| Image
| Type
| Built
| Qty
| Used
| Added
| Edited
|
|
 |
PIA/KPA Tiphook Hoppers and HQA/JJA Autoballasters |
1988-2006 |
400 |
1988-current |
20/10/2008 |
01/05/2013 |
|
Wagon hirer Tiphook bought 150 bogie hoppers in the late 1980s for spot-hires in various traffics. Within a few years most were stored out of use and one was modified as a ballast hopper with a view to replacing railway-owned types such as the Walrus and Sealion. The conversion, dubbed Autoballaster, was evidently a success and further batches accounted for the majority of the stored wagons. There was then a programme of building new Autoballasters with an order for 190 wagons followed by further batches of 50 and 10.
|
|
 |
YEA Perch/Porpoise LWRT Trains |
1982-1985 |
192 |
1982-current |
01/12/2006 |
13/04/2010 |
|
When your cargo is 600ft long, you need a special type of wagon. The YEA wagons were part of an ingenious system designed to handle lengths of continuously welded rail, with the ability to unload single rails at work sites. The sets include components classified as on-track plant and the concept was obviously sound as new wagons built from 2002 shared the same configuration.
|
|
 |
BPA/BRA/BXA Bogie Steel Rebuilds |
1979-1982 |
281 |
1977-current |
22/12/2007 |
16/03/2010 |
|
As well as a large number of Bogie Bolsters, three other types of bogie steel wagon received overhauls in the late 1970s and early 1980s. 51 Trestles, 80 Boplates and 150 Borails were fitted with air brakes and new bogies and recoded XVA, BPA and BRA respectively. As with many air-braked types, all three had very short lives in their initial roles. Transfers to the departmental fleet and modifications for alternate uses affected all 281 wagons and a wide range of TOPS codes have been applied. Despite their age, just over 200 wagons were still in stock in early 2008. |
|
 |
FEA Bogie Container Wagons  |
2003-2007 |
920 |
2003-current |
20/03/2008 |
16/03/2010 |
|
Although the first examples appeared as recently as 2003, the FEA intermodal flat wagon has proved popular with a variety of operators and over 900 were in stock by 2008. As well as carrying ISO containers the type is also used for infrastructure-related roles, for which specialised modules are fitted.
|
|
 |
FFA/FGA Freightliner Flats |
1964-1976 |
2137 |
1964-current |
01/10/2007 |
16/03/2010 |
|
The 1960s was a period of innovation for British rail freight, with many radically new designs appearing. The Freightliner wagons were a huge advance over the short wheelbase conflat wagons built before, and they were fortunately able to be adapted to the ISO standard for containers that emerged shortly after their introduction. As such, they carried the majority of intermodal rail traffic in the UK until their gradual replacement by newer types in the 1990s.
|
|
 |
FSA/FTA Bogie Container Wagons |
1991-1993 |
700 |
1991-current |
29/03/2008 |
16/03/2010 |
|
The 700 wagons that make up the FSA/FTA fleet represented proabably the largest investment in railway-owned wagons during the 1990s, and were also the first such vehicles to be imported rather than home-built. Fairly standard container-carrying wagons, they bolstered the ageing Freightliner fleet, allowing for retirement of many FFAs and FGAs.
|
|
 |
HTA Bogie Coal Hoppers |
2001-2004 |
1144 |
2001-current |
01/12/2006 |
16/03/2010 |
|
Soon after it was formed, EWS announced it was to buy a large number of new high-capacity wagons. One of the types indentified for replacement was the HAA merry-go-round coal hopper, all of which were between 18 and 36 years old. The design selected became the HTA, and a total of 1144 were built at the reopened York works between 2001 and 2004.
|
|
 |
OAA/OBA Air-Braked Opens |
1971-1979 |
900 |
1971-current |
22/12/2007 |
16/03/2010 |
|
The OAA and OBA types were open wagons with steel ends and wooden dropside doors, built in the 1970s for use on Air-Braked Network (ABN, later Speedlink) services. A decline in general merchandise traffic affected the fleet and many of the OBAs were transferred to departmental use within a few years. Later, both types saw a variety of modifications and conversions for other duties.
|
|
 |
YMO 'Salmon' Bogie Rail Wagons |
1949-1983 |
895 |
1949-current |
01/01/2008 |
16/03/2010 |
|
The Salmon was a bogie rail wagon built in large numbers during BR's early years. Surprisingly, almost 400 remained in stock in 2008, most having been upgraded with air brakes and new bogies. The type is now mainly used for carrying track panels.
|
|
 |
'Clam', 'Rudd' and 'Tope' Ballast Wagon Rebuilds |
1984-1991 |
2069 |
1987-current |
01/01/2008 |
16/03/2010 |
|
The Clam, Rudd and Tope wagons were all rebuilds of HTV coal hoppers for use by the Civil Engineers. The Clam and Rudd conversions both involved the fitting of a new box body, the Rudds having dropside doors and air brakes. The Tope was a simpler job, merely having the original hopper body cut down in height and a solid floor fitted. The programme started in 1984 and, although scaled back, still involved over 2000 wagons, the vast majority of which appeared in the attractive grey and yellow livery. The vacuum braked Clam and Tope fleets were fairly rapidly withdrawn in the early 2000s, but the Rudds lasted longer, with over 200 still in use at the start of 2008.
|
|
 |
MTA Open Ballast Wagons |
1998-2007 |
396 |
1998-current |
01/01/2008 |
26/07/2009 |
|
The MTA box wagon is a simple-looking type with a complicated history. Together with the similar but more numerous MFA and MHA types, the MTAs are used to carry ballast and spoil in connection with infrastructure works. The three types often work in mixed rakes and were responsible for replacing the last of the vacuum-braked Grampus wagons.
|
|
 |
KQA/KTA Tiphook 'Pocket' Container Wagons |
1997-1998 |
75 |
1997-current |
02/01/2009 |
02/01/2009 |
|
The KQA/KTA wagons were another type specifically intended to permit the carriage of 9ft 6in tall containers within the UK loading gauge. With a distinctive slab-sided design, the wagons were initially given RIV numbers, but being used only on domestic Freightliner services, were later renumbered into the private-owner series. The method of carrying containers earned them the nickname Pocket wagons.
|
|
 |
BR-built Goods Brake Vans |
1949-1961 |
5248 |
1949-current |
15/12/2007 |
03/12/2008 |
|
For many years the goods brake van was a common sight almost everywhere in the UK, bringing up the rear of freight trains. BR built over 5000 vans but the widespread adoption of continuous braking (particularly air brakes) saw their numbers slashed and a mere handful survived into the 21st century.
|
|
|
PIA/KPA Tiphook Hoppers and HQA/JJA Autoballasters |
1988-2006 |
400 |
1988-current |
20/10/2008 |
01/05/2013 |
|
Wagon hirer Tiphook bought 150 bogie hoppers in the late 1980s for spot-hires in various traffics. Within a few years most were stored out of use and one was modified as a ballast hopper with a view to replacing railway-owned types such as the Walrus and Sealion. The conversion, dubbed Autoballaster, was evidently a success and further batches accounted for the majority of the stored wagons. There was then a programme of building new Autoballasters with an order for 190 wagons followed by further batches of 50 and 10.
|
|
 |
VAA/VBA/VCA/VDA Air-Braked Vans |
1969-1977 |
1400 |
1969-current |
22/12/2007 |
Unfinished |
|
These 1400 wagons, built between 1969 and 1978, were BR's first general-purpose air-braked vans, their main use being on the new Air-Braked Network (later Speedlink) services. Although similar in appearance, there were numerous detail differences between and within each batch. The decline in wagonload traffic and the appearance of newer types have seen most of the fleet either condemned or modified for other uses.
|
|
 |
BAA Bogie Steel Wagons |
1972-1976 |
305 |
1972-current |
22/12/2007 |
30/09/2008 |
|
When the initial examples appeared in 1972, the BAA wagons were the first bogie steel wagons built new for BR in 10 years. The design was a radical departure from earlier types, with modern bogies and sturdy ends. Just over 300 were built over the next four years, production then switching to the larger BBA type. In its basic form the type was able to carry a range of loads including slabs, ingots and strip coil. Many were later modified for steel coil traffic and the majority remain in service.
|
|
 |
MEA/MFA Box Wagons |
1990-2004 |
641 |
1990-current |
16/12/2007 |
12/09/2008 |
|
The MEA wagons were produced by rebodying redundant HEA coal hoppers with new box bodies. Intended originally for coal, the type has found use carrying a variety of bulk loads. A total of 641 wagons were converted, although before this was completed, 135 were cut-down for use as infrastructure wagons recoded MFA.
|
|
 |
MCO/MCV 16t Mineral Wagons |
1944-1978 |
c.304372 |
1950-c.1992 |
01/01/2008 |
14/07/2008 |
|
What can you say about the humble BR 16 ton mineral wagon that hasn't been said before? How about the fact that, if made up into a single train, they would stretch over 1,100 miles! It is likely that they were never all in service at the same time of course, the building programme lasting from 1944 to 1959. The vast majority of BR 16 ton minerals had metal bodies with doors in the sides and one end (and in the floor on many), mounted on 9ft wheelbase underframes with plain bearings and unfitted Morton brake gear. The type survived in revenue use until the late 1980s, and a few years longer in departmental service.
|
|
 |
BRA/BYA Covered Steel Wagons |
1998-1999 |
310 |
1998-current |
22/12/2007 |
02/07/2008 |
|
The BRA and BYA covered steel wagons were the first to be built by Thrall Europa at the reopened York Works. Part of EWS's plan to rejuvenate the wagon fleet, the two very similar types were also intended to address the growing need to provide better protection to loads of finished steel. Their rather curious appearance, with a round-topped hood made of corrugated steel, earned them the nickname of Nissen Huts and they were soon to be found on steel trains across the country.
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|
 |
HTO/HTV 21t Coal Hoppers |
1949-1959 |
23150 |
1949-1991 |
15/12/2007 |
02/07/2008 |
|
The 21ton steel-bodied coal hopper was based on an LNER design and was the standard BR coal hopper until the advent of air-braked types in the 1960s and 1970s. Over 23,000 wagons were built, making them one of the most numerous types on BR and, although seen in many places, they were most at home in the coalfields of North East England. Most of the wagons were rebodied at least once, to a simplified design with fewer ribs, while over a third of the fleet eventually gained vacuum brakes. Coded HTO and HTV under TOPS, the wagons were never fully replaced by air braked wagons but colliery closures had a major impact on their numbers. The unfitted fleet was eradicated by the mid 1980s while just a handful of HTVs made it into the 1990s. Many of the wagons survived longer, at least in part, with their underframes receiving new box bodies for the departmental fleet.
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