DEVELOPMENTS
■ DB CARGO:
The BYA conversion line at DBC’s workshops in Stokeon-Trent has outshopped its first production examples of the former coil carrier design, now rebuilt for carrying slabs. 14 BYAs (the wagons retain their original TOPS codes and numbers) left the former Marcroft Engineering site at the end of November 2021. A further two batches departed in December bringing the total number of wagons converted to 21, which includes the prototype No. 996050. This leaves just nine wagons to be converted. Interestingly, the first group to leave included No. 966201, which had been stored at Stoke since at least 2014. The full list is as follows:
This leaves Nos. 966040/145/61/ 205 (arrived October 29) and 966002/100/244 (arrived November
10) on site at Stoke to be cycled through the programme, although there are longterm stored Nos. 966041/169/210 that also may be included in the project.
WIA five-unit car carrier (UIC code Seefoors) No. 85 70 4971 050-5, which had arrived on October 22 for attention, departed DBC’s workshops at Stoke on November 3. It was replaced by No. 85 70 4971 025-7 on the same day, making its second trip to ‘Marcrofts’ in the last 18 months. On site for just nine days it, too, departed on November 12.
Another FKA ‘Megafret’ has been modified with revised container locating spigots, No. 81 70 4908 009-3 gaining the new FOA TOPS code at the same time.
■ ERMEWA RAIL:
Built at the revitalised former Arbel Fauvet Rail factory in Douai, France, now renamed Millet AFR, the first examples of Ermewa’s new JGA-P (UIC code Uacns) cement tankers are now in the country. GBRf’s No. 66784 did the honours, hauling Nos. 81 70 8729 031-6 to 81 70 8729 041-5 (keeper code GB-ERSA) north from Dollands Moor as the 6B32 12.36 to Wembley Yard (Receptions 1-7) on December 28, 2021.
The new wagons are numbered directly after the previous batch of 30 JGAs (TOPS coded JGA-N), delivered in 2016 and wearing the same plain grey scheme with Tarmac branding, albeit with some small lettering differences. When all 23 tankers from the new batch are delivered the total fleet of this striking design will number 93 wagons, which includes the original 30 JGA-M purchased by Buxton Lime Industries in 2003 (BLI 11701-30). These began to be painted in the attractive white/yellow/green livery of BLI’s owner Tarmac in 2011.
■ FREIGHTLINER:
The final delivery (4Z90) of new Greenbrier-built FFA-G ‘twins’ took place on December 10, 2021, with the arrival of Nos. 81 70 4846 012/021/087/102/113-116/ 119-121/124/125/130/151/152/ 159/160/201/214/217/220/221/ 223-229 (30 in total) at Crewe
Basford Hall. This was the sixth delivery and completes the order of 230 platforms. Eagle-eyed readers will note that this is only the fifth set of new wagons to be recorded in these pages. The ‘missing’ rake moved north from Wembley as a
4Z92 to Basford Hall on September 28 behind Nos. 90008 and 90044 and comprised Nos. 81 70 4846 007/ 010/036/039/040/042/045/ 046/057/062/089/092/109-112/ 142/145/149/150/155/157/
158/ 161/165-167/170/173/ 174/178/ 180/181/184188/194/195.
■ DISPOSALS:
Ron Hull of Rotherham collected MHA No. 394892 and MTAs Nos. 395132/ 206/66 from Oxford Hinksey Yard on November 29, 2021 for scrapping.