IGA flat wagons in the 2000s

[Jim Martin]

Can anyone tell me what traffic flows IGA wagons (the bogie "Cargowaggon" flat wagons) were being used for in the 2005-6 period? I know that some were used in timber traffic by about 2007, but I'm wondering what they were doing before that. Any ideas?

 

Jim

[Fat Controller]

Some were being used to move rail from the steelworks at Scunthorpe to Eastleigh. Others worked from Austria (I believe) to Eastleigh, again with rail; this was mainly S&C components.

[slg]

I remember them being used for Castleton services in the mid 2000's this is what i found on Wikimedia

 

English Welsh and Scottish Railway Limited former British Railways Brush Type 5 Co-Co class 60 diesel-electric locomotive number 60007 of Immingham TMD propels the 06:31 (Additional) Arpley Sidings to Castleton Welded Rail Depot (6X30) formed of 2 loaded YLA wagons and 13 loaded IGA wagons (959 tonne trailing load) onto Number 9 Road of the Corus Northern Service Centre at Castleton East Junction. Friday 2nd June 2006

 

[Jim Martin]

Thank you both for the information. To be honest, I was hoping that they'd have been involved in more "general freight" flows. I have some Minitrix wagons ready to be harvested of their DB-style bogies and I was thinking of building some IGAs; but I don't see how you could model CWR on a layout with 12" curves at each end.

 

A mixed set of IGAs and YLAs carrying rail in 60' lengths would be feasible (I recall around 2004 there was a short-term flow where rail was shipped from Workington to Liverpool by sea, then loaded onto a rake of Mullets and taken somewhere) but I don't know if you could use a wagon with those big racks for conventional rail lengths.

 

The alternative is to build something else altogether: vans or tanks, I suppose, suitable for a WCML Enterprise service.

 

Jim

[West Junction]

My memory for dates is not very good but I'll try and detail the traffic I remember post 2000 towards 2015.

 

Corus hired IGA MK2 wagons for internal GB traffic.

In 2004 there were Loading Patterns for 60' rails on a single IGA & 36m loaded over two wagons.

Corus also had there own loading frames for loading longer lengths over multiple wagons.

73m over four wagons & 216m over eleven. 

Originally these were used for import flows through various Ports to welding depots, Castleton, Workington and Eastleigh, 36 & 73m. 

The three welding depots, Workington, Castleton (both Corus) and Eastleigh Network Rail (originally contractor was Mowlem's).

Home produced rail (Workington) although rolled to a maximum of 72m, could only leave as 36m (geography of site).

Network Rail wanted fewer welds for a standard length of 216m which led to the new plant at Scunthorpe (roll 108m rail) and Workington's closure. Castleton also closed as there was a new welding plant at Scunthorpe.

216m over eleven wagons were used for a time, until falling victim to H&S, for unloading on site by being pulled off the wagons old style.

 

With the drive for 216m rails with only one weld, there were import flows of 108m rails loaded over multiple IGA MK3/4 in frames from Italy and Austria to Network Rail at Eastleigh. 

 

When Scunthorpe opened, 108m rail started moving to Eastleigh on Corus IGA's and Network Rail's stock rail carriers. 

Loading pattern for the now ex Corus IGA's have developed for export flows from Scunthorpe to Ports and through the CT.

 

During HS1 construction 108m rails were imported from Germany to Beech Brook Farm. MK1 IGA's I think. 

Long S&C 43m was also imported from France, loaded over two IGA wagons with frames and an under runner, French 2 axle open with doors removed.

 

While the Wembley - Gremberg wagonload services were running there was also the odd wagon of rail, special rails such as Tram Rail and S&C rails. 

 

I also remember imports of round bar from Dunkirk area, trails of round timber from Germany and IGA's used as runners with a support frame for Plasser MFS wagons from Austria. 

 

There were exports of sheeted steel sections from Teesside to Italy and I've loaded wagons at Bridgewater and Chittening Estate with conductor rail for European U Bahn's, Berlin I think it was.

 

Probably other traffic but that's all I can remember at the moment.

[Dungrange]

I note you refer to Mk 1, 2, 3 and 4.  Were these wagons produced in different batches and are there differences between these.  If so, do you which type the Heljan model represents?

 

I asked a question about these wagons some eight years ago now - how time flies

 

 

[West Junction]

There are differences between the wagons, most would not be easy to visually identify. Dimensions, tare weights and loading limits are slightly different for example. If I remember correctly the MK3 & 4's  were at least marked by the wagon number on the vehicle.

 

Corus just had MK2's to start with, believe they may now use some other MK's as well.

The MK2 are the easiest to identify by looking at the bolsters. You can just see two in your photo, transverse wooden blocks fixed to the wagon deck. The other MK wagons had hinged turn over bolsters, which when not in use were flat to the wagon deck. When in use these often had additional timber fixed on top as they were not very high.  

[Fat Controller]

The 4th variation were considerably longer. The first three types were about 65', the 4th between 75 and 80'. I've built models (long pre-Heljan) of both short and long style; the latter is a hefty-looking bit of kit. I also did a 3.5mm scale model for a colleague, who had been BR's rep in Germany, and then worked for VTG.

I've seen some odd loads on them; the most curious was a British-registered container flat, heading for 'somewhere in Europe'. Currently, a pool of about a dozen work as brake-force wagons on the delivery of new EMUs to the UK; they've had weights secured semi-permanently to the decks.

[Jim Martin]

There's a lot of interesting information here. A loaded CWR train is obviously out of the question, but I'm wondering if two or three empties might look ok.

 

Alternatively, I found a photo online showing a southbound enterprise freight on the WCML with a pair of IGAs loaded with very long (something around 100') steel sections, followed by a pair of YLAs with a similar load. Again, I think that the curves at the end of the layout might make this impractical, but it's worth thinking about.

 

Thanks again to everyone

 

Jim

[Jim Martin]

On 12/06/2020 at 20:44, West Junction said:

Corus also had there own loading frames for loading longer lengths over multiple wagons.

 

Are these the red steel structures bolted to the deck, like Dungrange's picture above?

 

Jim

[West Junction]

17 hours ago, Jim Martin said:

 

Are these the red steel structures bolted to the deck, like Dungrange's picture above?

 

Jim

That's the Corus frames, they just support the rails.

Import flows use plain steel frames which including a clamp frame in the middle of the load.

Edited June 16, 2020 by West Junction

[Jim Martin]

I'm quite warming to the idea of rail carriers. Based on what you wrote earlier, wagons working out of Workington would have operated in pairs, for 36m lengths of rail?

 

I'm also looking at various photos, trying to work out how the frames are positioned on the wagon. Mostly, they seem to be just inboard of the bogies at each end of the wagon; but some have two frames mounted right next to each other at one end of the wagon. I assume that these are the end wagons of a longer set. I've also noticed some wagons equipped with a much larger frame, like this: 

 

 

Jim

[West Junction]

32 minutes ago, Jim Martin said:

I'm quite warming to the idea of rail carriers. Based on what you wrote earlier, wagons working out of Workington would have operated in pairs, for 36m lengths of rail?

 

I'm also looking at various photos, trying to work out how the frames are positioned on the wagon. Mostly, they seem to be just inboard of the bogies at each end of the wagon; but some have two frames mounted right next to each other at one end of the wagon. I assume that these are the end wagons of a longer set. I've also noticed some wagons equipped with a much larger frame, like this: 

 

 

Jim

The larger central frame is the clamping frame. All the other frames on the imports just support the load. Similar to the Plasser LWRT's where the load is centrally clamped and free to move over the other frames/roller banks with the buffer/draw of the wagons.

 

Corus 36m loads didn't use frames, see the previous photo of 60007 at Castleton, two wagons behind loco.

Frame position depends on the actual position of the frames on the wagon for load bearing and length of rail to be moved to ensure correct overhangs.

[Jim Martin]

9 hours ago, West Junction said:

The larger central frame is the clamping frame. All the other frames on the imports just support the load. Similar to the Plasser LWRT's where the load is centrally clamped and free to move over the other frames/roller banks with the buffer/draw of the wagons.

 

Got that, thanks! Am I right that the diagonal struts on the import frames are lighter than those on the Corus frames, or does that vary? 

 

Jim

Edited June 16, 2020 by Jim Martin
To add the quoted extract

[Jim Martin]

Actually, on closer inspection there are quite a few differences between the frames. The Corus type has two transverse sections, while the import frame looks lighter all around and has only one.

 

More study awaits..!

 

Jim

[Jim Martin]

Also, going back to something I referred to earlier, I must have misremembered the flow via Liverpool docks, mustn't I? My recollection was that they were delivered by sea from Workington; but on reflection it seems far more likely that they were imported from <another country> then loaded onto wagons (a set of nine YLAs, as I recall) and taken to Workington for welding into longer lengths.

 

Jim