KIA canvas-sided steel carrier Tiphook Rail info

[Newboytothis]

I'm trying to find out more information about the Tiphook Rail canvas sided steel carrying wagons. 

 

I've found 'KIA canvas-sided steel carrier Tiphook Rail. This type of KIA was built by Arbel Fauvet of France in 1987-89.'

 

I've found some photos on Paul Bartletts website saying 'A fleet of UK Registered international coil carrying wagons used by Tiphook Rail. They had steel coil cradles within a Tilt'. Rough time on photos mid to late 1980's when they were in service. I've searched through Google etc and don't seem to be able to find out any more information about them or what locos were used to pull these wagons. 

 

Any further help would be much appreciated.

[black and decker boy]

Like this?

 

https://www.dckits-devideos.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1221

 

 

These popped up in quite a few places in Speedlink workings including Mossend. They appear to have been used on block trains to Boston Docks too.

[Newboytothis]

Yeah, they're the ones.

 

I've seen them in OO in Railfreight Metals and Tiphook made by Lima but they are marked as BHA but on other site are marked as KIA. I'm new to all this so am getting very confused. 

[Fat Controller]

10 hours ago, Newboytothis said:

Yeah, they're the ones.

 

I've seen them in OO in Railfreight Metals and Tiphook made by Lima but they are marked as BHA but on other site are marked as KIA. I'm new to all this so am getting very confused. 

A bit of 'badge engineering' from Lima; the 'BHA' was a wagon of similar design, built for BR. There were others operated by Cargowaggon and Transferry; the former worked on steel traffic between Sheffield and Cardiff, whilst the latter carried aluminium slab from Fort William and Tyneside. The vehicles were multi-purpose, and also transported rolls of paper and fertiliser (both palletised and in 'big bags'

[black and decker boy]

14 hours ago, Newboytothis said:

Yeah, they're the ones.

 

I've seen them in OO in Railfreight Metals and Tiphook made by Lima but they are marked as BHA but on other site are marked as KIA. I'm new to all this so am getting very confused. 

Only 12 were built for Railfreight and given 3 different codes.

 

they were more widespread in Tiphook white or blue and would not look out of place in a mixed freight, Speedlink service. Depending on your chosen year, You can use pretty much any BR diesel or electric up until sectorisation when it would slim down a bit to mainly RfD owned locos - 37s, 47s, 85s, 86s and 90s. Even in early 90s, liveries were a hotch potch mix and ‘borrowing’ of other sectors locos quite frequent.

 

the Lima version isn’t particularly accurate but looks good.

Edited January 21, 2023 by black and decker boy
Quantity corrected

[Mark Saunders]

11 hours ago, black and decker boy said:

Like this?

 

https://www.dckits-devideos.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1221

 

 

These popped up in quite a few places in Speedlink workings including Mossend. They appear to have been used on block trains to Boston Docks too.

 

The Boston Docks ones had curtains branded for Read & Sutcliffe steel coil traffic.

[Fat Controller]

1 minute ago, black and decker boy said:

Only 10 were built for Railfreight and given 3 different codes.

 

they were more widespread in Tiphook white or blue and would not look out of place in a mixed freight, Speedlink service. Depending on your chosen year, You can use pretty much any BR diesel or electric up until sectorisation when it would slim down a bit to mainly RfD owned locos - 37s, 47s, 85s, 86s and 90s. Even in early 90s, liveries were a hotch potch mix and ‘borrowing’ of other sectors locos quite frequent.

 

the Lima version isn’t particularly accurate but looks good.

The problem with the Lima one is that it's to HO scale; the width and height are OK (being a model built to Berne Gauge), but the body is noticeably short. I made some 4mm scale ones by carefully cutting and grafting- they're as long as a Mk3 coach. I also removed the end detail, and replaced it with a mixture of Plastruct and plasticard; the prototype ends are pretty beefy

[Newboytothis]

6 minutes ago, black and decker boy said:

Only 10 were built for Railfreight and given 3 different codes.

 

they were more widespread in Tiphook white or blue and would not look out of place in a mixed freight, Speedlink service. Depending on your chosen year, You can use pretty much any BR diesel or electric up until sectorisation when it would slim down a bit to mainly RfD owned locos - 37s, 47s, 85s, 86s and 90s. Even in early 90s, liveries were a hotch potch mix and ‘borrowing’ of other sectors locos quite frequent.

 

the Lima version isn’t particularly accurate but looks good.

that's exactly what I was looking for. thanks very much.

 

I've managed to aquire a couple of red metal wagons and a few of the white/ blue wagons, I've also got several class 47s of different liveries, I've also got a BR Blue class 37 so all good (for me). 

 

Just out of interest, I've got a couple KIB Tiphook and VTG wagons, and a JSA VTG wagon, would these be in similar era or much later? I'm not too precious about being 100 percent correct? 

 

thanks

[Fat Controller]

3 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

The Boston Docks ones had curtains branded for Read & Sutcliffe steel coil traffic.

Though they turned up at Dover for the train ferry...

[black and decker boy]

1 minute ago, Newboytothis said:

that's exactly what I was looking for. thanks very much.

 

I've managed to aquire a couple of red metal wagons and a few of the white/ blue wagons, I've also got several class 47s of different liveries, I've also got a BR Blue class 37 so all good (for me). 

 

Just out of interest, I've got a couple KIB Tiphook and VTG wagons, and a JSA VTG wagon, would these be in similar era or much later? I'm not too precious about being 100 percent correct? 

 

thanks

The Dapol KIBs are similar era in silver grey, in blue a bit later. Very common on steel flows from and within south wales but did get around a bit.

 

the JSA is a post privatisation creation but really nice wagons (I’ve got some despite being well out if era for me). These worked the same flows as the KIBs and also the EWS BYA Nissan hut wagons.

[Fat Controller]

1 minute ago, Newboytothis said:

that's exactly what I was looking for. thanks very much.

 

I've managed to aquire a couple of red metal wagons and a few of the white/ blue wagons, I've also got several class 47s of different liveries, I've also got a BR Blue class 37 so all good (for me). 

 

Just out of interest, I've got a couple KIB Tiphook and VTG wagons, and a JSA VTG wagon, would these be in similar era or much later? I'm not too precious about being 100 percent correct? 

 

thanks

The VTG-branded KSA are possibly a little recent in that livery. You could have BAA and BBAs, and whatever the ones with cradles are called (BLA?)

[Newboytothis]

Thanks for all the information everyone, very helpful

 

Cheers 

[black and decker boy]

Look for books by Paul Shannon, he’s been doing Railfreight books since the 1980s so will cover your era & location with a great selection of photos and possibly more detail on workings 

Edited January 21, 2023 by black and decker boy
Typo

[TravisM]

As I’m doing the Boston steel train in the present day, I’d certainly be interested in getting some of these if I wanted to backdate my layout.  I tried looking on Paul Bartlett’s site, but couldn’t find any reference to a KIA curtain sided steel carrier 

[Fat Controller]

9 hours ago, jools1959 said:

As I’m doing the Boston steel train in the present day, I’d certainly be interested in getting some of these if I wanted to backdate my layout.  I tried looking on Paul Bartlett’s site, but couldn’t find any reference to a KIA curtain sided steel carrier 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/tiphooksteel should give you what you're looking for.