DEVELOPMENTS
YOB crane No. DRP 81519, previously based at Woking, was reported on the back of a low-loader on June 23, on the M25. Destination currently unknown, but likely for scrapping.
Overhauls on the
WIA (UIC code Sefoorss) five-unit car carriers have seemingly been unaffected by any virus concerns, with regular movements of the lengthy Arbel-built vehicles into and out of the works at Stoke-on-Trent. On May 29 it was the turn of Nos. 85 70 4971 044-8 and 85 70 4971 045-5 to make their way to the Potteries facility, with the latter spending the usual one or two weeks on site before being returned to Arpley on June 5 and 12 respectively. On the 17th, No. 85 70 4971 020-8 arrived at Stoke. This was turned around and sent back into traffic on the 26th. Of note is that
No. 85 70 4971 036-4 remains on site, having arrived on May 8, after plans to return it to traffic had to be cancelled due to mechanical issues. Also in for attention was FKA ‘Megafret’ No. 81 70 4908 045-7, which arrived at Stoke on May 29 and departed almost one month later on June 26.
As predicted in the last issue,
FIA ‘Multifret’ No. 31 70 4938 009-8 (previously No. 31 70 4938 528-5), departed Stoke-on-Trent on May 29 after reactivation work following a long period of store at Wigan. Meanwhile, ex-Scunthorpe stored Nos. 31 70
4938 163-3 (previously Nos. 33 70 4938 720-0) left on the Arpley ‘tripper’ on June 12. Finally, No. 31 70 4938 204-5 (recombined from former EMU translators Nos. 83 70 4913 020-1 and 83 70 4913 007-8 that were stored at Wigan), left on June 26 and returned to service. These three ‘Multifret’ sets were the last of the batch to be completed.
On June 2, KFAs Nos. RLS 92553/4/633, TIPH 93345/408/48 were moved to Crewe from Stoke-onTrent. Meanwhile, on June 5, KFAs
Nos. TIPH 93328/80 were inbound to the former Marcroft Engineering site.
June 19 saw No. 66784 in charge of a lightweight load of just two HTA hoppers, Nos. 310387 and 310678, which comprised a 6M70 Doncaster Marshgate-EMD Longport working. The two DB ex-coal hoppers are destined to be scrapped and will donate their NACO Axle Motion bogies to the GB Railfreight ‘Class 69’ rebuild programme for use shuttling Class 56 bodyshells around the worksite. By the end of June the redundant bodies had been removed to Sims Metals, Alfreton.
The prototype ‘ECOFret 2’ triple-unit container wagon has been completed at WH Davis, Langwith Junction, and moved by road to Loram Derby for testing in the second week of June. Sadly VTG and GBRf have prohibited any photographs of these vehicles being shared at the moment.
A further 14 IIA biomass hopper to HYA aggregate hopper conversions have been completed at WH Davis. All were built by the Langwith Junction-based manufacturer in 2010 for GB Railfreight and have been outshopped in the same VTG ‘patch’ repainted scheme as the previous vehicles released earlier this year. Nos. 37 70 6955 222/234/243/2 47/249/250/253/254/256/260/261/ 263/269/278 departed Davis’s site on
June 8, being hauled as a 4D50 trip to Gascoigne Wood by Freightliner’s
No. 66414. This should be the final batch for now as Davis will be busy building ‘ECOFret 2’ wagons and reducing the length of VTG HHA hoppers for the forseeable future.
Long term Long Marston-stored KFA container flats Nos. CAIB 95379 and 95380 were reportedly moved by road to Socofer in Saint-Pierredes-Corps, France, in June likely for rebuilding. Two other wagons reported on the road were a pair of Castle Cement PCAs on June 16, on the A1 near Doncaster. Any further details welcome.
As well as the two coal hoppers that donated their bogies to the Class 69 programme, further examples have been despatched for scrapping during the period under review, all by road: HHA Nos. 370276/83/7/8/90-2/6/301/2 were moved from store at Long Marston to Ward Recycling, Ilkeston and HTA
No. 310266 from GBRf’s sidings at Peterborough to the nearby Sims Metals site.