DEVELOPMENTS

■ COLAS RAIL: A partnership between Euroforest, Network Rail and Colas has seen a timber trial operate from Hackney Yard, Newton Abbot, to Abergavenny, for onward movement by road for the final 12 miles to Pontrilas Sawmills, just on the English side of the border with Wales. The diagram utilised eight of the 10 KSA log carriers, notably rebuilt by EG Steele, Hamilton, from former Rover ‘cube’ wagons in 2011, and all only recently brought out of store in December after almost 20 months out of action. Nos. 33 70 4739 010/026/065/072/074/076/078/079 were collected from Baglan Bay on January 17 by No. 70803 (4Z60) for loading at Hackney Yard, before delivering their 400 tonne haul of roundwood timber to their South Wales destination for unloading two days later (6Z61 on the 19th). This was the first timber working to Pontrilas Sawmills since 2004, when EWS handled the working using two-axle OTA wagons, and the first loaded train along the Dawlish sea wall since 2015.

■ LORAM RAIL: A third set of Network Rail MRA side-tipping wagons has moved to the Derby RTC site for modification with static ballast boxes. ROG’s No. 37510 did the honours, delivering Nos. 501046 (generator), 501256-8 (inners) and 501106 (outer) as a 6Z37 13.05 from Doncaster Wood Yard on March 18.

■ NETWORK RAIL: Another 20 FEA-W (UIC code Sgnss) flats arrived in the UK during March, Nos. 81 70 4524 031/041/067/086-102 – none of which were fitted with modules – making their way through the Channel Tunnel in the first week of the month. As with the previous deliveries, they were quickly dispatched to Eastleigh Yard for commissioning and inspection. No. 66746 performed this duty, working them west on March 8 from Dollands Moor under a 6Z66 headcode.

■ DISPOSALS: Another 30-plus two-axle ballast/spoil wagons were sent for cutting during March, EMR Attercliffe taking in two batches of vehicles. On March 2, MHA/MPA Nos. 394406/537/671/886/904/968 and 396025/7/8/36/58/61/8/80/4/91 arrived from Toton, while one week later on the 9th it was the turn of MFA Nos. 391246/303/46/80/530 and MHA/MPA Nos. 394123/8/264/349/ 61/75/577/727/819/926 and 396152 to make their final moves from Crewe Basford Hall.

Also there was further scrapping at Toton Yard, with Ron Hull Jr removing and breaking up OBA

Nos. 110060/123/42/325/412/ 41/53/574/733/73, OCA No.

112114, MFA No. 391482, MHA/MPA Nos.394503/702/16/20/32/805/51 and 396056, MTA Nos. 395021/52/7/ 64/87/100/3/144/145/60/3/9/82/ 96/210/29, YLA Mullet Nos. DC 967629/36 and YMA Salmon Nos. 996460/649. This took place in December 2021.