Wagon Report
PRIVATE owner wagon fleets are now, somewhat ironically, mostly owned and operated by government agencies. They include the Ministry of Defence, Army (MODA), British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) and Network Rail (NLU/NR). Most major private firms tend to focus on their core activities, and therefore rely on freight operators to supply the stock. There are also others that hire wagons from leasing companies such as Beacon Rail, Touax and VTG Rail UK.
Looking back half a century to 1974, the private-owner fleet totalled more than
18,000 wagons compared with just over 3000 today. One significant development was the passing of the Transport
Act 1974, which for the first time provided state support for railfreight in the form of Section 8 Grants. For the next 25 years, these grants were to be a major influence on the procurement of new wagons, the installation of private sidings, silos and hopper discharge equipment.
Large orders were placed with private builders for new stock – but also benefiting were BREL Works, such as Doncaster (which built the PCA cement tanks for Blue Circle and Tiger Leasing Group); Ashford (which constructed covered limestone hoppers for British Steel); Glasgow and Shildon (which outshopped aggregate hoppers for Tilling Construction and ironstone tipplers for British Steel, Scunthorpe).
Leasing companies gained a renewed importance during this period, as British Rail built new wagons only for coal, general merchandise and steel traffic. However, private-owner stock from this era is still active today, albeit usually heavily rebuilt. This includes JNA bogie aggregate/scrap opens and JSA open steel coil carriers.
LORAM UK has completed more than 80% of the contract to produce JNA-Y ‘Hawk’ gondola ballast opens for Network Rail. The latest conversions released from Derby RTC workshops are
Nos. 81705831199-1 to 81705831224-7. Conversely, more MRA side-tipper wagons now delisted from rolling stock records are Nos. 501003/062/ 124/132/138/301/ 307/321/327/341-343/359-361.
NEW to stock is Plasser & Theurer 09-4x4/4s Dynamic Tamper No. DR 75016 (alternative EVN No. 99 70 9123 016-6). This new-generation machine owned by Colas
Rail UK can tamp plain line, switches and crossings, and also features an onboard dynamic track stabilisation function.
OFF-lease VTG Rail UK open box wagons earmarked for delivery to dismantlers’ yards are: JXA scrap carriers Nos.
VTG 3145/146; JNA aggregate opens Nos. VTG 3162/166/168; KEA concrete segment opens Nos. VTG 3194/199/200/210 /211/214/216/225/245; JNA aggregate opens Nos. VTG 3259/404-406/408/410/411/ 414/415/419/421-425/428/ 430/431/437/439/443445/ 447/448/450/452457/459/461-464/466/ 467/469/ 472/474/477/ 484/489/490/498/513-515.
PRIVATE owner disposals by Touax at EMR Liverpool have been: TDA bogie petroleum tanks Nos. TIPH 78204/207/213/ 220/221/226/ 231/237/243/247/258260/262.
DB Cargo UK wagons conveyed to scrapyards have been CDA china clay hoppers Nos. 375019/054/072/076078/082/094/095/108/114; MEA box opens Nos. 391120/ 147/208/254/281/286/365/376 /394/468/491/499/543/548/ 560/576/582/612/641/672/675/ 693; BAA/BCA/BZA 40ft steel flats Nos. 900005/016/ 021/024/030/046/053/075/ 085/102/109/113/114/132/ 134/138/148/163/173/186/221/ 258/266/283/305; BLA
50ft steel coil carriers Nos. 910025/035/202/230/259/309/ 444/481/566; BDA/BEA bogie bolster flats Nos. 950002/ 010/026/204/232/260/287/ 342/403/473/517/549/568/576/ 673/783/796/888/932/963/968 and Nos. 951022/029/032/066/ 133/137/188/192/246.