106 •The Railway Magazine• July 2019BILLIONS ofbricks were once
transported by rail for house
building and other construction
projects. Many brickworks
were located on the March to
Peterborough line atWhittlesey,
and in Bedfordshire. Major
manufacturers included
Fletton’s Ltd and the London
Brick Company.
Following loss of traffic
a 1950s innovation was the
Palbrick B, which conveyed side
loaded palletised bricks.
The loads were secured by
a combination of removable
side panels and end-mounted
screw adjusters. A total of 1,420
wagons were built between
1954-61 by Ashford works.
By the late-1960s many of
the relatively new wagons were
redundant and converted into
Freightliner match flats.
This involved the removal
of the floor and side panels,
while the vacuum brakes were
replaced by through air pipes.
A further attempt to retain
brick traffic utilised FFA/FGA
Freightliner flats. In partnership
with the London Brick Company
the‘Fletliner’train was launched.
Three 20-foot steel frames were
carried on a liner flat, each framebeing able to carry three pallets.
These trains lasted until the
1980s, running from Stewartby
to Garston and Longsight.
Ultimately, road transport
has proved to be more flexible.
However, rail still has a toe-hold
in this market sector. Breeze
blocks are transported from
Heck to distribution terminals
at Biggleswade and Bow, East
London.
Established in 1959, Plasmor
mixes power station waste
flyash with concrete to produce
lightweight building blocks for
the construction industry.
Rail traffic at Heck started in
March 1987. Initially, 50 British
Rail-owned OBA wagons wereemployed.They were fitted with
extended height ends, allowing
the blocks to be double stacked.
The PNA private owner
flats currently used are being
refurbished by DB Cargo UK at
Stoke – Nos. 4669-694 and
Nos. 5269-293/417-446.
Ex-works No. 4684 was in the
yard at Bescot on May 17.
Bombardier’s yard at Derby
usually holds a few notable
wagons. On May 12, internal
user No. 024794, previously ZSQ
flat No. ADB 462740, was seen. It
is fitted with a low-level coupler
to assist in the movement of
London Underground stock.
Also present were GB Railfreight
RBA-C barrier hoppersNos. 9382000-5/049-2 used for
mainline transfers of LU sub-
surface trains.
WHDaviscontinuestobe
busy. Underway at Langwith
Junction are modifications to
shorten redundant HYA coal
hoppers to make them more
suitable for aggregates traffic:
Nos. 371004/007/010/015/018/
021/023/026/030/035/045/047.
Newly modified HRA hoppers
Nos. 41 70 6723 004-1/005-8/
007-4 were seen in Bescot yard
on May 11.
Recent arrivals from Long
Marston for conversion areVTG
Rail-owned JSA covered steel
coil carriers: Nos.VTG 4020/073/
075/098/100/ 102/103/115/122/123/125/ 127/128/132/ 134.
Originally built by Redpath
Dorman Long, Middlesbrough,
as iron ore tipplers, they will
be fitted with new box bodies
for the transportation of
aggregates.
DB Cargo disposals have
included ZCA‘Sea Urchin’opens
Nos. DC 200582/723/783/794/
842, Nos. DC 210108/123/
131/318/362/ 396/398,
HTA bogie coal hoppers
Nos. 310140/236/ 545, ZCA
‘Seahare’open No. DC 460224,
YQA‘Parr’railflats Nos. DC
967508/538/611.
They were scrapped by
C F Booth at Clarence Metal
Works, Rotherham.WAGON REPORT by S F Lappage
Internal user wagon No. 024794 at Bombardier Derby on May 12.
SFLAPPAGEMWA-B box wagon No. 8170 5891 566-8 at Bordesley on May 23
bearing the new Freightliner logo.SFLAPPAGEGreen light for TransPennine Class 802s
THE Office of Rail and Road
(ORR) has given authorisation
for TransPennine Express to
introduce Hitachi Class 802/2
bi-mode units.
TPE has ordered 19 five-car
trains, and the ORR approval
covers operation in both
five- and 10-car formations
at 125mph, even though their
design speed is 140mph.
However, the ORR has said
TPE has to prove Automatic
Selective Door Opening
(ASDO) functionality, including
abnormal scenarios, before use.
TPE also has to develop
operational rules for ADSO, and
work still needs to take place
with Hitachi to mitigate inter-car
surfing and climbing risks.
The ORR has invoked
maximum speeds of 100mph
when trains are in multiple,
with pantograph spacings
of between 216m and 129m,
and 80mph if the spacings are
between 42m and 129m.
Currently, eight of the 19 sets
(‘Nova 1’) are in the country.
TPE has given no indication
of an introduction to service
date, but with driver and staff
training, indications are the first
revenue-hauling trains will be in
the autumn between between
Liverpool Lime Street and
Newcastle. Services are likely
to be extended to Edinburgh
Waverley at the December 2019
timetable change.
In respect of TPE’s other two
fleets, the Class 68-hauled
‘Nova 3’is expected to enter
service at some point in the
summer, with a progressive
rollout over the remainder of
the year.
The CAF-built Class 397
‘Nova 2’sets, of which
TranPennine is acquiring 12,
are undergoing testing and an
approval process. It is expected
once staff training has been
completed, these trains will be
introduced in the autumn.TransPennine Class 802 Nos. 802201 and 802202 approach Doncaster with 5Q91, a 13.35
Peterborough-Heaton test run on June 6.GEOFF GRIFFITHSClass 442s return after door issues problems
CLASS 442units returned to
the South Western Main Line
on June 10, the door issues
apparently resolved.
Set Nos. 442410 and 442420
are seen at London Waterloo
after their inaugural service,
the 06.28 from Southampton
Airport Parkway.
The RMwill be taking a closer
look at the upgrade South
Western Railway has given the
sets as more units enter traffic
over the coming months.
CHRIS WILSON
Rail Operations Group Class 37 No. 37611Pegasushauls another
rake of Mk5a carriages – Nos. 11511, 12731, 12732, 12733 and
12811, together with barrier vehicles Nos. 6340, 6444, 6330, 6338,
68501 and 68504 – past Parson Street, Bristol, with a working from
Portbury Dock to Manchester International Depot on June 3.Traction & Stock Track Record