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<< Profile 10 >> HTA Bogie Coal Hoppers
Build Details: 2001-2004, Thrall, York.
Numbering: 310000-310282 & 310300-311161
Bogies / Suspension: NACO Swing Motion
Dimensions:
Published Drawings:
Areas of operation: East Midlands, Yorkshire, South Wales (?), Scotland.
Main liveries: EWS Maroon and yellow.
Summary: Soon after it was formed, EWS announced it was to buy a large number of new high-capacity wagons. One of the types indentified for replacement was the HAA merry-go-round coal hopper, all of which were between 18 and 36 years old. The design selected became the HTA, and a total of 1144 were built at the reopened York works between 2001 and 2004.

History: NB: This is a brief profile. It will eventually be upgraded to the standard of later profiles, with more detailed information.

The HTA has a simple appearance, with slab-sides and sloping ends reaching down to the headstocks. The solebars, bufferbeams, parts of the end and tops of the hopper sides are yellow, all else being maroon with large EWS lettering amidships. A large hand brake wheel is fitted in a recess in the bodysides, as are the door controls. As built, the wagons carried buckeye couplings only, with no buffers, and could therefore only be hauled by class 66 diesels that had swing-head buckeye couplings fitted. The mounting holes for buffers were clearly visible suggesting that they could be fitted at a later date, and indeed several wagons were renumbered in 2005 due to their buckeye coupling being removed. Whether buffers were fitted is not known but it seems likely.

The original number range was 310000-311161. Wagons with buckeyes removed were renumbered by adding 20000, for example 310191 became 330191.

The precise areas of operation are not currently known although it can be assumed that remaining coal production areas (East Midlands, South Yorkshire) will feature the type. HTAs are also used to transport imported coal, some of these services being long-distance.

During 2009 one HTA (310552) was modified with an opening top cover for trial use carrying various commodities. It was recoded CGA and repainted in the new red livery of DB Schenker but curiously retained its buckeye couplings at each end. In use it therefore required an adaptor wagon, usually one of the BRA covered steel carriers. In January 2010 the CGA was working in sand trains from Middleton Towers.

Queries:

References:

Links: Photos of HTA wagons on Martyn Read's website

Photos of buffer-fitted HTA wagons on Martyn Read's website

Photos of HTA wagons on Andy Jupe's website

Updates: 15/03/2013: Photo links (finally) updated.
16/03/2010: Note about CGA conversion added.
Photos
For more pictures see the Links section at the bottom

HTA 310563 at Doncaster, 14th July 2006.
Martyn Read


Page added: 01/10/2007 Spotted an error? Got some additional info?
Please e-mail me at tom (at) ltsv.com
Last edited: 16/03/2010