Far North Line container wagons

[lather]

Does anyone have any definitively accurate dates for the dates that the FGB/FJB double-ended Freightliner flats were used on the Far North Line?

 

All of the sources I've found say they were only used in the 1980s, but the first wagon (B601999) was built as a double-ender in 1966, reportedly for the Far North services. Two FGAs were converted to double-enders in 1977 (602331 and 602206, re-numbered as 601997 and 601998 respectively) and sent to join the first wagon. Then, in 1980, FFA 602548, rebuilt as a double-ender in 1976 for the Research Department, was re-numbered as 601996 and also allocated to Scottish traffic.

 

All of this would appear to suggest that the services started sometime around the late 1960s, but the only references from photos and personal recollections are all around the early 1980s. So does anyone have any reliable evidence of them running on the line in the late 1960s or 1970s? And also a firm date for when they stopped being used?

[Waveydavey]

A very timely question as I have a single Triang container wagon in my stash of possible future projects. I keep thinking a conversion to one of the single wagons is the only way I'll ever use it. How I'll justify it passing through Alloa in 1975 is going to be the difficult bit.

[Fat Controller]

2 hours ago, Waveydavey said:

A very timely question as I have a single Triang container wagon in my stash of possible future projects. I keep thinking a conversion to one of the single wagons is the only way I'll ever use it. How I'll justify it passing through Alloa in 1975 is going to be the difficult bit.

Whisky from the Highlands going to blending plants in the Glasgow area?

[russ p]

Weren't they fitted with through vacuum and steam pipes?

[Fat Controller]

23 minutes ago, russ p said:

Weren't they fitted with through vacuum and steam pipes?

The initial ones had through vac pipes; the later ones were intended to be attached to passenger trains to the Far North, so had steam pipes fitted as well.  I think the original ones were intended to work from Elgin with tank containers of whisky for blending. There's a photo of one, carrying two 'Chivas Regal' tanks, on p 53 of 'BR Air-Braked Wagons-in colour' by David Ratcliffe

[Mol_PMB]

There are three photos showing the first one of these wagons B601999 in Paul Bartlett's collection here:

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brfreightliner

They are undated but I'd guess 1969-1970. These photos were taken in Liverpool loaded with 'Seawheel' ISO containers, along with some 'Conflat ISO' (vacuum braked ex lowmac) wagons, suggesting that the first wagon was not initially built for or used on Scottish services.

I'm now wondering whether I can justify this wagon in Manchester docks! (where the 'Conflat ISO' wagons certainly worked around this time).

 

There is some more information on the double-ended freightliner wagons here, including the later conversions to provide more wagons for Scottish traffic (two more in 1977 and one in 1980):

https://www.ltsv.com/rd/profile_detail.php?id=18

 

Hope that helps.

Mol

[hmrspaul]

3 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

There are three photos showing the first one of these wagons B601999 in Paul Bartlett's collection here:

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brfreightliner

They are undated but I'd guess 1969-1970. These photos were taken in Liverpool loaded with 'Seawheel' ISO containers, along with some 'Conflat ISO' (vacuum braked ex lowmac) wagons, suggesting that the first wagon was not initially built for or used on Scottish services.

 

 

There is some more information on the double-ended freightliner wagons here, including the later conversions to provide more wagons for Scottish traffic (two more in 1977 and one in 1980):

https://www.ltsv.com/rd/profile_detail.php?id=18

 

Hope that helps.

Mol

 

I think they are earlier than you suggest - a display of what could be coming to the railways in association with Seawheel whom I believe were the first to send ISO containers across the Atlantic. There are conference papers discussing these developments. 601999 was the first of these single container flats and Roger Silsbury has it built 10.1966 and I suspect the photo is soon afterwards - it may even have been intended as a demonstrator vehicle initially, but that is pure guesswork. 

 

Paul

[lather]

Since I wrote my original post, some other info has emerged in the form of a picture in a magazine. The August/September 2021 issue of MLIPlus had a feature on the BRCW Type 2s on Scottish freight services. On page 52 is a picture dated May 7th 1971, taken near Larbert Junction, of Class 26/1 number 5335 hauling a 'down' service northwards. While you can't make out the whole of the consist of the train, here's what is identifiable:

 

Conflat A with Type B "Door to door" container / 2 x Vanfit / Vanwide / 2 x COV AB / 2 x Conflat A with Type B container / 2 x unidentified tank wagons (possibly class A petroleum) / 2 x 65ft container flats each with 2 x 20ft Freightliner containers / unidentifiable number of fitted 10ft w/b vans

 

The train is running with a Class 6 headcode displayed on the disks, which means a fully-fitted express freight service. So this would indicate (assuming a correctly-displayed headcode), that the COV AB must be VABs, and the freightliner flats must be through-piped ones, which according to later TOPS codes can only be the FGBs or FJBs.

 

So this picture would seem to indicate that there were definitely two wagons in service by May 1971.