Dungrange Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 ‘Limpet’ spoil wagons started life in the private owner fleet before being recoded MKA and then ZKA in departmental use before reverting to the MKA code post privatisation. However. the LTSV website (http://www.ltsv.com/w_profile_049.php) highlights that up to 155 of these were to be rebuilt as MTA wagons in 2006/07. My first question is, do any of these MKA / ZKA wagons (in the form as modelled by Bachmann) still survive or have they all been rebuilt as MTA? Secondly, the same source states “MTAs are often to be seen in well mixed rakes with similar MFA and MHA wagons. This is now known to be deliberate, there being an instruction that no more than five MTAs should be coupled together, and that there must then be at least three wagons of another type before the next MTA. This is due to the MTAs having excessive brake force when running empty”. When operating as MKA / ZKA ‘Limpet’ wagons, were these also mixed with other wagon types, or does the “excessive brake force” only apply to the earlier batch of MTA wagons? Regards David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 As far as I can tell all the MKA 393xxx series (full height unmodified Tiger POA) and the ZKA Limpets (with he holes) have all been cut down as per the original York WRD Doorand conversion. Some of the limpets were recoded MKA when the holes in the side were plated over for traffic use before reconversion! The initial 13 or 14 395xxx MTA's are the renumbered Doorands. Some of the initial MKA's ran with the ZKA coding and Limpet numbers for a short spell after refurbishment at York WRD. One was repainted full EWS maroon and a hood fitted as a MLA at Toton but I do not believe it ever left the WRD! Mark Saunders Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 still trying to work out when the ZKA Limpet with cutouts as per the Bachmann model would have appeared? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 If that's the Dutch version, there were a lot of here around late 90s, running with all the old BR stuff and 66s eventually. Haven't seen any photos of any recently Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Sorry, hadn't seen the original post from 2012... >>My first question is, do any of these MKA / ZKA wagons (in the form as modelled by Bachmann) still survive or have they all been rebuilt as MTA? I don't believe there are any MKA/ZKA (all active ones had ended up coded MKA again) left in use, all active ones were cut down. There were some stored examples that have been cut (for example one still coded ZKA that was at Exeter Riverside) - I suspect any remainder (including the long ones, which don't seem to have been cut down) were either cut up, or are sat somewhere to be cut. >>When operating as MKA / ZKA ‘Limpet’ wagons, were these also mixed with other wagon types, or does the “excessive brake force” only apply to the earlier batch of MTA wagons? There doesn't seem to have been that kind of operational restriction on them as MKA/ZKA - this was Nov 2005, and assuming I shot all the wagons, there was a cut of 20 MKA before it switched to MHA/MFA/MTA The Limpets seemed dedicated to spoil usage though, whereas the MHA/MFA/MTA also get used for new ballast - could it be that the density difference between nice clean ballast and wet contaminated spoil means that it became an issue after conversion? still trying to work out when the ZKA Limpet with cutouts as per the Bachmann model would have appeared? The 390xxx were converted by BR, Intercity sector, so it would have been mid 1990s, just before privatisation. (Some had little maroon Intercity flashes, though - not all wagons received a full paint job, most had a "dutch" yellow stripe at the top above the ARC mustard or Yeoman light grey...) Paul Bartlett image of newly converted DC390327 in 1995 is a good example of what Limpets looked like early on. http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/limpet/h26773854#h26773854 The 393xxx were I believe POA that were bought later on by Loadhaul, became revenue MKA (no holes), then after the EWS takeover were converted to ZKA (holes added) - before the whole fleet moved back to being MKA when EWS moved away from using separate departmental tops codes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
black and decker boy Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 still trying to work out when the ZKA Limpet with cutouts as per the Bachmann model would have appeared?These were bought by BR as part of the grand plan to get rid of vacuum braked engineers wagons. Th exPGA gunnels and ZCA Sea Urchins being part of the same process. There were rakes running around the ECML in the 1992 to 1996 period when I was at Uni, often off Tyne Yard. I think Thornaby WRD helped with conversions. These were later supplemented / replaced by the MFAs and Ex HAA MHAs and then by Raltracks PNAs andThe MOA Falcon type bogie boxes we have today. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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