Jump to content
 

Unusual Container Wagons at Elgin


lather
 Share

Recommended Posts

On the Class 47s in Scotland page at the Leighton Lists website (https://leightonlists.com/class-47s-in-scotland/), there's a picture featuring some container wagons that has me a little puzzled.

 

Near the bottom of the page, there's a picture captioned "47274 at a still busy Elgin yard on September 1st 1983, a Tony Ewer photo". On the left of the image, there's some container wagons, which don't look like the usual FFA/FGA type or similar. The containers themselves also look a little unusual.

 

In comparison with the length of the loco and the photos on Paul Bartlett's site, the wagons look more like the 30ft FBB type, which would make sense for Elgin as they weren't strangers there. The real puzzle are the containers, which look to be painted bauxite or similar, with the arrows of indecision at one end. There's also what looks like a set of side doors in addition to the normal end doors - but possibly only on one side as the second container is facing the opposite way and there's no side doors visible.

 

Anyone know anything about this wagon/container combo?

Link to post
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, lather said:

On the Class 47s in Scotland page at the Leighton Lists website (https://leightonlists.com/class-47s-in-scotland/), there's a picture featuring some container wagons that has me a little puzzled.

 

Near the bottom of the page, there's a picture captioned "47274 at a still busy Elgin yard on September 1st 1983, a Tony Ewer photo". On the left of the image, there's some container wagons, which don't look like the usual FFA/FGA type or similar. The containers themselves also look a little unusual.

 

In comparison with the length of the loco and the photos on Paul Bartlett's site, the wagons look more like the 30ft FBB type, which would make sense for Elgin as they weren't strangers there. The real puzzle are the containers, which look to be painted bauxite or similar, with the arrows of indecision at one end. There's also what looks like a set of side doors in addition to the normal end doors - but possibly only on one side as the second container is facing the opposite way and there's no side doors visible.

 

Anyone know anything about this wagon/container combo?

The containers look like one of the types that preceded the Freightliner service; originally running on the 'Condor' and other Speedfreight services. I believe the longest ones were 27' long, due to restrictions on tractor and trailer lengths. There is a a photo of a similar style of box in 'Freightliner- life and times'. I'm not sure, but I suspect the underframes were converted from 'Tube' wagons

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium
3 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

Not the best of photos - but  at least one of those boxes was still at Elgin eighteen months later : -

 

126_26.jpg.b34264a06ef5e0a02d52ae396925d034.jpg

Elgin : 27/3/85

 

.... it's difficult to make out - but the shape of the wagon frame suggests they're something like Conflat P ?

 

Post 'CONDOR', some the CONFLATs P were converted to carry ISO containers.

 

CJI.

Edited by cctransuk
Link to post
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

MoD containers?

They might have been conveying MoD stores, but the MoD usually use debranded ISO boxes or special munitions-carrying ones which have number of full-height, but narrow, hinged doors, covering the whole side. The other main source of traffic at Elgin was Chivas Regal, conveyed in (non-ISO) tank containers,

Link to post
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

Not the best of photos - but  at least one of those boxes was still at Elgin eighteen months later : -

 

 

Elgin : 27/3/85

 

.... it's difficult to make out - but the shape of the wagon frame suggests they're something like Conflat P ?

 

I believe that the OP has the correct identification, an FBB. 

 

Here's a lightened extract of the most recent photo in this thread.  The floor is lower than the top of the bufferbeam and you can see "stuff" between the axles that is very similar to that found on the 20' 9" chassis used under air braked vans.

 

image.png.e03888c6da376c4e035bfe6d626e3c95.png

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/freightliner4wheel

 

But I could be wrong.

 

 

  • Agree 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

The container appears to be CL

I found one, I know nothing about them - they weren't the CA 27ft Speedfreight. [ https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/speedfreight/e67e0ad67 ]

 

This is a CL dumped at Dundee in 1989.

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfreightlinercontainer/e4a4966c

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfreightlinercontainer/e1c9b5aaf

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfreightlinercontainer/e1cc1be58

 

I do believe they were used for the bonded whisky traffic. 

 

Paul

PS agreed, they are FBB which were used for the whisky tanks. Lovely drawing in a Modern Railways when they were new. 

PPS  Lot more of interest in that photo - the Whisky grain covhops https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brtgraincovhop and the loco is on a rake of skates https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brskate

 

 

 

Edited by hmrspaul
  • Like 1
  • Informative/Useful 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, hmrspaul said:

The container appears to be CL

I found one, I know nothing about them - they weren't the CA 27ft Speedfreight. [ https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/speedfreight/e67e0ad67 ]

 

This is a CL dumped at Dundee in 1989.

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfreightlinercontainer/e4a4966c

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfreightlinercontainer/e1c9b5aaf

https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brfreightlinercontainer/e1cc1be58

 

I do believe they were used for the bonded whisky traffic. 

 

Paul

PS agreed, they are FBB which were used for the whisky tanks. Lovely drawing in a Modern Railways when they were new. 

PPS  Lot more of interest in that photo - the Whisky grain covhops https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brtgraincovhop and the loco is on a rake of skates https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brskate

 

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...