DEVELOPMENTS

 DB CARGO: Having last visited DBC’s workshops at Stoke-on-Trent in July 2019, WIA five-unit car carrier No. 85 70 4971 026-5 was back in the Potteries on June 15, working inbound from Warrington Arpley with MMA boxes Nos. 81 70 5500 147-0 and 81 70 5500 379-9. It swapped places with No. 85 70 4971 012-5, which had been on site since April 22.

 VTG RAIL: 25 of the 30 JNAs (UIC code Ealnos) which arrived Tonbridge West Yard on May 3, courtesy of a pair of GB Railfreight ‘JBs’, were on the move again on the 13th, Class 69s Nos. 69005 and 69001 leading a 4Z69 09.30 to Acton Lane Reception comprised of Nos. 81 70 5932 461/463/466473/476-490. At their destination they handed the train over to Freightliner’s No. 59203 which took them forward later that day as far as Milton sidings, near the old power station site, at

Didcot. The remaining five wagons, Nos. 81 70 5932 462/464/465/474/475, were all still at Tonbridge as of the end of the third week of June.

Separately, on June 11, GBRf sent No. 66728 to collect the latest batch of JNAs from Dollands Moor, the Class 66/7 being tasked with the 6Z66 03.45 to Eastleigh Yard. Running over an hourand-a-half late by the time it reached South London, the 30 new ‘cops’ were Nos. 81 70 5932 491-520. Despite these working the route usually taken by Network Rail’s new Wascosa-owned fleet, they are liveried in VTG dark blue.

 WASCOSA: The leasing company Wascosa Holding, which has recently been in the news in the UK backing Network Rail’s recent acquisition of 570 infrastructure wagons, has been sold following the approval of the European Commission. Previously family owned since its foundation in 1964, the Lucerne, Switzerland, based lessor manages 15,000 vehicles in 20 countries, and has been purchased by a consortium comprising Swiss

Life Asset Managers and Vauban Infrastructure Partners, for an undisclosed amount. The sale follows the same consortium’s acquisition of an 88% stake in the German rail wagon lessor Aves One last November.

 DISPOSALS: The period under review has seen another large cull of the once ubiquitous MHA ‘Coalfish’ ballast/spoil box wagon. Fifty-six of the former Merry-Go-Round hopper chassis conversions were dispatched for cutting during the end of May and first weeks of June, with Booths and EMR at Attercliffe and Kingsbury all getting in on the act. Also for the chop are a range of classic BR 20ft 9in wheelbase vehicles, including a large contingent of SPAs. The full list of vehicles to make their final journey to the scrapyard are as follows:

CF Booth: ZCA ‘Sea Urchin’ No. 200613, MHA/MPA Nos. 394011/21/ 44/75/76/9/103/16/88/208/73/ 308/82/728/42/57/91/847/922, SPA Nos. 460005/33/55/193/217/ 50/62/95/348/404/25/59/539/79/ 622/43/731/46/85/838/50/91/921, 461016/31, ZCA ‘Seahare’ DC

460460, SKA Nos. 460559, SEA

Nos. 460608/779/93, 461057, BDA Nos. 950450/720, BEA No. 950884, 951001.

EMR Attercliffe: MFA Nos. 391034/288, MHA/MPA Nos. 394003 /13/23/33/47/67/101/5/7/236/42/ 99/302/46/70/66/507/45/56/84/7/ 622/33/83/6/9/94/715/51/67/73/ 944/65, 396031/93.

EMR Kingsbury: OCA Nos. 112061/193, ZCA ‘Sea Urchin’ No. 200744, MHA No. 394930, MTA Nos. 395054/8/77/340, MHA No. 396113.