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Colas run Wolverhampton/Bescot to Boston steel train


TravisM
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I’m recreating the present day Wolverhampton Steel Terminal/Bescot to Boston steel train using a Hornby DBC Class 60 and between 10 - 15 Bachmann BYA’s.  I was wondering if I back dated the train to when Colas ran it with Class 47’s, 56’s or a pair of Class 50’s, does anyone do the IHA covered steel wagons which seem to have been used at the time?

 

 I’m not that bothered if they aren’t but sometimes it’s nice to run something different.

 

Does anyone know when the service started?  Was it within the last 10/20 years or has it been going for a lot longer to say in good old BR days :D?

Edited by jools1959
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I think you will find the Colas train ran from and to Washwood Heath with the import steel being handled on part of the former Metro Cammell site. With Boden Rail remises very adjacent it was easy to supply Boden's class 50s or Colas locos from Maintenance / repairs. 

 

I think Neil Boden moved his operations from Wahwood Heath to Nottingham EastcroftT  around 18 months or more ago, ready for HS2 to absorb the land.

 

IIRC the hooded steel carriers were fairly short and possibly French owned.  here are similar wagons in HO scale on the market, an I think Lima did a 4mm version in Railfreight colours a long time ago, but it was much longer than the vehicles you are looking for. 

 

This handy youtube clip with a brief bit of shunting at the start is your target

 

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59 minutes ago, Covkid said:

I think you will find the Colas train ran from and to Washwood Heath with the import steel being handled on part of the former Metro Cammell site. With Boden Rail remises very adjacent it was easy to supply Boden's class 50s or Colas locos from Maintenance / repairs. 

 

I think Neil Boden moved his operations from Wahwood Heath to Nottingham EastcroftT  around 18 months or more ago, ready for HS2 to absorb the land.

 

IIRC the hooded steel carriers were fairly short and possibly French owned.  here are similar wagons in HO scale on the market, an I think Lima did a 4mm version in Railfreight colours a long time ago, but it was much longer than the vehicles you are looking for. 

 

This handy youtube clip with a brief bit of shunting at the start is your target

 


Thanks for the info and to be honest, I didn’t think they were available rtr.  Nice to see 50017 rumbling along as it was me that was instrumental in getting her preserved.  I was outbid when BR put her out to tender but on reflection, buying it was the easy and cheapest part because it’s a money pit after that :wacko::wacko::wacko:

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5 hours ago, jools1959 said:


Thanks for the info and to be honest, I didn’t think they were available rtr.  Nice to see 50017 rumbling along as it was me that was instrumental in getting her preserved.  I was outbid when BR put her out to tender but on reflection, buying it was the easy and cheapest part because it’s a money pit after that :wacko::wacko::wacko:

 

I think you had a lucky escape then. Maintaining a fifty or sixty year old diesel loco has to be a huge money sink. I work with one of the guys who has been into them since St Leonards and I feel your preservation pain. It is really quite strange how (what I call Stork) moments come along and items are saved.  Doesnt always happen, as we know with 50043, but at least those few scrappers donate vital organs to keep the rest going.

 

Going back to those bogie hoods I imagine the fabric covers could be reproduced as a 3D print, generic modern kit built bogies, buffers etcin a batch build.  I imagine there woulsd be group interest if you were to go down that route.  Maybe set up an FB group, or a group on RMWeb ?

 

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Colas took over around 2008, initially there were 56s on it, this one was a diversion via Lincoln, Christmas Market 2008 Friday working.

 

56312.JPG.46139bbafb961e290135633cbf105c1f.JPG

 

Then sister loco 56311 through Sleaford in May 2009, by now wearing Colas logos.

 

56311_1e.JPG.4a88bc2ceb3671fc482c57852179cb9e.JPG

 

And then 56303 joined in August 2009, in plain green before gaining any branding.

 

56303_6.JPG.60b7dc94ed4377f020fe0ed3263abcd3.JPG

 

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2010 also brought the 66s into play.

 

66842e.JPG.2aca6ee302851fb91fdf3759614f5b3b.JPG

 

And these were the wagons that were in use then. They display FFW as though that was a TOPS code, I say that because it is uppercase and is then followed by what appears to lmmns which is a euro code.

 

P1050666.JPG.5f7006615dacb16ca6731354ad9635df.JPG

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FFW is probably 'France Wagon', one of SNCF's many wagon hiring/leasing subsidiaries. I have done a few of these using the hoods from the Lima wagon variously marketed as a Tiphook or Railfreight Metals wagon, cut to length. Two donors give enough hoods for three wagons. Chassis and ends were fairly easily modelled in plastic card, the 'fishbelly' underframe being a simple fabrication job. The trickiest bits are the tensioning hooks at the outer ends of the sides, and the end platform and associated handrails.

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