Project: Railfreight continues to make progress with its collection
IN THE last issue of Railways Illustrated, we reported on the purchase of OBA Wagon 110443 from East Midlands Railway as part of the Project: Railfreight initiative.
Owner Kieran Fallows explained the background and aims of the project. Growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000 in the East Midlands, he developed an interest in the variety of freight stock, with a particular liking for the Railfreight era and its distinctive appearance.
In 2018 Mr Fallows become a traction and rolling stock technician at Loram in Derby, working on the Network Rail infrastructure monitoring fleet. The depot was home to several redundant items of rolling stock inherited from British Rail. Included among these was internal user VCA van 024988 (200406 in TOPS coding).
When Loram required a flat wagon for transporting bogies and heavier components around the depot, they decided to convert one of the redundant vehicles. The VCA was initially chosen for conversion, as the former coil carrier was already being used to carry coach bogie frames.
Mr Fallows explained: “Upon hearing this news, I was rather dismayed and decided to do some digging into the VCA’S history. Fortunately, it still had its original builders’ plates on either side, which meant I had its original TOPS and builders’ number.
“After some research, I discovered that after BR had removed it from capital stock in the mid-1980s, it had been transferred to BREL’S Derby Works as a stores transfer vehicle between Litchurch Lane, the RTC and Derby Locomotive Works.
“Upon privatisation it was located at the RTC as an internal user and stores vehicle, with no further care given to it. It was also one of the oldest-surviving VCAS still in existence, only just surpassed by 200398, which is preserved on the Avon Valley Railway. “I told Loram I would like to purchase the vehicle and on December 23, 2018, I became the proud owner of VCA 200406 – and promptly realised I didn’t have the first clue what to do with it!” A new home was eventually found for the VCA on the Chasewater Railway and it has since undergone an extensive restoration. At the end of a bodywork overhaul, it was returned to its former Railfreight guise in the attractive red and grey colours of the BR freight operation. Railfreight branding and data panels remain to be fitted, although this is expected to be completed in the near future.
During this restoration, the Project: Railfreight idea was devised and Mr Fallows began a hunt for more suitable wagons from the Railfreight era.
In 2020, and now working for UK Rail Leasing (UKRL) at Leicester, another former Railfreight van was located. Previously owned by the Class 20 Locomotive Group at the Nottingham Heritage Railway, VBA 200631 had been used as a component storage vehicle in the yard. Agreement was reached and the VBA van was purchased, becoming the second vehicle for the project.
Restoration started with support of UKRL. Like the VCA, the VBA van had also suffered structural corrosion at the vehicle ends, and had some minor impact damage on the doors from a previous incident. Major welding repairs were carried out by UKRL’S fabricator, while the braking system was also made operational.
The VBA joined the VCA at Chasewater in March 2021. Mr Fallows said: “Work has steadily progressed on the vehicle, but more pressing projects on the railway have taken priority. Over the coming months the restoration work will be completed and the VBA will also be repainted into Railfreight red and grey livery.”
The third vehicle acquired for Project: Railfreight is OBA 110443, as reported in the last issue of Railways Illustrated. Unlike his other two vehicles, Mr Fallows arranged for the OBA wagon to be moved to Andrew Briddon’s workshops at Darley Dale, on Peak Rail.
Since delivery to Darley Dale, the vehicle has been stripped down for a new wood floor to be fitted and for repairs to the structural steel ends to be carried out.
Eventually, once work has been completed, the OBA will move to Chasewater to join the other two vehicles owned by Mr Fallows. He praised the support he has received from National Wagon Preservation Group members Owen Edwards and William Snook, as well as the team at Chasewater Railway, who have provided a home for the vehicles and assisted with the restoration of the vans to a high quality.
He also expressed his gratitude to Andrew and Peter Briddon for their help in the preservation of the OBA and the initial restoration work, and also the staff at East Midlands Railway, especially head of production James Wale and fleet director Neil Bamford, who co-operated with the preservation of the vehicle.
Railways Illustrated’s editor saw the Chasewater Railway-based vehicles in November at first hand, and the development of a Railfreight-era rake of freight stock is a welcome development that is often overlooked in railway preservation.
This magazine will endeavour to follow the progress of this important project over the coming months and update our readers.