Nir ballast wagons

[Liverbird81]

Hi folks just wondering if anybody knows what ballast wagons are used with the gm's

[BosKonay]

A few snaps, courtesy of Kirley

 

 

 

http://www.hornbyinternational.com/en/jouef/2000-tds-hopper-wagon-sncf.html makes a passable version

[BosKonay]

There is also a thread here http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/2021-NIR-Ballast-Wagon

[Liverbird81]

Thanks guys I found a liliput hopper wagon on eBay looks pretty close to them wondering what u guys think

[Liverbird81]

Sorry folks its a liliput bogie hopper on eBay they are as close as I can find with double wheel base

[WRENNEIRE]

Bachmann Hornby and Lima all do a Seacow RTR wagon which makes a very presentable NIR Hopper

I think Cambrian Kits do a decent version as well

 

And remember the Lilliput one will be HO scale

 

[wiggy]

Does anyone know how many of these Seacows NIR owned and the wagon number range.

Ta,

Wiggy.

[BosKonay]

As far as I know, they bought 6 of them from BR, I think they've had them since 1992, and just recently tendered for refurbishment works to keep them in service.

[Blaine]

As far as I know, they bought 6 of them from BR, I think they've had them since 1992, and just recently tendered for refurbishment works to keep them in service.

 

Was before that, but apart from one on the DCDR all the Seacows are no more

[Glenderg]

from irrs feb 2013

 

In October, NIR advertised in the European Journal for the refurbishment of its six ballast wagons, built in 1992. Work includes conversion from vacuum to air brakes and fitting of lights for night-time working. Work will take place between April 2013 and February 2014.

 

I assume this is the french styleee wagons, as shown in kirleys photos. does anyone have anymore info on these wagons? maker, wheelbase, length over headstocks? Is there a suitable donor, even for just the chassis?

 

The other older ones with the rivetted side panels - the seacows/walrus have gone by the way of the dodo bar one? Good topic liverbird. Richie

Edited August 21, 2013 by Glenderg

[wiggy]

 

The other older ones with the rivetted side panels - the seacows/walrus have gone by the way of the dodo bar one?

 

 

 

Re the older ones, Seacow/Walrus etc, How many of them were there and any running numbers.

Ta,

Wiggy.

[Glenderg]

Wiggy has asked twice, and I'm going to follow it up. (My photos show now number markings whatsover on any of those wagons?!) Regarding the newer flat sided type, my mathematical monkeys tell me that it's a 42' chassis with an identical wheelbase to the southern 42' flat. Can anyone confirm and more to the point does anyone know the manufacturer of them so I can ask them directly?

 

Richie.

Edited August 23, 2013 by Glenderg
why not?

[Hunslet 102]

wiggy-NIR bought 6 of the original seacow type hoppers from British Rail in the early 80s.They were numbered C431 to C436,with the numbers in the bottom left hand corner of each side of each wagon in black.The NIR logo was in blue and this was on the second panel from the right on each side of the wagon located middle to top.

 

Glenderg-I dont have much info on the more modern type hoppers that arrived in the 90s,I never saw them in the flesh as I had already left Northern Ireland before their arrival,but they were built by a French supplier called Arbel Fauvel according to 35 years of NIR by Jonathan Allen.

[33lima]

Back in 1992, I managed to get three of the Seacows in one picture - a herd, rather than a rake?

 

 

There seem to have been two variants to these, some like the last one having a deeper horizontal upper end panel; they seemed to have lacked the BR vacuum gear and some had rails at only one end.

 

[heirflick]

lovely pic 33, any more from that era?

[33lima]

I've now uploaded these and most of my other pics to flikr. Still a few to come, over the next few days.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33lima/with/9531658310/

[wiggy]

wiggy-NIR bought 6 of the original seacow type hoppers from British Rail in the early 80s.They were numbered C431 to C436,with the numbers in the bottom left hand corner of each side of each wagon in black.The NIR logo was in blue and this was on the second panel from the right on each side of the wagon located middle to top.

 

Glenderg-I dont have much info on the more modern type hoppers that arrived in the 90s,I never saw them in the flesh as I had already left Northern Ireland before their arrival,but they were built by a French supplier called Arbel Fauvel according to 35 years of NIR by Jonathan Allen.

 

Thanks for the info Hunslet 102

Wiggy.

[heirflick]

I've now uploaded these and most of my other pics to flikr. Still a few to come, over the next few days.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33lima/with/9531658310/

 

great set of pics! love the suburban livery on the railcars - it really was beautiful!

[BosKonay]

Loving the pics - thanks 33lima!!!

[BosKonay]

Anyone know the story behind these babies?

[Garfield]

Spoil wagons... used in the construction of a road (M1? Can't remember right now...). Rakes of them were topped and tailed by WT class dream locos (Jeeps), which by that stage were the last steam engines in use on any mainline in the UK or Ireland.

 

I'm guessing they had already fulfilled their original purpose by the time the photo was taken, hence 'retain' being painted on the side of the three in that photo.

Edited August 24, 2013 by Garfield

[33lima]

According to Oliver Doyle in 'Locos and Rolling Stock of IR and NIR', 3rd edition (1987), 'Following a special spoil movement contract for motorway construction in the 1960s, a number of redundant drop-hopper wagons were retained for permanent way use'.

 

In Jonathan Allen's '35 Years of NIR', there's a colour pic of NIR DH 2 on a rake of these at Whitehead. The caption says 'On 7 October 1974, NIR began conveying spoil from Magheramorne to an oil jetty construction site at Cloghan Point near Kilroot. In a near-repeat of the former steam-hauled spoil trains, the same wagons were used although at first NIR's DH locomotives provided motive power. Finding these units wholly unsuited to the task, they were soon replaced by one of NIR's 101 Class Bo-Bo diesel electrics.'

 

I have no idea what happened to the trio which I snapped at York Road about seventeen years later.

Edited August 24, 2013 by 33lima

[UP6936]

Garfieldsghost, it was the m2 motorway construction.

[josefstadt]

Indeed, it was the section of the M2 which runs alongside the railway near York Road station. If my memory serves me right, one of the problems in using these wagons for per way duties was that they had discharge doors on one side only.

[UP6936]

I am nearly sure I have seen video footage of the sea cow type and the spoil wagons running together in a rake behind a hunslet, which could be an interesting arrangement to model

[Hunslet 102]

I am nearly sure I have seen video footage of the sea cow type and the spoil wagons running together in a rake behind a hunslet, which could be an interesting arrangement to model

 

One of the excellent Markle video's has this footage from 1984 with a Hunslet at Lisburn with both the seacow and spoil type wagons on the same permanent way train.There were 70 spoil wagons on the original M2 spoil contract and some of these wagons were retained by NIR for permanent way use after the spoil contract finished.These wagons were used on a second spoil contract as stated by 33lima above in 1975.To get round the problem of the side dispatch only,NIR welded the side doors shut and converted the hoppers to convential type hoppers,although when this was done I am unsure.

For those interested in the spoil wagons,Leslie from Provincial wagons is bringing out a kit for a spoil wagon,which should be available soon.

[UP6936]

Thanks Hunslet, yes it was markle's Northern Ireland Railways Archive, i looked the dvd out earlier and watched it. Have all the spoil wagons been scrapped now?

[Kirley]

Have all the spoil wagons been scrapped now?

 

There are still some at Kirley Junction see item 8:

http://irishrailwaymodeller.com/showthread.php/78-Kirley-s-Projects?p=941&highlight=spoil+wagons#post941

[Sulzer201]

Hi Kirley,

I used the link and once again got lost in all the work you've done on the various trains, buildings and landscape, the MAK, MEDs, A Class etc. Bloody amazing work and modelling skills.

,

[BosKonay]

Likewise! I just lost an hour rereading that thread! Stunning work and variety.