Wagon News
New deliveries
Direct Rail Services has taken delivery of 25 newly-constructed JNA-Z bogie box wagons, which will be used on aggregates traffic associated with nuclear operations, particularly delivering spoil to Drigg to cover over the low-level waste storage vaults. Built by WH Davis, the wagons are leased from VTG and largely identical in design to the boxes previously built for Land Recovery. On March 20, 66427 and 66126 top-and-tailed 81 70 5932 812-836 from Shirebrook to Sellafield before the same locomotives transferred 81 70 5932 821/824/826/829/833 to Kingmoor the following day.
Tube barriers
A dozen more of the Dutch-registered IWA wagons of the same type used by Colas Rail on timber traffic arrived through the Channel Tunnel on April 3, having been extracted from store in Europe. However, the new arrivals are destined to be used as barrier wagons for deliveries of the new Siemensbuilt London Underground stock for the Piccadilly line. The wagons were initially hauled to Doncaster by 66727 on the same day, before 66748 transferred 83 84 3523 002/003/005/006/ 008/010/012/015/016/020/021/050 to WH Davis at Shirebrook on April 5 for modifications.
Steel rebuilds
Work has begun at DB’S Stoke wagon works on further conversions of covered BYA steel wagons into open slab carriers. The work entails the removal of the hood and ends and alterations to the deck, along with a repaint in DB red. First to be released on April 8 was 966039, with 966133/191 and 966206 following a week later and a further 14 wagons undergoing modifications.
Hawk conversions
The number of JNA Hawk conversions being carried out by Loram for Network Rail has now exceeded 250, with MRA donors continuing to arrive at Derby for rebuilding into ballast box wagons. On March 26, 37418 headed for Toton with 81 70 5831 239 to 250 inclusive, as well as 81 70 5831 176, which had previously returned to Loram for rectification. A much shorter trip to Chaddesden Sidings on April 5 saw the Type 3 deposit 81 70 5831 251 to 254. The locomotive then ran to Toton to return with MRAS 501309/29/65-67. On April 18, Colas Rail’s 37057 was in charge of the trips for a change, first taking 81 70 5831 255-259 to Toton and returning with 501311/331/371-373.
Blyth storage
GB Railfreight has placed a number of wagons into further store at the unlikely location of North Blyth, April 15 seeing 66773 and 66711 top-andtail the long rake north from Doncaster Hexthorpe, having previously been at March. The most surprising inclusion were former Metronet HQA autoballasters 380701 to 380710, the 10 hoppers having been little used in recent years as they are not owned by Network Rail. The rest of the working featured 20 surplus KFA container flats in the form of RLS92544/548/556/558, RLS92627/628/640, TIPH93304/ 316/332/343/344/378/387/395 and TIPH93405/424/429/430/466.
Latest disposals
The review period saw DB Cargo dispatch another seven trains of wagons to assorted scrapyards, such as on March 27 when 66199 made the short journey from Alexandra Dock Junction to Sims, Newport Docks with BAA 900150/198, BBA 910395, MTA 395065/079/148/338 and SPA 460373/587/797 and 461015. Booth’s received two rakes of BZA steel wagons from Milford Sidings on March 26 and April 2, encompassing 900001/002/012/039/048/069/086/ 087/097, 900106/116/123, 900202/ 223/229/233/238/267/270/290, as well as BTA 950187. A delivery to Sims, Newport by road on March 27 was prototype CGA biomass conversion 310604, this having resided at Stoke for a number of years.
EMR’S Attercliffe yard also took in steel wagons from Milford on April 9, 66086 delivering BAA 900026/126/154 and BBA 910050/108/161/173/336/ 365/405/564, while five days earlier, four HTA coal hoppers, 310495 and 311083/102/130, had arrived from Doncaster behind 66188. A dozen HTAS were also delivered to EMR, Kingsbury from Newport on April 16 in the form of 310345/358/581/ 627/641/710/888/890/892/976 and 311028/081. Back on April 9, a more diverse selection had been shunted into Kingsbury by 66056, it arriving from Bescot with MFA 391249/386/442, MHA 394181, MPA 394691, MXA Lobster 950727 and 951186, OBA 110229/363, OCA 112017/058/065/105 and YSA/YWA Salmons DB996491/954/967.