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7th December 2009
Two new TOPS codes have been issued in recent months. Code CGA applies to a single HTA bogie coal hopper (310552) fitted with a removable roof for trials on various bulk cargoes. IEA is a recoding for the low-sided bogie opens delivered to Network Rail earlier in the year as IOAs. This is to distinguish them from the high-sided versions, which were also IOAs. The Network Rail tilt-bed track carriers have entered service with TOPS code IFA, while a new batch of bogie bitumen tankers are under construction. Finally, the YKA 'Osprey' conversions are continuing and now number over 100. All of these items have been covered (usually with photographs) in Rail Express magazine. This remains perhaps the best source of (distilled!) wagon information available at present and is recommended reading.

There are several new publications to note. The Ferry Wagons in colour book is now out, as is a book on the Standard Wagon Co (review added here). The second volume of 'Wagon Recognition' is due about now, covering TOPS codes in the Y and Z series (including track machines). Finally, the Barrowmore Model Railway Group have added several more BR diagram books to their website, including 2-axle tank wagons and pre-TOPS revenue wagons.

21st August 2009
Not wagon news as such but a significant development is the availability on-line of several BR wagon diagram books from the early 1980s on the Barrowmore Model Railway Group website. See the Resources/Other websites page for more details.

26th July 2009
Further to the last news item, the batch of Fastline IIA hoppers was changed to be numbered 37 70 6955 201 to 290. The first 20 wagons had the earlier numbers applied but were amended before entering service. Other new wagons are more Plasser and Theurer YDA hopper wagons numbered in the CEPS series as DR92441 to DR92468.

Compared to the situation a few years ago, conversions to existing wagons are quite rare at present. An exception is the modification of elderly Salmon wagons with large stanchions to aid in the loading of track panels. The TOPS code of YKA has been revived for these wagons, and a new 'Fishkind' name of Osprey is applied. A modified wagon is illustrated in the July issue of Rail Express magazine.

31st May 2009
Several new batches of wagons have been delivered over the past couple of months. Network Rail followed the 120 IOA-E box wagons mentioned below with a batch of 55 lower height IOA-F boxes numbered 31 70 5892 001 to 055. Also for Network Rail were the first examples of the tilting twin-sets for carrying points and crossings (numbered 37 70 9378 001 and 002), 50 bogie sleeper wagons (31 70 4629 001 to 050) and four bogie barrier wagons for use with self-discharge ballast hoppers (31 70 9301 001 to 004).

For other operators are two repeat batches of bogie hopper wagons. Fastline are taking 90 more IIA coal carriers (as 37 70 6791 100 to 189) while Mendip Rail has another 20 IIA hoppers, albeit with slight differences for their use carrying sea-dredged sand (37 70 6955 140 to 159). The June 2009 issue of Rail Express magazine has photos of both types, as well as the new IOA-F box wagons.

I seem to have overlooked two types that appeared with old-style domestic numbers. BNFL96901-96906 are impressive-looking nuclear flask carriers running on 8 axles. Built by W H Davis, the batch are destined to lead sheltered lives working between Barrow Docks and Sellafield. Finally, a yellow bogie box wagon appeared as MJA 502201 in 2008. This was thought to be a prototype for the IOA box wagons mentioned in February, although these were of a distinctly different appearance. Curiously, the MJA was deregistered at the end of the year.

The IOA-F wagons mentioned above appear almost identical to MLA wagons delivered in previous years. They are also therefore quite similar to the JNA 'Falcons' and even the MCA/MDA/MOA types. The vagaries of recent TOPS coding (where the code can vary depending on which number series is used) must be a nightmare for operational staff and it seems the work done in 1990 to 'tidy-up' the ranges is being rapidly undone. It also occurs to me that the use of Ixx codes for domestic wagons (as opposed to foreign-registered ones) represents a further inexplicable change of policy.

12th February 2009
The latest batch of wagons to enter service are more Network Rail bogie box wagons, which are apparently coded IOA and have been arriving through the channel tunnel over the past week or so. 120 are on the way, with numbers in the range 31 70 5992 001 to 31 70 5992 120. Livery is yellow with large Network Rail logos.

Also reported is the renumbering of some of the former National Power JMA hoppers (NP19601-19685) as HKAs in the 300601-300685 range. This TOPS code (along with HJA for the former National Power JHA hoppers) was actually allocated back in 2002.

30th January 2009
The February 2009 issue of Rail Express magazine reports that FirstGBRf has ordered a further 89 bogie coal hoppers, to be built in the UK by WH Davis. It also covers the rebranding of EWS as DB Schenker, which will doubtlessly have an impact on the wagon fleet over the coming months.

2nd January 2009
Not much of note recently, although it would appear that the wagons used on the East London Line extension are being roaded back to the national rail network.

Site News
Latest additions and changes to LTSV Wagons

7th December 2009
So much for trying to provide new content at least monthly! The following pages have had updates published today:

23rd August 2009
A new datasheet has been added for the PWA Bogie Fertiliser Vans while updates have been applied to the sheets for PHx bogie hoppers, plus the unfinished sheets for groups PFx, PGx and PXx.

21st August 2009
The wagon diagram books made available by the Barrowmore MRG will provide a lot of information for the reference sections of this website. First results are some small updates to the datasheets for TOPS codes BDx and FEx.

26th July 2009
The following pages have had small updates:
A new profile (covering PFA/KFA bogie container flats) is in preparation.

31st May 2009
Apologies for the lack of updates to this site recently. As well as the usual 'excuses' of work and family commitments, I have recently completed work on my third book (not railway-related). I hope to start work on some new profiles and data sheets (not to mention the couple of pages that are still 'unfinished') very soon. For now, I have updated the number range pages with the recent new wagons.

If anyone has tried to contact me recently (either by e-mail or the feedback pages) and NOT got a reply, it is possible your message did not reach me. It seems that some e-mails are not being delivered at all.

12th February 2009
The reference pages (TOPS codes and number ranges) have been updated with new information (see Wagon News).

30th January 2009
Sorry for the lack of updates recently; I have been very busy in the 'day job'. Added today are some interesting comments on the operational use of Long-Welded Rail trains, provided by Andrew Prime.

2nd January 2009
I have added a profile for the KTA/KQA 'Pocket' Container Wagon type as used by Freightliner.



Page added: 03/01/2010 Spotted an error? Got some additional info?
Please e-mail me at tom (at) ltsv.com
Last edited: 03/01/2010