Factfile: PTA/JTA/ JUA tipplers

In the late 1960s, the newly formed British Steel Corporation (BSC) switched from domestic to imported iron ore. As a means of increasing transport efficiency from port to blast furnace, BSC introduced a fleet of air-braked 102tonne bogie tippler wagons. Four batches were built between 1971-77, the first at BR’S Shildon Works and the rest by Redpath Dorman Long. Given the

TOPS code of PTA, they replaced BR’S aging fleet of vacuum brake, twin-axle ore wagons. Each rake was made up of ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ wagons, the latter having conventional buffers and draw gear at the outer ends. The ‘inner’ vehicles were fitted with rotating knuckle couplings at one end that allowed each wagon to be emptied individually, via a rotary tippler, without being separated from the train. To assist marshalling, the end with the rotating coupler was painted orange (so no two orange ends should be coupled together!). Despite the investment of the 1970s, many of Britain’s steelworks subsequently closed, leaving a surplus of rolling stock. In the 1980s, leasing firm Procor acquired sets of PTAS and began an overhaul programme (including removal of the rotating coupling facility). They were then hired to Foster Yeoman and ARC for the transport of aggregates. In 1990, BR altered its TOPS codes for privately owned wagons, with the PTAS being allocated the JTA (outer) and JUA (inner) codes. However, it took a number of years before all wagons 3 received the new codes. As well as iron ore and stone, the PTA/JTA/JUAS have also carried ballast, sand and scrap metal over their long careers. Having passed through various owners since the end of BR, only relatively recently has the fleet begun to be phased out. Over 100 redundant JTA/JUA chassis were converted to enclosed steel carrying wagons (JSA), which is the subject of another forthcoming Accurascale model.

1: Yeoman changed its livery a few times, with this darker shade of grey being applied in the late 1980s, when the wagons had transferred to new leasing company, CAIB. The ladders were also removed from some wagons and replaced by handrails. PR26561 was formerly employed on the Redcar-consett ore traffic and is seen at Westbury, April 1989. PAUL BARTLETT 2: PTA iron ore tippler, No. BSRV26765, is seen in Procor’s Gloucester yard in August 1986. This is an ‘inner’ wagon, with knuckle couplings at each end, and it was originally allotted to the Hunterston-ravenscraig ore traffic. PAUL BARTLETT 3: Looking resplendent in a relatively fresh coat of British Steel blue, JUA BSSW26617 stands in the Marcroft yard at Swansea in August 1992. PAUL BARTLETT