the JNA-A set (on the Willesden to Cliffe spoil circuit) was in February 2023, after which they had been stored at Willesden. They are seen here on the left, languishing behind the newer JNA-Ts in this October 2023 shot of Willesden Euroterminal:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayrail/53270885219/ (Photo: Jim Ramsay)

The 23 JNA-As were moved to Sunderland Docks behind 66075 on 12th December 2024 as 6L03 - reported in post #6 to be for assessment of condition before a decision to keep or scrap.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonhorrocks/54199033512/ (Photo: Jon Horrocks)

---------------------------------
Mendip box wagons off hire
---------------------------------

The VTG Newsletter (No. 41) that talked about the new HOA Hoppers for Mendip Rail also mentioned the earlier replacement of box wagons, with "155 new JNA-T box wagons introduced to replace and/or supplement old fleets in 2022." For this section I think it's worth going back to 2022 to look at the older box wagons displaced from Mendip traffic (some of which, mainly the KEAs, are relevant to 2024 developments).

A snapshot of the changeover period is seen in this October 2022 post on the "47soton" blog:
https://www.47soton.co.uk/2022/10/mendip-rail-workings-and-wagons-week-of.html

The initial deliveries of the new box wagons are discussed, together with a breakdown of the 206 older "non Greenbrier" box wagons in service at the time. Of these, 90 were JNA-As and JNA-Ds in the NACO / VTG (originally CAIB) 39xx series dating from 2000. These wagons (which themselves replaced former iron ore tipplers) were unaffected by the new deliveries. It's worth noting that both Nacco and CAIB were taken over by VTG in the years since the wagons were produced (CAIB in 2002 and Nacco in 2018). N.B. Both the NACO 39xx bogie boxes and the VTG 34xx / 35xx bogie boxes are classified as JNA-A, but all other references to JNA-As in this 2024 review are talking about the VTG 34xx / VTG 35xx wagons.

With the NACO / VTG 39xx wagons unaffected, that left 116 older Mendip box wagons to be displaced by the new arrivals:

>24 KEA
>2 JNA-N (practically identical to KEA)
>57 JYA
>33 JNA-A in the VTG 34xx / 35xx number series

This LTSV profile on pre-1990 open wagons has some good information on the older types under discussion: https://www.ltsv.com/rd/profile_detail.php?id=62

First to go for storage were the Mendip KEAs (along with the two lookalike JNA-N wagons, VTG 3160 and VTG 3167).

19 KEAs (plus JNA-N wagon VTG 3167) moved to Gascoigne Wood in summer 2022, as follows:
04/07/22 6A26 Whatley - Wembley Yard
04/07/22 6M51 Wembley Yard - Crewe Basford Hall
05/07/22 6E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood

The remaining 5 KEAs, plus JNA-N wagon VTG 3160, followed three weeks later:
25/07/22 6A26 Whatley - Wembley Yard, 66538 + 5 KEA, 1 JNA-N
https://www.flickr.com/photos/192176924@N02/52241197346/ (Photo: Oliver Keeves)
25/07/22 6M51 Wembley Yard - Crewe Basford Hall
28/07/22 6E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood

Some of these KEAs were taken out of storage during 2024, to be discussed later...

Next of the Mendip box wagons to be taken out of traffic in 2022 were the 45mph O&K JYA wagons.
https://www.47soton.co.uk/2022/10/jya-disposal-commences-october-2022.html

Delving into the movements of JYAs for storage / scrapping at Gascoigne Wood, I was startled to come across an image of 90003 hauling 22 JYAs from Wembley to Crewe Basford Hall (the wagons went forward to Gascoigne Wood the following day):
13/10/22 7M51 Wembley Yard - Crewe Basford Hall (90003 + 22 JYAs)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mkrail/52490557711/ (Photo: MKRail)
14/10/22 7E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood

Another batch of 25 JYAs were moved to Gascoigne Wood in November 2022, as follows:
04/11/22 7C61 Merehead - Westbury Tarmac sidings (25 JYA)
14/11/22 7M36 Westbury Tarmac Sidings - Crewe Basford Hall
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022anson/52510524051/ (Photo: Westerleigh Westie)
15/11/22 7E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood

A final batch of 9 JYAs reached Gascoigne Wood in February 2023:
06/02/11 7A91 Merehead - Hanwell Bridge Loops (most likely as part of a jumbo working)
07/02/11 7Z66 Hanwell Bridge Loops - Wembley Yard
Unknown working from Wembley Yard to Crewe Basford Hall
08/02/11 7E53 Crewe Basford Hall - Hunslet Sidings
09/02/23 7D52 Hunslet Sidings - Gascoigne Wood (70016 + 1 Hanson JHA, 9 JYAs)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/140584851@N08/52680273381/ (Photo: chris.mark.gee)

The JYAs have since disappeared from TOPS. As 45mph wagons built in the late 80s, it's not surprising for them to be scrapped.

Finally, the Mendip VTG 34xx / 35xx JNA-A wagons moved to Gascoigne Wood in a 32-wagon block at the end of 2023:
27/11/23 6F51 Whatley - Westbury Tarmac
01/12/23 6A57 Westbury Tarmac - Wembley Yard (32 JNA-A)
02/12/23 7M05 03:02 Wembley Yard - Crewe Basford Hall, 66415 + 32 JNA-A
04/12/23 6E53 10:20 Crewe Basford Hall - Gascoigne Wood Sdgs, 70016 + 32 JNA-A (via Stockport, Guide Bridge, Huddersfield)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/robstibz/53374447762/ (Photo: Rob.S)

See also this post on the 47soton blog: https://www.47soton.co.uk/2023/12/mendip-jna-wagons-moved-to-storage-at.html

Although the 34xx / 35xx JNA-A wagons are not that old (built in 1998 by Marcroft Engineering at Stoke) they were technically conversions, with some of the components re-used from older wagons, as described in the caption to this photo of VTG 3486 by Adrian Nicholls: https://www.flickr.com/photos/36034969@N08/44422274224
Those 32 ex-Mendip JNA-As are still in storage at Gascoigne Wood, and 60 JNA-A wagons are included in a document on the VTG website (resembling "top trumps" cards) showing which wagons are currently available for hire. Scroll down to the newsletters at https://uk.vtg.com/news, click on issue 44 to view it as a PDF, and within the newsletter click the red link for the wagon catalogue on page 14 (the catalogue is periodically updated so the link may stop working at some point).

-----------------------------
Non Mendip box wagons
-----------------------------

Other VTG 34xx / 35xx JNA-As have been displaced by new JNA-Ts on DB Cargo workings around London, mainly the FCC spoil workings (from Neasden / Cricklewood / Bow / Barking) and the Brett sea-dredged aggregate workings from Newhaven and Cliffe. Most of these JNA-As were removed from traffic during 2023 and tripped in batches from Acton to Wembley for storage by the beginning of 2024, along with some JXA and KEA types described in post #11 and #22. For example, a movement of 33 wagons occurred on 5th December 2023, when 66116 hauled a 6Z32 09:52 Acton to Wembley Yard with 2 JXA, 10 KEA, 17 JNA-A, 3 JNA-N and 1 JNA-G.

Unlike the JNA-A wagons mentioned earlier which reached Sunderland Docks from Willesden Euroterminal for assessment of condition, two movements of box wagons from Wembley to Sunderland Docks occurred last year which were destined straight for scrap (the wagons had been shunted around at Wembley and their fate had probably been decided there). Info from marty56110 in post #21:



An initial movement of 15 wagons from Wembley to Sunderland Docks occurred in June. It had 15 wagons in total - fourteen of the VTG 34xx / VTG 35xx JNA-A types but also VTG 3259, probably the last JNA-G (originally PXA - https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/trlpxatml)
The TML Roundel is still visible in this picture of another wagon from the 3248-3259 batch, VTG 3254 in 2019:
https://wagons-library.weebly.com/uploads/6/9/2/9/6929845/jna-vtg-3254-03-04-19-6m76_orig.jpg
These 15 JNAs moved from Wembley as follows:
06/06/24 6Z26 Wembley Yard - Tyne Yard, 66009 + 14 JNA-A and 1 JNA-G (VTG 3259)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/92001115@N06/53774701035/ (Photo: Martin Simmons)
18/06/24 - 6Z90 Tyne Yard - Sunderland Docks, 66109 + 14 JNA-A and 1 JNA-G (VTG 3259)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/northbritonrailways/53799810309/ (Photo: Michael's North Briton Railways)

Another movement from Wembley started as a 6Z26 10:27 Wembley - Tees Yard on 4th September, with 66085 hauling a mixed rake of 9 JNA / 7 KEA / 4 JXA.
After some issues with the brakes at Welwyn, it reached Doncaster Belmont over 7 hours late where it was cancelled.
Video of it on the ECML here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/53971294846/ (Video: LNERGE1)
The wagons eventually reached Sunderland as follows:
10/09/24 6Z45 07:00 Doncaster Belmont - Tees Yard, 66161 + 9 JNA / 7 KEA / 4 JXA
18/09/24 6Z90 Tees Yard - Sunderland Docks, 66005 + 9 JNA / 7 KEA / 4 JXA

Wagon numbers in that move are noted in this sighting report on the LTSV website - https://www.ltsv.com/rd/sighting_detail.php?id=41999
Most of the wagons discussed here had previously been in use on the FCC spoil trains mentioned above.
In addition to seven JNA-As there were two JNA-Ns (3162 & 3168) from the 3160-3169 batch built for Foster Yeoman (originally PXA) which are very similar to KEAs: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/prpxayeoman

There were seven KEAs on the train, including VTG 3246 seen here when in traffic:
https://wagons-library.weebly.com/uploads/6/9/2/9/6929845/kea-vtg-3246-21-12-18-6c12_orig.jpg
Those were PXAs originally, and you could just about make out the TML Roundels under the dirt on some of them... https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/pxatmlyeoman

There were also four JXAs, including VTG 3144 pictured here when in traffic:
https://wagons-library.weebly.com/uploads/6/9/2/9/6929845/jxa-vtg-3144-07-11-13-6z57_orig.jpg
That type of JXA (3140-3149) were originally PXAs for Yeoman: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/pxapxo29c

Another of the JXAs in the train was VTG 3157, seen here when in traffic:
https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/U...ex-Sheerness-Steel-newbuild-boxes/i-m9kMdVT/A
It's last recorded working was in the Newhaven ash set before GBRF took over those workings.
Those JXAs in the 3150-3159 batch were originally PXAs for Sheerness steel, and slightly different to the other JXA type (3100-3139) which were originally POAs: https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/sheernesssteelpxa

Some of these small batches of pre-1990 box wagons are now passing into history. TOPS shows 3 KEAs and 28 of the later VTG 34xx / VTG 35xx JNA-As still at Wembley, plus VTG 3166, another JNA-N from the 3160-3169 batch built for Foster Yeoman as PXAs.

-------------------
KEA movements
-------------------

KEAs starting 2024 at Gascoigne Wood were mainly ex-Mendip, as discussed earlier. The KEAs stored at Wembley were last used on FCC spoil workings, and like many of the other box wagons, were tripped there from Acton for storage. As an example, this was a movement in August:
19/08/24 6Z42 10:47 Acton Yard - Wembley Yard, 66073 + 2 KEA (VTG 3187 + VTG 3246)

Four KEA wagons, previously in storage at Gascoigne Wood, had an outing to Margam and back in the summer.
The numbers were VTG 3167 (actually a JNA-N of very similar design) / 3170 / 3181 / 3196, moving as follows:

14/06/24 6K77 Gas Wood - Milford Sdgs
15/06/24 6Z18 Milford Sdgs - Immingham Sorting Sidings
21/06/24 6J99 22:40 Immingham Sorting Sidings - Rotherham Steel Terminal, 66182 + 3 KEA / 1 JNA-N
24/06/24 6Z02 Rotherham Steel Terminal - Margam (The normal 6V02 Tees - Margam steel empties amended to call at Rotherham to pick these up)

I believe this movement was for Tata to assess the wagons. They were not used on any traffic in South Wales and returned to Gas Wood as follows:

27/08/24 6Z20 15:51 Margam - Immingham, 66121 + 9 IHAs for Hull (detached at Rotherham), 8 IHAs for Immingham Nordic, 3 KEA / 1 JNA-N)
02/09/24 6Z18 06:35 Immingham - Milford Sdgs, 66006 + 3 KEA / 1 JNA-N
07/09/24 6K77 12:30 Milford Sdgs - Gascoigne Wood, 66190 + 3 KEA / 1 JNA-N

The LTSV website reported on the possible Tata interest in their News section in November:



This was later confirmed in the Rail Freight Flows and News thread, when GBRF took 9 KEAs from Margam to Portbury on 4th Feb 2025.
There's a photo taken by DBS92042 of a reduced-height KEA in Post #1641 of that thread.

In order for the conversions to take place, there were several movements of KEAs to Shirebrook in 2024, from both Gascoigne Wood and Wembley, featuring some unlikely traction:

06/09/24 6Z44 04:55 Wembley Yard - Shirebrook, 43423 & 43467 + 9 KEA (VTG 3200,3193,3225,3194,3192,3185,3226,3180,3207)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/40263244@N04/53999942212/ (Photo: Peter Foster)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenjb/53988819969/ (Photo: Darren JB)

04/10/24 6Z43 07:55 Gascoigne Wood - Shirebrook, 43423 & 43467 + 5 KEA (VTG 3173,3208,3224,3243,3244)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/195339731@N04/54049074245/ (Photo: Vincent Hardy)

29/10/24 6Z43 08:08 Wembley Yard - Shirebrook, 43465 & 43484 + 7 KEA (VTG 3199,3216,3182,3184,3237,3221,3209,)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/141634695@N02/54176460604/ (Photo: Lincs Trainspotter)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/65580215@N02/54108286534/ (Photo: John Rudd)

After being cut down for use as slab carriers, 9 of the KEAs were moved from Shirebrook to Margam as follows:

10/12/24 6N03 Shirebrook to Doncaster Down Decoy
10/12/24 6V24 14:21 Doncaster Down Decoy - Margam, 66789 + 9 KEA (VTG 3173,3224,3226,3194,3192,3237,3221,3216,3196)

Three more KEAs moved from Wembley to Shirebrook in December (with the orientation of inner vs outer couplings being the most likely reason they moved one-by-one):

16/12/24 6E01 04:02 Wembley Yard to Doncaster Down Decoy, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3198)
16/12/24 6N02 Doncaster Down Decoy to Shirebrook, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3198)

17/12/24 6Z16 03:23 Wembley Yard to Doncaster Down Decoy, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3211)
17/12/24 6N02 Doncaster Down Decoy to Shirebrook, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3211)

18/12/24 6Z16 03:14 Wembley Yard to Doncaster Down Decoy, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3210)
18/12/24 6N02 Doncaster Down Decoy to Shirebrook, 66789 + 1 KEA (VTG 3210)

The use of KEAs on slab traffic has yet to commence (as of 13/02/25) and we await further movements of converted KEAs from Shirebrook to South Wales.

The next post will look at JRAs and the varied types of box wagon that have been used in the FCC spoil sets...

Some very brief steel slab wagon news:
- 15 more converted KEA wagons were moved to Margam TC from Shirebrook on 24/02/25 behind 66784 (interesting to note that only GBRF's ex-DB 6678x have worked with these wagons so far)
- The new build/refurbished BAA wagons have started to appear on the Portbury steel workings (two seen in the 6Z50 consist on 25/02/25: https://flic.kr/p/2qNQhwT)

 

[Adrian Barr]

15 more converted KEA wagons were moved to Margam TC from Shirebrook on 24/02/25 behind 66784

Interesting, thanks. TOPS is now showing 25 KEAs at Margam (and 2 still at Shirebrook) which should be enough for a service to start up.

6V16 en route - https://www.flickr.com/photos/142805908@N08/54351181905/ (Photo: Dave Gommersall)

Looks like the loco brought in an FWA triple-set from Doncaster to Shirebrook as 4D16 too.

 

[DBS92042]

Interesting, thanks. TOPS is now showing 25 KEAs at Margam (and 2 still at Shirebrook) which should be enough for a service to start up.

6V16 en route - https://www.flickr.com/photos/142805908@N08/54351181905/ (Photo: Dave Gommersall)

Looks like the loco brought in an FWA triple-set from Doncaster to Shirebrook as 4D16 too.

The numbers of the additional 16 (not 15, I miscounted!) dropped off at Margam are:
VTG 3240, VTG 3200, VTG 3209, VTG 3225, VTG 3208, VTG 3244, VTG 3207, VTG 3180, VTG 3243, VTG 3184, VTG 3182, VTG 3199, VTG 3210, VTG 3211, VTG 3198, VTG 3236

 

[Oxfordblues]

I note a large number of Warflats and Warwells in store in the reception sidings at Bicester MoD. They've been there for a number of years, presumably as a strategic reserve. I wonder if yesterday's announcement of a significant increase in defence spending might mean their reinstatement?

 

[JKF]

A picture below of one of the new BAAs in a Portbury bound working at Ashton this afternoon. Looks very smart.

Both steel trains featured them today.

6Z53 (66652) had a new BAA as the first wagon, with a mix of 12 BYA & 6 BTA behind (can see how they just added a new one to the end of a rake - 900410 for the record)

6Z50 (66078) had 3 BAA & 16BYA (BAAs in positions 1,3 & 7 behind loco)

 

[Adrian Barr]

A picture below of one of the new BAAs in a Portbury bound working at Ashton this afternoon. Looks very smart.

They do look good in red, clean and freshly painted. 66653 on the way to Portbury today as 6Z55 with 12 BYA, 6 BTA, 1 BAA again (same 900410)

I think we could be seeing the KEAs in action next week with GBRF! Maybe...

 

[Adrian Barr]

There have been two more movements of Freightliner HHA wagons from York to WH Davis at Shirebrook recently, after a previous move of 16 wagons in December (see post #22 - conversion to box wagons is expected).

11 HHA wagons were moved as a 6D66 09:25 York Up Reception to Shirebrook on 27th February.

Another 6D66 09:25 York Up Reception to Shirebrook ran on 4th March with 8 wagons, seen here passing Doncaster:

Freightliner Class 66 No 66553 passes Doncaster with 6D66 0925 York to Shirebrook 4 March 2025 | Marathon Man 55

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Mar 2025 ==

I note a large number of Warflats and Warwells in store in the reception sidings at Bicester MoD. They've been there for a number of years, presumably as a strategic reserve. I wonder if yesterday's announcement of a significant increase in defence spending might mean their reinstatement?

Your post started me wondering about when those wagons were last used (even the ones not technically in stored pools). I'm not sure there have been any MoD vehicle movements since these rather interesting workings took place in 2019:

Jan 2019 - 6E33 to Redmire, empty warflats - https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimbo33201/32010038987/ (Photo: Jim Mosley)
Warflat MODA 95254 on 6E33 https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimbo33201/32010038157/ (Photo: Jim Mosley)

Mar 2019 - 6E07 Warminster to Doncaster https://www.flickr.com/photos/93293618@N05/32488054567/ (Photo: FEWS FOTS)

Aug 2019 - 6M63 Elgin to Carlisle https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexanderjohnson1212/48538451082/ (Photo: A J transport)

With these wagons being kept on MoD property, I wonder if they get some basic maintenance along the same lines as their internal user fleet - not given a formal VIBT to main line standards but perhaps just enough attention (e.g. moving them occasionally) to keep them "stored serviceable" against possible future requirements.

 

[geordieblue]

Speaking of MoD wagons… does anyone know what’s happening to the VGA/VKA wagons in Didcot yard? DB put them up for sale but the listing has now disappeared from their website - either they found a buyer or I presume they’re off to the scrappers.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Speaking of MoD wagons… does anyone know what’s happening to the VGA/VKA wagons in Didcot yard? DB put them up for sale but the listing has now disappeared from their website - either they found a buyer or I presume they’re off to the scrappers.

As a DB-Cargo facility Didcot Yard won't be charging siding-rent for the DB-owned WIAs and and VGA/VKA wagons which have been vegetating there for a number of years, but they present a very poor image of the rail-freight industry for passing Didcot commuters. Was DB seriously keeping them as a strategic reserve in anticipation of an upturn in traffic requiring 2-axle vans or is there a sclerotic slowness at DB-HQ in realising the scrap-value of their stored wagon fleet?

 

[geordieblue]

As a DB-Cargo facility Didcot Yard won't be charging siding-rent for the DB-owned WIAs and and VGA/VKA wagons which have been vegetating there for a number of years, but they present a very poor image of the rail-freight industry for passing Didcot commuters. Was DB seriously keeping them as a strategic reserve in anticipation of an upturn in traffic requiring 2-axle vans or is there a sclerotic slowness at DB-HQ in realising the scrap-value of their stored wagon fleet?

VGA vans are/have been used for MoD stores traffic so perhaps it wasn’t only DB’s decision? Agree on the car carriers though, either get them into service or get rid… (or at least hide them somewhere they can’t be publicly seen!)

 

[ExRes]

Reported on RAIL website (via google headline only) that WH Davis are 'on the brink' of signing a £100m contract with Iarnrod Eireann for 'up to 400 vehicles'

 

[Jr_Vandalas]

Out of curiosity, where do the FLAs usually work on? It's like I never see them on any of the felixstowe liners! On top of that, I've noted some design code variations on the FLAs (Notably FL002B (FLA-I) - given to 605010/013/014, FL003B (FLA-O) - given to 606008/606010 and FL006B (FLA-B) - given to 606117), whats the difference between them and the rest of the FLAs, and do these design codes constitute for a different flow allocation?

 

[TBaldwin996]

Out of curiosity, where do the FLAs usually work on? It's like I never see them on any of the felixstowe liners! On top of that, I've noted some design code variations on the FLAs (Notably FL002B (FLA-I) - given to 605010/013/014, FL003B (FLA-O) - given to 606008/606010 and FL006B (FLA-B) - given to 606117), whats the difference between them and the rest of the FLAs, and do these design codes constitute for a different flow allocation?

Often on workings to/from Leeds to London Gateway/Southampton

Edit - 4O90 is a common working for them

 

[Adrian Barr]

Out of curiosity, where do the FLAs usually work on? It's like I never see them on any of the felixstowe liners! On top of that, I've noted some design code variations on the FLAs (Notably FL002B (FLA-I) - given to 605010/013/014, FL003B (FLA-O) - given to 606008/606010 and FL006B (FLA-B) - given to 606117), whats the difference between them and the rest of the FLAs, and do these design codes constitute for a different flow allocation?

The FLA-I 605xxx wagons are inners and the FLA-O 606xxx wagons are outers. I think the FLA-Bs are the later 6061xx build of twin wagons.

FLA B FLAT, TWIN CONTAINER CAP 35.0T GLW 52.0T
FLA I FLAT,LOW PLTFM,CONT CAR,LTFB,SWHEL INN CAP 35.0T GLW 51.0T
FLA J PROTOTYPE,FLAT,LOW PLTFM,CONTAINER CAR CAP 35.0T GLW 51.0T
FLA J SPIGOTS FITTED(UNABLE TO CARR 9'6 CONT)CAP 35.0T GLW 51.0T
FLA O FLAT,LOW PLTFM,CONT CAR,LTFB,SWHEL OUT CAP 35.0T GLW 50.5T
FLA P PROTOTYPE,FLAT,LOW PLTFM,CONTAINER CAR CAP 35.0T GLW 50.5T
FLA P SPIGOTS FITTED(UNABLE TO CARR 9'6 CONT)CAP 35.0T GLW 50.5T

Along with 4O90 / 4E96 another working they are on at the moment is 4E73 London Gateway - Tinsley and 4L73 return.

I don't think either of these flows actually need low-deck wagons, the flows that do (to Wentloog) seem to use the KTAs for high cubes. The end of Freightliner traffic to Grain must have reduced the requirement for low-deck wagons, which might explain why there are quite a few FLAs out of use.

There's a profile on the FLA wagons on LTSV - https://www.ltsv.com/rd/profile_detail.php?id=53

 

[Jr_Vandalas]

FLA B FLAT, TWIN CONTAINER CAP 35.0T GLW 52.0T
FLA I FLAT,LOW PLTFM,CONT CAR,LTFB,SWHEL INN CAP 35.0T GLW 51.0T
FLA J PROTOTYPE,FLAT,LOW PLTFM,CONTAINER CAR CAP 35.0T GLW 51.0T
FLA J SPIGOTS FITTED(UNABLE TO CARR 9'6 CONT)CAP 35.0T GLW 51.0T
FLA O FLAT,LOW PLTFM,CONT CAR,LTFB,SWHEL OUT CAP 35.0T GLW 50.5T
FLA P PROTOTYPE,FLAT,LOW PLTFM,CONTAINER CAR CAP 35.0T GLW 50.5T
FLA P SPIGOTS FITTED(UNABLE TO CARR 9'6 CONT)CAP 35.0T GLW 50.5T

These Descriptions do match the design codes for the original FLAs (FL002A/FL003A/FL004A/FL005A/FL006A), the design codes I'm particularly interested in are FL002B/FL003B and FL006B, which have received some kinds of modification, enough to constitute a design code difference, what are these differences?

Along with 4O90 / 4E96 another working they are on at the moment is 4E73 London Gateway - Tinsley and 4L73 return.

I better get going to sight 4E73/4L73 then! Surely it would make sense to allocate the FLAs not being used out of Leeds to any of the Wentloog flows where KTAs are not being used on?

 

[The Loads Insp]

Along with 4O90 / 4E96 another working they are on at the moment is 4E73 London Gateway - Tinsley and 4L73 return.

I don't think either of these flows actually need low-deck wagons, the flows that do (to Wentloog) seem to use the KTAs for high cubes. The end of Freightliner traffic to Grain must have reduced the requirement for low-deck wagons, which might explain why there are quite a few FLAs out of use.

4L73 is routed via Cambridge and the WAML, so needs FLA