RIV Tiphook Telescopic Wagons

[TravisM]

I was looking at Dapol’s Bogie Tiphook Telescopic Wagon and I’m trying to find out more about them.  I tried Google and all the other places for information but all I got was who’s got them on eBay.
 

I noticed that they have RIV markings as well as the channel tunnel “CT” but no TOPS codes.  Are they still in service and what we’re their usual diagrams?

 

Any help would be great.

[Steadfast]

No longer in service, I think it was around 10 years ago they got withdrawn. 

In their latter years, TOPS coded IHA or KIA depending on whether international or UK registered.

They were used intermixed with EWS BYAs, VTG JSAs and the grey canvas hooded IHAs on domestic steel trains. Stick things like Llanwern 2009 for example into Flickr and you should get them appearing in trains.

Prime example from that search:

Image caption on Flickr says Margam - Llanwern. Good mix of covered and open coil carriers on show.

The usual wagon picture sites have pics of them, so you should be able to see what they're coupled to

 

Jo

 

Edited June 9, 2020 by Steadfast

[Fat Controller]

I have a soft spot for these wagons, having written an article on modelling them in Railway Modeller when they first appeared. They only carried UIC markings, and never TOPS coding. There were two basic types, though they could only be differentiated with canopies open.

The first design had folding covers over the coil wells, allowing products such as slab to be carried. I believe some were used for lead slab traffic.

The second design had open wells, and could only be used for coil.

I don't know why they fell from favour; perhaps difficulties in opening the canopies? I know that SNCF replaced the canopies on many of their wagons of this style with flexible plastic hoods. 

[hmrspaul]

Presumably it is the KIB that are wanted https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ferryvtgcoil

 

They would be 40 years old, perhaps a hint as to why they have gone!

 

Paul