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LTSV > Rail Data > More > Profiles List
Profiles are articles giving the histories of individual types or groups of types. The amount of detail varies, with newer profiles generally being longer. The earlier profiles will be updated and expanded in due course.
Most of the profiles at present are about wagon types, with some locos, coaches and units to be added in the future. If there is a particular type you would like to see included, please get in touch.
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65 profiles listed, sorted by Profile ID number.
Image ID Title Built Qty Used Added Edited Notes
Profile index image 1 BBA Bogie Steel Wagons 1973-1981 551 1973-current 01/10/2007 n/a 0
The BBA and similar but shorter BAA have been the mainstay of the heavy steel carrying fleet since their introduction in the mid-1970s. The basic design was able to carry ingots, slabs and coils, but many were later modified to suit a particular traffic.
Profile index image 2 PG010 Hoppers 1975 115 1975-c.2010 01/10/2007 n/a 0
This batch of wagons was built to convey limestone from the quarry at Redmire in North Yorkshire to the British Steel works at Redcar, Cleveland. They were notable for having automatic door control equipment similar to that fitted to MGR coal hoppers, and tall bodies with a narrow top opening. Although the ownership of the wagons (and the quarries that the services work from) has changed in recent years, most still serve the Teesside steel industry. Some surplus wagons were rebuilt as general purpose hoppers but these saw very limited use and were soon withdrawn.
Profile index image 3 PTA/JTA/JUA Bogie Iron-Ore/Stone Tipplers 1971-1977 458 1971-current 01/10/2007 n/a 0
Several large batches of these rugged bogie box wagons were built to convey iron-ore from ports to steel works in the 1970s. The changing fortunes of the steel-making industry has seen them lead interesting lives.
Profile index image 4 JSA Covered Steel Wagons (ex Tipplers) 1996-2008 124 1996-current 01/10/2007 02/04/2024 0
During the 1990s a number of comparatively young bogie iron-ore tippler wagons became surplus and were converted to covered steel carriers. The conversions were to two different designs though both featured three-piece telescopic sliding hoods. All have since been rebuilt as either open coil carriers or box wagons, or withdrawn.
Profile index image 5 YCV Turbot Bogie Ballast Wagons 1982-1988 992 1982-c.2005 01/10/2007 n/a 0
The Bogie Bolster E design built by BR in the 1960s turned out to be too short for their intended traffic but, when fitted with low-sided bodywork, found use as ballast wagons. Almost 1,000 were rebuilt in the 1980s and renumbered in the departmental series. Their vacuum brakes and relatively fragile drop-side doors saw the type displaced by more modern designs and conversions, and most of the Turbots were withdrawn in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Profile index image 6 JNA Falcon Bogie Ballast/Spoil Wagons 2003-2004 555 2003-current 01/10/2007 27/09/2014 0
A large fleet of 555 Romanian-built bogie open wagons was delivered to Network Rail in 2004 and they have since become a common sight across the country, carrying ballast and spoil in connection with infrastructure work. Nicknamed 'Falcons' (for reasons unknown) and painted in a distinctive all yellow livery, the wagons often operate in sets of five.
Profile index image 7 HAA Merry-go-round Coal Hoppers 1964-1977 11162 1964-c.2012 01/10/2007 n/a 0
The HAA wagon (and its derivatives) was part of a drive to improve the efficiency of the movement of coal to power stations. They became the most numerous air-braked wagon type, and quietly went about their business until they were eventually displaced by the closure of many collieries and the introduction of new wagon designs. Although large quantites were scrapped, many lived on, having been rebuilt as box wagons for carrying ballast.
Profile index image 8 POA/SSA Scrap Metal Wagons 1978-1984 181 1978-current 01/10/2007 09/06/2022 0
A large number of open wagons for carrying scrap metal were built (or converted) during the 1980s. Perhaps the most distinctive were those owned by Standard Railfreight and painted in a bright blue and yellow livery. BR bought these wagons in 1990 and recoded them from POA to SSA. Most were eventually given new bodywork to a slightly revised design, and painted in EWS maroon. Although used on some other traffics, the type continues in the main on scrap metal flows.
Profile index image 9 PHA/JHA/HLA Marcon Bogie Gravel Hoppers 1969-1991 35 1969-c.2010 01/10/2007 n/a 0
For a small fleet seen in a limited area, this group of wagons has had a fairly interesting time, although I am perhaps biased as they were one of few types that I saw on a regular basis. Three batches were built, with two types of bogies and several other design differences. Over the years, four liveries have been carried, and all the wagons were eventually rebodied and modified to have a more uniform appearance. Throughout this time the wagons worked in block formations carrying sea-dredged gravel from terminals on the River Thames to various locations around London.
Profile index image 10 HTA Bogie Coal Hoppers 2001-2004 1144 2001-current 01/10/2007 16/03/2010 0
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.
Image ID Title Built Qty Used Added Edited Notes
Profile index image 11 OCA General Goods Open Wagons 1981-1982 400 1981-current 01/10/2007 n/a 0
The OCA was arguably the final development of the traditional, general-purpose open wagon although the decline in general merchandise traffic resulted in the type never being fully employed. Most of the OCAs were soon transferred to departmental use, while others were rebuilt as timber carriers. The latter have now mostly been replaced by bogie types, with the unmodified wagons remaining on infrastructure duties.
Profile index image 12 YGB Seacow / YGH Sealion / YGV Walrus 40t Bogie Ballast Hoppers 1954-1982 789 1954-current 01/10/2007 n/a 0
Although seemingly built over an extended period, the basis of this type was actually a design by the London and South Western Railway first introduced in 1903. Apart from the bogies there were only very minor changes between the oldest and the newest builds, a testimony to the soundness of the original design. Most of the examples built in the 1970s and 1980s remain in service today, working alongside newer autoballasters and a growing number of box wagons.
Profile index image 13 JGA RMC Bogie Stone Hoppers 1984-1997 89 1984-current 01/10/2007 n/a 0
The fleet of bogie hoppers used by Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) wear a distinctive bright orange livery and until 2007 could be seen running in block formations carrying limestone from the quarry at Peak Forest near Buxton. The total of 89 wagons covers four batches built to three main designs over a period of 13 years, and trains often featured several or all of the variants. More recently the wagons have been in general use with EWS in the South East.
Profile index image 14 FQA/PJA/XMA Cartic-4 car carriers 1964-1972 632 1964-2013 01/10/2007 15/05/2024 0
The tricky problem of efficiently carrying motor cars within the restrictive British loading gauge was definitively solved with the introduction of this revolutionary design in 1964. Made up of sets of four, double-decked wagons articulated across five small-wheeled bogies, the Cartics were not a huge success on Motorail services but came to dominate the transportation of new cars for the next 25 years.
Profile index image 15 MBA/MCA/MDA/MOA Bogie Open Wagons 1999-2003 350 1999-current 23/12/2007 n/a 0
These large bogie open wagons were one of several types built by Thall at York Works as part of the reinvigoration of the freight fleet by EWS. Ironically, the big, American-looking MBAs turned out to be too large and many had their height cut-down fairly soon after delivery, to form types MCA and MDA. Further wagons were built to the reduced height (as MOAs), these being mainly used on infrastructure work alongside the MCA/MDA fleet, while the full-height MBAs eventually found employment on a wide variety of revenue flows.
Profile index image 16 SAA Steel carriers / FPA Container Flats 1966-1971 301 1966-current 01/10/2007 n/a 0
The SAA fleet of 2-axle steel carrying wagons had a very short life in their original form, and the majority saw extensive use as barriers and runners. After 10 years of under utilisation, over half of the wagons were rebuilt as FPA container flats and were used to carry coal, mainly in Scotland.
Profile index image 17 YEA Perch/Porpoise LWRT Trains 1982-1985 192 1982-current 01/10/2007 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 18 FFA/FGA Freightliner Flats 1964-1976 2137 1964-current 01/10/2007 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 19 PHA/JGA Bardon Bogie Aggregate Hoppers 1986-2004 73 1986-current 23/12/2007 n/a 0
Bardon Hill Quarries (later renamed Bardon Aggregates) bought four batches of bogie hoppers between 1986 and 2004, totalling 73 wagons. They have been used in block formations between the quarries in Leicestershire and various terminals in the southeast of England.
Profile index image 20 BR-built Goods Brake Vans 1949-1961 5248 1949-c.2010 15/12/2007 n/a 0
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.
Image ID Title Built Qty Used Added Edited Notes
Profile index image 21 HTO/HTV 21t Coal Hoppers 1949-1959 23150 1949-1991 15/12/2007 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 22 SOV/ODA Pipe Wagons 1949-1958 1950 1949-c.2010 16/12/2007 n/a 0
Almost 2000 pipe wagons were built by BR, over half of which were vacuum fitted from new. This ensured the survival of many examples until fairly recently. 50 wagons were rebuilt with air brakes in 1983 as ODAs, primarily for MoD use, while many others were transferred to departmental use.
Profile index image 23 HBA/HEA General-Purpose Hoppers 1975-1979 1999 1975-c.2017 16/12/2007 n/a 0
Just under 2000 HBAs were built in the 1970s and were intended to become the standard general-purpose hopper wagon. Within a few years they were recoded as HEAs with improved suspension. However, declining traffic has seen the fleet undergo numerous modifications and rebuilds.
Profile index image 24 MEA/MFA Box Wagons 1990-2004 641 1990-current 16/12/2007 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 25 BCA/BDA Air-Braked Bogie Bolsters 1975-1981 1253 1975-current 16/12/2007 n/a 0
Over 1000 Bogie Bolster wagons were refurbished by BR in the 1970s with new bogies and air brakes. Most were 52ft long Bogie Bolster Ds, which became BDAs, but two Cs were also rebuilt, becoming the short-lived BCAs. A large proportion of the BDAs remain in service today, many having undergone modification for specific duties.
Profile index image 26 OAA/OBA Air-Braked Opens 1971-1979 900 1971-current 22/12/2007 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 27 VAA/VBA/VCA/VDA Air-Braked Vans 1969-1977 1400 1969-c.2016 22/12/2007 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 28 VEA/VFA Air-Braked Vanwides 1978-1983 550 1978-c.2000 22/12/2007 n/a 0
The VEA vans (and ODA opens) were traditional wagon designs refurbished and fitted with air brakes in the early 1980s to suit customers who could not handle the longer wheelbase of newer designs. A total of 550 wagons were dealt with and they could be seen across the country on Speedlink trains as well as military specials. A decline in Ministry of Defence requirements lead to most of the wagons being withdrawn in the early 1990s, with just a handful finding further use in the departmental fleets. However, many survived in internal use at Army bases.
Profile index image 29 VGA/VKA Air-Braked Vans 1981-1983 251 1981-current 22/12/2007 n/a 0
Having built 1400 vans to the VAA-VDA pattern in the 1970s, construction turned to the longer VGA design in the 1980s. Based on continental practices of having doors that curve upwards into a central roof panel, a prototype was followed by a single batch of 250 wagons. While their predecessors underwent numerous conversions, the VGAs were retained on revenue duties, carrying a wide variety of commodities. The only development of note was the recoding of many VGAs as VKAs following the fitting of modified journals from 2000 onwards.
Profile index image 30 CBA/CDA/PGA Hoppers (MGR derivatives) 1969-1989 235 1969-current 22/12/2007 n/a 0
Three batches of wagons have been built whose design derived from the hugely successful Merry-go-round coal hopper type. Separated by nearly 15 years, the designs were for three different commodities (lime, gypsum and china clay) and served specific flows in almost geographically opposite corners of the country. The gypsum hoppers were sold to the private sector before entering service while the limestone wagons diversified into potash before succumbing to corrosion. Only the china clay wagons, built in the 1980s, survive.
Image ID Title Built Qty Used Added Edited Notes
Profile index image 31 SPA Plate Wagons 1977-1981 1102 1977_current 22/12/2007 n/a 0
Following the conversion of two SAA steel wagons into SPA plate wagons in 1977, a production run of 1100 new-build SPAs was authorised. Further batches totalling 600 wagons were cancelled before work started. Although designated as a steel plate carrier, the type found a wide variety of uses including loads as diverse as army vehicles and rod coil. As with many of the air-braked types, there have been many subsequent modifications, both for revenue and departmental uses.
Profile index image 32 BAA Bogie Steel Wagons 1972-1976 305 1972-current 22/12/2007 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 33 BRA/BYA Covered Steel Wagons 1998-1999 310 1998-current 22/12/2007 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 34 BPA/BRA/BXA Bogie Steel Rebuilds 1977-1982 281 1977-current 22/12/2007 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 35 OTA Timber Wagons 1985-1998 268 1986-c.2010 23/12/2007 n/a 1
The OTA type first appeared in 1985 when some surplus air-braked opens were rebuilt into timber carriers following an increase in this traffic. At first using OCA source wagons, the conversions involved the removal of the wagon sides and replacement with tall stanchions, plus the extension of the existing ends. Later rebuilds were from VDAs (retaining the van ends) and OBAs. Prior to this, timber was carried in open wagons such as the OBA, or in specially converted vacuum-brake wagons, donor types having included Plates and Bogie Bolsters.
Profile index image 36 Air-Braked Bogie Steel Prototypes 1976-1990 14 1976-c.2014 23/12/2007 n/a 0
Five types of bogie steel wagon were built between 1976 and 1990, none of which entered serial production. First was the BLA of 1976 (a stretched BBA), then the YXA of 1985 (built to test new bogies). Finally the BGA/BHA/BJA family of 1990, a concerted effort to find replacements for the ageing BDA fleet as well as to provide better protection for steel loads.
Profile index image 37 PLA/JLA Procor 80 Car Transporter Wagons 1979-1982 36 1979-c.1995 23/12/2007 n/a 0
The Cartic-4 was well established as the main wagon type for domestic motor car movements by the 1970s. However, the introduction of larger cars and the inflexibility of the fixed Cartic-4 sets led Procor to develop a single unit car carrier in 1979. At 76ft the Procor 80 was one of the longest wagons to have worked on BR. 36 were built and were used by a variety of customers but all were stored out of use by 1995 and later scrapped.
Profile index image 38 PKA/PQA 3-axle Car Transporter Wagons 1981-1983 158 1981-c.2010 23/12/2007 n/a 0
The PKA was a three-axle articulated vehicle carrier of French design, built in the early 1980s. Coming in double-deck (later recoded PQA) and single-deck varieties, a total of 158 wagons were built, permanently coupled into 79 sets. They were hired to a number of different companies and wore a corresponding range of liveries. From the early 1990s, most were renumbered to permit operation on train ferries and later through the channel tunnel. In recent years the few remaining domestic sets have found alternate use carrying track-relaying equipment.
Profile index image 39 JNA Mendip Rail Bogie Aggregate Wagons 2000-2001 90 2000-current 23/12/2007 n/a 0
The large fleet of wagons used to haul stone from the Somerset quarries to London and the South East was partially renewed in 2000/2001 with the arrival of 90 rugged-looking box wagons built by Marcroft. These were the first to carry the logo of the recently formed Mendip Rail company, other types continuing with the Yeoman and Hanson brandings. They were also the first to use the TF25 low track force bogie.
Profile index image 40 ZEV Catfish and ZFV Dogfish Ballast Hoppers 1953-1961 1959 1953-2006 31/03/2008 n/a 0
The Catfish and Dogfish were BR's standard small ballast hopper wagons, almost 2000 being built. Fitted with vacuum brakes from new, many lasted into the 1990s while a programme to fit air-brakes to surviving Dogfish wagons was started in 2000. Despite this, the last examples of both types were withdrawn in 2006.
Image ID Title Built Qty Used Added Edited Notes
Profile index image 41 MCO/MCV 16t Mineral Wagons 1944-1978 304372 1950-c.1992 01/01/2008 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 42 MDO/MDV/MEO 21/24½t Mineral Wagons 1950-1978 13907 1950-c.1992 01/01/2008 n/a 0
Although almost 14,000 of these larger mineral wagons were built for BR, they were overshadowed by the far more numerous 16ton variants. Two basic designs were used, both having twin side doors and one end door in their 21ft 6in long bodies, mounted on 12ft wheelbase underframes. The 24½t variant (MEO) was over a foot taller than the standard 16ton mineral, at over 9ft 10in. The 21ton wagons (MDO and MDV) were closer to the 16 tonners in height, and lasted longer both in production and in service. Rebodying in later years produced further variations. The South Wales coalfields were the types main area of operation and the last were withdrawn in about 1992.
Profile index image 43 YAO Dolphin and YBO Sturgeon Bogie Rail, Sleeper and Ballast Wagons 1950-1961 973 1950-2004 01/01/2008 n/a 0
The Dolphin and Sturgeon wagons were based on an LNER design and were adaptable bogie rail, sleeper and ballast carriers. Small wheeled bogies and low floors made them useful at worksites and they featured dropside doors that could be removed to allow the carriage of rails and track panels. The 40t Dolphins were all withdrawn by 1993 but many of the Sturgeons were fitted with air brakes and a few survived into the 21st century.
Profile index image 44 YMO Salmon Bogie Rail Wagons 1949-1983 895 1949-current 29/03/2008 n/a 0
The Salmon was a bogie rail wagon built in large numbers during BR's early years. Surprisingly, almost 400 remained in stock in 2008, all having been upgraded with air brakes and new bogies. The type is now mainly used for carrying track panels.
Profile index image 45 Clam, Rudd and Tope Ballast Wagon Rebuilds 1984-1991 2069 1984-c.2010 01/01/2008 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 46 STV Tube Wagons 1949-1961 3460 1949-c.2007 01/01/2008 n/a 0
Ask a wagon enthusiast what is longer, a pipe or a tube and they will tell you it is the latter! Both Pipe and Tube were well-established wagon types by the time BR was formed in 1948, and many more were built over the next 14 years. As with the shorter Pipe wagons, the Tubes survived in some numbers into the 1980s, thanks to the vacuum brakes fitted to many. By the 1990s, only departmental wagons remained, although these included some of the earliest built by BR. The last few Tubes were withdrawn in about 2007.
Profile index image 47 PX030 Sheerness Steel Bogie Steel/Scrap Wagons 1974 8 1974-current 01/01/2008 n/a 0
Although only 8 were built, these wagons were of interest in being among the first modern private-owner bogie steel wagons. In appearance they were similar to the BR-built BBA wagons but with higher ends. After just a few years service they were rebuilt as open wagons for carrying scrap metal, a role in which they continued following the end of traffic to Sheerness. A transfer to infrastructure duties was shortlived, having resulted in the derailment and withdrawal of 3 of the class.
Profile index image 48 Redland Self-Discharge Trains 1988-1990 124 1988-c.2016 01/01/2008 10/01/2020 0
The Self-Discharge Trains operated by Redland (later lafarge) were an attempt to combine the rapid unloading characteristics of hopper wagons with the operational flexibility of open wagons that required no specialised unloading equipment. This is achieved by use of a conveyor built into the bottom of each set of wagons and an unloading vehicle coupled at one end. Despite the mechanical complexity of the concept it appears to have been successful with several sets built for use both in the UK and abroad.
Profile index image 49 MTA Open Ballast Wagons 1998-2007 396 1998-current 01/01/2008 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 50 MRA Side-Tipping Ballast Wagons 2003-2004 400 2003-current 01/01/2008 n/a 0
Each MRA bogie ballast wagon has two shallow boxes which can be tipped to either side, discharging ballast onto parallel trackbeds. They operate in fixed rakes of 5 wagons, one of which is fitted with a generator to provide power and air to the whole set. The first 300 were delivered in a cream livery for use by Railtrack while a second batch of 100 was in yellow and branded Network Rail. 25 of the second batch were later transferred to GB Railfreight for use on the Metronet contract.
Image ID Title Built Qty Used Added Edited Notes
Profile index image 51 FEA Bogie Container Wagons 2003-2007 920 2003-current 20/03/2008 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 52 FSA/FTA Bogie Container Wagons 1991-1993 700 1991-current 29/03/2008 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 53 FLA Lowliner Bogie Container Wagons 1989-2005 128 1989-current 29/03/2008 n/a 0
The FLA wagons are low-floor container carriers, capable of accomodating the increasingly popular 'high-cube' ISO containers within the British loading gauge. Formed into 2-, 3-, 4- or 5-wagon sets, they can be seen mixed in with other wagon types on Freightliner services across the country.
Profile index image 54 PIA/KPA Tiphook Hoppers and HQA/JJA Autoballasters 1988-2006 400 1988-current 20/10/2008 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 55 KQA/KTA Tiphook Pocket Container Wagons 1997-1998 75 1997-current 02/01/2009 n/a 0
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.
Profile index image 56 National Power JHA/JMA Hoppers (later HJA/HKA) 1993-1995 106 1993-current 15/10/2014 n/a 0
In the mid-1990s, electricity generator National Power joined the small club of companies that ran their railfreight services using their own locomotives. Six class 59 locos and two batches of hoppers (totalling 106 wagons) carried a distinctive blue and grey livery on services centred on the giant Drax power station. The operation was short-lived, being sold to EWS in 1998. The rolling stock has seen more widespread usage under its new ownership, with many of the wagons being rebogied and renumbered.
Profile index image 57 MLA Bogie Box Wagons 2006-2008 245 2006-current 15/10/2014 n/a 0
The MLA code first appeared in 2006 and is applied to two batches of low-sided bogie box wagons used by three different operators. An initial batch of 140 yellow wagons was ordered by GB Railfreight for use on their Metronet contract, some being diverted to Network Rail. EWS followed this with 105 similar wagons but in a red livery. All are used for infrastructure duties.
Profile index image 58 HOA/IIA Bogie Aggregate/Sand Hoppers 2006-2016 278 2006-current 15/10/2014 06/10/2019 0
Almost from the start, EWS had ambitious plans to build many new wagons. However, its first order for aggregate hoppers was not placed until 2005, these becoming the HOA class. Delivered in EWS livery, many of the wagons were very soon repainted into the colours of their main user. A follow-on batch also wore this livery but were from a different builder and carrying 'international' numbers. More wagons to the latter design were ordered for use by Mendip Rail.
Profile index image 59 IEA/IOA Network Rail Bogie Box Wagons 2009 160 2009-current 15/10/2014 n/a 0
Greenbrier built two batches of bogie box wagons for Network Rail in 2009. 120 were high-sided wagons coded IOA and used in block formations to deliver ballast to virtual quarries. The other 40 were low-sided IEAs, assigned to general infrastructure work alongside similar wagons of types JNA and MLA.
Profile index image 60 Class 313 EMUs 1976-1977 64 1976-current 02/11/2019 n/a 0
The 313s were the first production 2nd-generation EMUs for BR, and the first to feature dual-voltage (overhead and 3rd rail) equipment. After serving various routes into London for over 40 years, most have recently been replaced and scrapped. About a quarter of the fleet survives for now, having retired to a more sedate lifestyle on the south coast.
Image ID Title Built Qty Used Added Edited Notes
Profile index image 61 2-axle Private-Owner Vans 1955-1985 200 1959-2011 05/06/2022 n/a 0
Relatively few vans have featured in the private-owner wagon fleet, but they have carried a variety of commodities including bagged cement, chemicals, army supplies and tinned soup. The designs reflect the evolution of wagons from small, vacuum-braked vehicles to large, air-braked ones, while the colour schemes worn made them stand out from the railway-owned vans.
Profile index image 62 Early (pre-1990) Bogie Open Wagons 1921-1990 870 1921-current 14/07/2022 15/07/2022 0
Bogie open wagons (or 'boxes') are probably the most numerous type in use today, carrying aggregates, ballast and scrap metal. A handful of batches had been built over the years but they did not become common until the 1980s. This profile covers the various types of bogie open wagons built before 1990.
Profile index image 63 JPA Bogie Cement Tank Wagons 2007-2016 153 2007-Current 02/04/2024 n/a 0
These distinctive bogie powder tank wagons, built by Feldbinder in Germany, have taken over several cement flows from 2-axle wagons.
Profile index image 64 YCO-A Pilchard Bogie Ballast & Sleeper Wagons 1950 50 1950-c.1982 02/04/2024 n/a 0
A single batch of 50 of these bogie wagons was built in 1950/1951 and was effectively a pint-sized version of the more numerous Dolphin and Sturgeon designs. Unfitted, they were confined to the Eastern Region and were all withdrawn by the mid-1980s.
Profile index image 65 HHA Bogie Coal Hopper Wagons 2000-2005 446 2000-Current 02/04/2024 n/a 0
Freightliner built up a large fleet of these lengthy bogie coal hoppers at the start of the 21st century. However, they were soon supplanted by an improved design (the HXA), while the decline in coal traffic rendered many of them surplus to requirements.