LU abandons Chinese wagon project
The much-delayed £11.5 million project to provide new infrastructure wagons for London Underground has been abandoned more than six years after the order was placed with Chinese manufacturer CRRC Shandong. Only five of the 71-stong fleet ever made it to the UK for testing, these being ballast opens BW001/002/007 and flats FW001/002.
However, after initial testing, serious ride issues were identified relating to the bogie design, where the small diameter wheels necessary to achieve a low deck height, coupled with planned axle loads and the required maximum speed to allow operation over Network Rail infrastructure, pushed the limits of physics. Despite modifications and further extensive tests, no solution could be found, so mid-January saw all five wagons delivered to Booth’s Rotherham yard from store at Gascoigne Wood, where they were scrapped within a week.
Intelligent boxes
Six JNA box wagons owned by Ermewa and leased to Tarmac have been fitted with monitoring equipment to report faults and loading issues in real time. The experimental project, sponsored by Network Rail, has seen sensors added to the bogies, axles and bodies, with power to the system supplied by a module mounted on the hauling locomotive and connected via jumper cables. Following trials at Barrow Hill, 81 70 5500 001/002/009/010/012/048 were hauled to Mountsorrel by 47727 on February 14 for further testing.
New deliveries
A further 10 FEA-G twinsets arrived through the Channel Tunnel in early February, the intermodal wagons once again destined for GB Railfreight. On February 5, 66304 was provided to power 4Z92 03.45 Dollands Moor-Peterborough Yard with 81 70 4663 301 to 320.
Hawk conversions
For its first working in Loram colours, 37418 was tasked with transferring JNA ballast wagons 81 70 5831 218-224 from Derby to Toton on January 25 before returning with MRA set 501307/327/359-361 for rebuilding. The workings were repeated on February 7, this time with 81 70 5831 225-228 and 501320/340/398-400.
Flat transfers
The 22 IXA Mega 3 flats, which can carry both containers and piggyback trailers, were extracted from store at York on February 17, 37800 hauling 37 80 4905 001-022 to Gascoigne Wood to await developments. Back on February 9, 43468 and 43480 had also visited the former coal loading facility to haul French-registered IFA intermodal twins 33 87 4909 301/312/315/318/339/358/387/390/395/396/398 to Wembley.
Preservation news
The Churnet Valley Railway has se
