DEVELOPMENTS

ERMEWA RAIL:

■ SNCF has completed its sale of its wagon leasing subsidiary Ermewa Group to the DWSCDPQ consortium (see June issue) following confirmation the takeover could continue by European regulatory authorities. This joint venture between Canadian investment fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and German asset management company DWS Group has acquired Ermewa, which has offices in 40 countries, on an equal-share, joint-control basis.

FREIGHTLINER:

■ A further 40 FFA-G container flats have been delivered from Greenbrier at its Wagony Swidnica factory in Poland. Nos. 81 70 4846 006/008/016/019/022/023/025/ 026/033/041/044/047/051/052/ 103/106/108/117/118/122/123/ 126-129/131-135/137/146/148/ 153/154/156/199/204/211/218/ 219/222 were recorded at Dollands Moor at the end of October. The UIC code Sggrrss wagons moved north on the 29th behind No. 92032 which was tasked with the 6Z92 03.25 trip to Wembley Yard.

With 160 of the new 40ft platforms in the country this has had a knock-on effect on the existing Freightliner fleet, with over 50 older vehicles heading into store at Barassie

Yard, between Ayr and Kilmarnock. On September 29, No. 66587 was in charge of a 4S52 07.51 from

Crewe Basford Hall comprising FSA

Nos. 608301/30/9/43/85/6, FTA

Nos. 607013/25/30/3/48/53 and FEA-B Nos. 640365/6. A week later an identical diagram headed by No. 66543 had KFA Nos. RLS 92554 and TIPH 93483, FLA Nos. 605001/16/20 & 606004/18/151/2 and FEA-B Nos. 640005/6/355/6/447/8 in tow. Finally on October 22, No. 66418 worked another 4S52 from Crewe Basford

Hall with FLA Nos. 605002/6/15 and 606002/12/111/2/5/6/21/2/358/47-50/61-4/75/6.

GB RAILFREIGHT:

■ Following its trials based out of Tonbridge West

Yard in August and its subsequent return to Loram at Derby RTC, the new GBRf ‘smart’ weed control train has been out again. Initially it was dispatched to Bescot on October 4 behind No. 60002, working a 6Z44 12.20 from Derby, curiously without its generator and water tank wagon modules, leaving two of the KFAs empty. The formation returned 11 days later (15th) as a 6Z44 09.52 Bescot Up Engineers Sidings-Derby RTC behind

No. 66766. On November 8 the full formation, with all modules reinstated, was recorded behind Class 20s Nos. 20007 and 20205, running as a 6Z55 to Kidderminster SVR, the three KFAs, Nos. VTG 95378-95380, being left at Bewdley for testing.

NETWORK RAIL:

■ Last reported in our December 2020 issue, the eight YSA-B HOBC support wagons that were converted from YXA sleeper carriers have finally been released from Loram at Derby. Nos. DR 92634/9/44-8/50 were the load for Nos. 20205 and 20007, which worked a 6Z20 10.00 to Whitemoor Yard on November 18. NR has also disposed of its Plasser & Theurer HOBSC2 (High Output Ballast Cleaning System) train formed around RM 900 RT Ballast Cleaner (TOPS code ZWA) No. DR 76501. Delivered in 2004 and latterly based at Taunton Fairwater Yard, it is now off lease and considered surplus to requirements. On August 2, No. 37425 delivered YOA Nos. DR 92285/6 (NPW-RT Materials Handling Train Power Wagons), YDA Nos. DR 92287-9 (MFS-SB Swivel Conveyor Wagons) & DR 92295/6/8302 (MFS-D Hopper Wagons) to Long Marston for onward movement by road to Southampton Docks for export as a 6Y03 06.46 ex-Eastleigh East Yard. The remainder of the train, comprising No. DR 76501, YDA Nos. DR 92290-2 (MFS-SB Swivel Conveyor Wagons) & DR 92303-22 (MFS-D Hopper Wagons) and YSA Support wagon No. DB 979403, was prepared for onward movement via the Channel Tunnel, being hauled from Fairwater to Dollands Moor on November 11.

This was cancelled and No. 92032 moved the formation back to Wembley as a 6Z92 09.30 from the ‘Chunnel’ yard on the 12th. There were reports that a further attempt at export would be made towards the end of November.

DISPOSALS:

■ On November 4, there was the surprise delivery of the entire fleet of UIC-numbered HLAs, Nos. 82 70 6956 000-011 to EMR Kingsbury, all from store at Wembley. Delivered with DB Schenker branding in 2010 from the workshops of WH Davis, the 12 bogie hoppers were a direct replacement for the original Charles Roberts-built Marcon vehicles that they supplanted These were constructed in 1969, giving them a lifespan of almost four times their successors. In recent years they had seen use on various aggregate flows in the south east, and the loss of much of this traffic to Freightliner and GBRf may have contributed to them being declared obsolete.