WAGON REPORT
■ BEACON Rail has taken delivery of 46 ‘Megabox75’ opens from WH Davis, JNA’s Nos. 81 70 5932 105-6 to 150-2. Although largely new, they incorporate bogies and brake components recovered from scrapped Freightliner HHA coal hoppers Nos. 370005 /011/012/019/020/027/034/03 8/046/049/050/055/060/064/0 67/082/085/095/100/101/109/ 116/127/128/ 129/131/135/14 5/148/150/151/161/164/167/1 70/190/197/202/217/220/225/ 229/239/241/244/245.
Other recent deliveries from the Langwith Junction-based firm have included cutdown HYA bogie aggregate hoppers Nos. 371073/077/078, together with FWA ‘Ecofret2’ triple unit flats Nos. 83 70
4520 346-5 to 359-8, Nos. 83 70 4521 109-6 to 115-3 being outers and inners respectively. This leaves only three sets to be delivered to complete the contract.
■ In addition to manufacturing and modification work undertaken at Langwith Junction, the firm also carries out routine fleet maintenance and repair. A major client is Drax Ltd; its fleet of IIA covered-biomass hoppers, Nos. 83 70 0698 0010 to 225-5, being based at the former National Power depot at Ferrybridge.
■ Plasser & Theurer’s latest generation of track machines for the UK market are the ZWA Unimat 09-4x4/4S dynamic tampers. Delivered from 2019-22 to Colas Rail and Swietelsky Babcock Rail, they are integrated twin-section machines. A revised cab design and more streamlined bodywork differentiate them visually from earlier units. In operation, they are said to tamp 40% faster than earlier designs and can process four sleepers at a time. They are Nos. DR 75008-015, and alternate EVN identities are Nos. 99 70 9123 008-3/009-1/010-9/011-7/0125/013-3/014-1/015-8. Recent years have seen a decline in the quantity of tampers in use as older, less efficient, machines have been exported or scrapped, replaced by fewer, larger units.
■ Chinese rolling stock conglomerate CRRC has delivered a fifth new wagon to Eastleigh works, No. BW 007. It is part of a contract for 71 vehicles placed by London Underground in 2017. However, the remainder of the heavily delayed order is now not expected to be delivered until next year.
■ Additionally at Eastleigh, Arlington Fleet Services has refurbished further IPA car transporters for GroupeCat/ STVA, including TALT 8000 sets Nos. 23 87 4375 018-0/0271/046-1/050-3 and TAL 489 set No. 23 87 4392 690-5.
■ Despite the ubiquity of a few standard types, such as the JNA-T box open, there is still room on the modern railway for one-off or ‘oddball’ wagons. Regularly seen at Small Heath on Freightliner Heavy Haul aggregates workings is MJA box wagon No. 502199. It was built in 2006 by WagonySwidnica as a test bed for a new type of German-designed Eisenbahnlaufwerke Halle GmbH (ELH) low track-force bogie. This design was fitted to the fleet of HXA coal hoppers Nos. 370501-719 built in 2006-08. Another small batch of survivors are FZA switch and crossing component carriers Nos. 600500-502, as not every track renewal job requires the use of Network Rail’s fleet of IFA ‘tilt-table’ flats. Runner wagons as operated with these flats are also becoming increasingly rare. Interestingly, in light of current Wascosa funded FEA-W deliveries, No. 600500 was the prototype for a ‘Salmon’ replacement programme in the 1980s that was never carried out. Originally built by BREL Shildon workshops in 1983 and coded YMA, No. DB 996699 was converted into its present form by EWS in 2004.
■ Recent disposals have been OCA opens Nos. 112036/053/394, MHA/MPA* ‘Coalfish’ spoil opens Nos. 39 4032/041/057/151/166/196/ 228*/276*/279*/544/612/87 3/900*; MTA opens Nos. 3950 25/050/055/063/086/095/12 3/141/149/161/173/186/224 ; ZCA’Seahare’ spoil and ballast open No. DC 460460; SPA plate open No. 461057; BZA coil carrier No. 900062; BDA/BEA^ flats Nos. 950450/720/884^, No. 951001^.