KMA ( ex PXX) Hot core wagon MODA 95780

[SED Freightman]

I cannot recall the timings for inward workings to Chatham, but latterly in the 1980's outbound loaded workings left the Dockyard in the afternoon, then spent the evening rush hour in Gilligham Down Sdgs before departing as 8Xxx (35mph) later in the evening, generally to Cricklewood Brent Sdgs where the LM took over.

 

I did have the pleasure of travelling on the train up the Branch to Gillingham one afternoon, as I was keen to see the operation that I had been involved in arranging. Having been collected, along with Norman (Ron) Aylen, SED Loads Insp & Ted Funnell, SR Gauging Engineer, by an MoD car from Gillingham (or possibly Chatham), we were taken into the Dockyard and deposited at the Exchange Sdgs.  The BR loco and escort coaches were already present and after a while what seemed to be an immaculate but tiny 0-4-0 diesel appeared with MODA 97580.  After a bit of shunting to marshall the coaches either side of the wagon, detailed measurements were taken to ensure the flask was correctly positioned and secured. Once all was confirmed to be OK, we set off up the Branch to Gillingham, where a mainline shunt was needed to access the Down Sdgs. After running round, further checks on the load were carried out to ensure everything was still secure and correctly positioned, ready for the evening departure.

 

It is interesting to learn that Peaks had previously worked through to Gillingham on these wokings, presumably the SED provided motive power conductors and guards.

Edited February 29 by SED Freightman
add missing word

[pb_devon]

22 hours ago, Fredo said:

Reading back through the thread it seems we don’t know what finally happened to the wagon, is that correct? 

I have a note that it was seen in Booths scrapyard in August 2007.

[The Angry Scotsman]

I think this has been modelled for a friend some years ago.  As far as I am aware they had access to the diagrams and a wealth of photographs.

 

[Fredo]

Thanks pb_devon.

[C126]

Sorry to be so late in posting this, but there are another couple of photographs published:

 

Marsden, Colin J., Rolling stock recognition : 2 : BR and private owner wagons, Shepperton : Ian Allan, 1984.  p.113.  "... photographed passing Plymouth station during August 1978." (by Les Bartram).  This shows it without the radio-line 'prongs' and un-loaded, and Marsden classes it as "PXV".

 

Another was the header to an article in a mid-1980's C.N.D. magazine (Campaign  ?  Sanity  ?) titled, "A load on my mind [by?] Ray Buckton, General Secretary of ASLEF".*  The photograph caption reads, "What this monster is no one will officially say.  But it went right through the middle of Leeds" [presumably to have its escort coaches' gas-bottles changed. 🙂 ]  I tore the top out for the photo and did not keep the whole page.  This shows it with 'prongs' and loaded.

 

I will try and track down the C.N.D. mag details and keep you posted.

 

* Bib. details found : Sanity : voice of CND, 1982, October, p.33.

 

Edited March 15 by C126
Bib. details located.

[eastwestdivide]

And here's the photo promised earlier. Doncaster works, 1984. Shadows lightened to bring up some of the detail, and a crop of the nearer end showing a vacuum pipe:

 

 

 

 

[C126]

Weeding my 'model railways' box-file to-day, I found a few cuttings that might be of subsidiary interest to builders of this wagon:

 

Model Rail, January 2001 - 'Truly exceptional : modelling Britain's biggest rail loads', Harold Smith.  Describes building various wagons and loads, including Transformer B901801 from Triang R242 Weltrol bogies and the body from styrene sheet.

 

Railway Modeller, August 1997 - p.355.  Infuriatingly, I do not have the rest of the article, only this page (last), showing a model of a Transformer wagon, sides built around a styrene sheet sandwich of 2mm. aluminium sheet.

 

Daily Telegraph, n.d. [1984?] - 'Gun-guard' claim for Navy A-waste on secret train, David Graves.  2x9 col. inch article responding to a Friends of the Earth news report, that, "... based its claim on leaked confidential British Rail documents.  The documents, handed to the group's Avon branch consisted of a route map, emergency procedures in case of an accident, and a list of hospitals along the route able to cope with radiation cases."  I will try and find the date of this, but am off work at the moment.

 

Railway Magazine, September 1996, p.43 - letter from reader asking for identification of "EMU type unit" PPX99151.  The editor explains it is an escort vehicle, with 99150.

 

Railway Magazine, October 1995, p.77 - picture of support coach 99153 by Colin J. Marsden, caption, "... unable to obtain authorisation for operation on Railtrack.  Together with sister vehicle No. 99152 ... both are now at ABB Crewe awaiting attention."

 

Hope this is of interest, at least with the Transformer wagon models' building techniques being of assistance to future modellers.

 

 

[eastwestdivide]

10 minutes ago, C126 said:

asking for identification of "EMU type unit" PPX99151

For clarity, PPX = the TOPS code for escort coach, dual braked (rather than the prefix to the number)

Edited March 11 by eastwestdivide

[lather]

I've always loved this wagon, but there's one thing I've never seen - Does anyone know of any pictures of it on the road bogies? It was, after all, a "road-railer". I know there's been mention of the rail bogies being parked under the canopy at Wick station while the rest of the wagon was off at HMS Vulcan, but actual photos, or even drawings, of the road bogies seem to be non-existent. 

[SED Freightman]

4 hours ago, lather said:

I've always loved this wagon, but there's one thing I've never seen - Does anyone know of any pictures of it on the road bogies? It was, after all, a "road-railer". I know there's been mention of the rail bogies being parked under the canopy at Wick station while the rest of the wagon was off at HMS Vulcan, but actual photos, or even drawings, of the road bogies seem to be non-existent. 

I suspect that BR, with perhaps the exception of the Scottish Region, may not have had any drawings or diagrams for the road bogies as they were presumably owned by the MoD and did not operate on the railway.  It would certainly be interesting to see a photo of the wagon in road mode along with whatever tractor unit/s were used to move it.

[kevsmiththai]

The road bogie adapter information would almst certainly have rested with the MOD

 

I used to have access to the Rolls Royce drawings for the road bogies for the KUAs Moda 95770 and 95771 plus the working instructions on how to do the swap. Sadly, on retirement I had to officially hand the manuals and CD-Rom to my successsor and notify the M.O.D of the change.

 

I wouldn't have dared copy them for 'Personal use'

 

The basic idea was the main structure was lifted off the Span bolster and pair of bogies at either end and the road bogies rolled underneath in their place. Somehow the air brake system on the wagon worked with the air brakes on the road bogies. probably operating in Pass mode rather than Goods mode

 

I did suggest at one stage that we ought to do an exercise to test if it would work in practice but there was some confusion on where the road bogies were. It appeared they were at Dounreay but nobody at Sellafield was quite sure ( and someone else at SL said they were at Chapelcross which made no sense at all!)

 

Shame, as Revolution could have done the road bogies as a limited edition!

 

 

Kev

[pb_devon]

I have seen the drawing of the road bogies, which was in a MoD document on the wagon. I speculate that this may no longer exist since the wagon is long gone and the document would have been withdrawn and shredded. 

Unless some enthusiast type quietly kept a copy!

[PerthBox]

How many wheels did the road bogies have, out of interest?

[Mark Saunders]

17 hours ago, lather said:

I've always loved this wagon, but there's one thing I've never seen - Does anyone know of any pictures of it on the road bogies? It was, after all, a "road-railer". I know there's been mention of the rail bogies being parked under the canopy at Wick station while the rest of the wagon was off at HMS Vulcan, but actual photos, or even drawings, of the road bogies seem to be non-existent. 

 

Teesside Archives have official Head Wrightson photographs of this including the road bogies.

[C126]

Could a few sketches from memory be done, to illustrate the general arrangement and procedure, without breaching secrecy of a now extinct wagon?

 

 

[Michael Hodgson]

12 hours ago, kevsmiththai said:

I did suggest at one stage that we ought to do an exercise to test if it would work in practice but there was some confusion on where the road bogies were. It appeared they were at Dounreay but nobody at Sellafield was quite sure ( and someone else at SL said they were at Chapelcross which made no sense at all!)

 

 

Chapelcross may conceivably have had a use for road bogies ...

 

I must be one of the few people who can claim to have walked across the Magnox reactor pile at Chapelcross, while my dad was working there during its construction and for a short while after commisioning.  Spent fuel rods needed to be transported to Windscale Works (as the former ROF Sellafield had by then renamed) for reprocessing, and my father wanted to use what was left of the Scottish side of the long abandoned Solway Viaduct line to transport these loads for forwarding by coastal shipping.  The track was still in situ (although presumably completely unfit for use) but BR lifted it so the load had to be moved by road instead. 

 

This meant a special lead-shielded (75 ton?) lorry, way over the limits of the time and with police escorts and at a top speed of 3mph having to pass through Carlisle City Centre (the M6 not yet having been built of course) three times a week.  Before each such journey he had to send about 75 separate letters of indemnity to the owners of all the bridges it would cross as the lawyers refused to coutenance a blanket indemnity. 

 

I don't know what was later transport improvements were made and of course it's all history now ...

 

 

[lather]

6 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

Teesside Archives have official Head Wrightson photographs of this including the road bogies.

 

I think I've found the reference in the catalogue:

 

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/eac51f5d-4981-4c72-984f-e638e407f2ef

 

"Transformer for Spent Nuclear Core Components"

 

Catalogue reference: U.HW/7/139

 

Date: 1963

 

Not much else it could be, really...

 

The Archives are temporarily closed for refurbishment, but should be reopening very soon.

[pb_devon]

On 31/03/2024 at 10:31, C126 said:

Could a few sketches from memory be done, to illustrate the general arrangement and procedure, without breaching secrecy of a now extinct wagon?

 

 

Possibly, but it may take a few weeks.

[nightstar.train]

On 30/03/2024 at 21:05, kevsmiththai said:

I used to have access to the Rolls Royce drawings for the road bogies for the KUAs Moda 95770 and 95771 plus the working instructions on how to do the swap. Sadly, on retirement I had to officially hand the manuals and CD-Rom to my successsor and notify the M.O.D of the change.

 

I never knew that the modern KUAs were designed to do that. Has it ever actually been done though? I've certainly never seen a photo and you'd think it would've come up when Accurascale/Revolution were making their models. I know that the KUAs have been up to Georgemas junction to collect things from Dounreay/HMS Vulcan. But I'm fairly certain they didn't transform to road mode, rather stuff was brought to them at the loading pad. 

[Steven B]

Hopefully this is the same wagon!

Hot box on the road (with Cadzow or Pickfords as the haulage contractor):

 

 

And a couple more images of the wagon:

https://heritage.stockton.gov.uk/resources/head-wrightson/gallery/5315/

https://heritage.stockton.gov.uk/resources/head-wrightson/gallery/5316/

 

On the rails, heading to Devonport:

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/latest-input--news--old-pictures-etc/3rd-september-2022

http://www.cornwallrailwaysociety.org.uk/uploads/7/6/8/3/7683812/067b-199x-probably-unknown-33-date-or-photographer-climbing-away-from-langford-bridge-towards-daignton-br-version-of-nuclear-f-copy_orig.jpg

https://flic.kr/p/bbjfVk

 

And at Carnforth:

https://flic.kr/p/baNXte

 

https://flic.kr/p/baNWXv

 

https://flic.kr/p/baNXZ2

 

 

 

Steven B

[C126]

Can not get the first two links to work, but a photo of it being hauled by a 33 makes my week!  Many thanks.

 

 

[bazjones1711]

I believe this is at Westbury , unknown date .

[Morello Cherry]

Looking at the mk1. What are the square things under the windows.

 

 

Interesting view if the inside end of the mk1

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/graham_williams/6674577895/

[C126]

3 minutes ago, Morello Cherry said:

What are the square things under the windows.

 

'"Gun ports" he says, only half-jokingly...'

 

 

[SED Freightman]

38 minutes ago, Morello Cherry said:

Looking at the mk1. What are the square things under the windows.

 

 

They are likely to be the vents from the gas heating system.