Project MGR Appeal

[fgwrich]

I know this has been raised before, but it seems time is running out and DB are clearing away their last MGR Hoppers.

Last ditch bid to save one of last MGR wagon

AN APPEAL for funds to save one of last remaining merry-go-round (MGR) has been launched.

Last ditch bid to save one of last MGR wagon

Of more than 11,000 built, only around a dozen remain and their destiny with the scrap man’s oxy-acetylene torch is getting closer day-by-day. Just three have been preserved so far.

A group affiliated to the Class 56 Group are aiming to save an HMA wagon (no. 355798) and have been told that one is available at Immingham, but need to raise funds to cover the transport costs to a safe site,

With a deadline of November 24 to bid, time is right, and the Class 56 group will accept donations. Please give whatever you can afford to help save a piece of railway history.

To make a donation, please contact Keith Bulmer on 07809 657955
http://www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/news/last-ditch-bid-to-save-one-of-last-mgr-wagon

I for one would love to see a handful of these saved, not just because they spanned over 40 years in service, could be seen behind anything from a 20 to 66 but across the country too, covering the period of history between the replacement of the 4 wheel hoppers to the modern bogie based hoppers used by DB/Colas/FL/GB. It'll be a shame if we don't save any - just think how great it would be to see a RailFreight Red Stripe pair of 20s on HHA hoppers again, the Great Central can do it with the Windcutter set, so what's stopping a modern version?

Donations can be sent by paypal as well, via the 56 groups paypal - at kbulmer(at)talktalk.net (with the (at) replaced by @ )

 

[Ash Bridge]

Just sent my donation, wish them the best of luck with this!

 

[fgwrich]

Thanks to TheBlackWatch for reopening the thread for me.

Some HHA Preservation news from the Chasewater Railway.

Chasewater Railway is proud to announce the arrival of the first half of our HAA wagon fleet. We would like to thank Andrew Goodman from Moveright for his invaluable help in securing the first three vehicles in the rake. These wagons will help us tell the final part of the story of the movement of coal from the Staffordshire coal fields, along with our rake of 16 tonners. Our carpenters are also busy refurbishing the first of the wooden four plank local Coal wagons that will form the initial part of the story. The first public running of our new wagons will be on Coal train day 21st June. Come along and see the currently biggest rake of HAA wagons in preservation. The wagons were part of the Merry Go Round (MGR) concept for further details please see this article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry-go-round_train

Our wagons are:-
351111 HHA 32T Shildon 1966 Lot No 3528
352203 HHA 32T Shidon 1967 Lot No 3574
368103 HDA 47T Shildon CLL 1966 Lot No 006

Photographs are by Bob Anderson & Mark Sealey

The first public running of our new wagons will be on Coal train day 21st June. Come along and see the currently biggest rake of HAA wagons in preservation.

http://www.chasewaterrailway.co.uk/news/breaking-news-new-special-arrivals/

So that now brings the total of preserved MGR Coal hoppers to 11 with the list now standing at:

2 at Barrow Hill - 1 is privately owned but preserved.
3 Chasewater
2 at NRM
1 at Boness
1 at Ayrshire
1 at Barry island railway
1 at knottingley depot

Hopefully the Chasewater based MGRs will one day be united with the Barrow Hill fleet, add in a 37/47/56/58 of course and we will be able to start the recreation of post 1968 Freights.

 

[455driver]

I think the Chasewater Railway need to look at the classification of their wagons-
351111 HHA
352203 HHA

One thinks not!

Edit-
Its good to see some of these unsung workhorses being preserved

 

[Ash Bridge]

I think the Chasewater Railway need to look at the classification of their wagons-
351111 HHA
352203 HHA

One thinks not!

Yes, well spotted! Perhaps they shrunk in the wash? seriously though it's great that these have been saved, and like Rich says if all eleven could be brought together behind a slow speed fitted 47 or similar, that would be the icing on the cake!

 

[455driver]

Yes, well spotted! Perhaps they shrunk in the wash? seriously though it's great that these have been saved, and like Rich says if all eleven could be brought together behind a slow speed fitted 47 or similar, that would be the icing on the cake!

As the Chasewater railway have said this is half of their wagons that must mean they have got 6 in total, very impressive.

 

[The Crab]

I for one would love to see a handful of these saved, not just because they spanned over 40 years in service, could be seen behind anything from a 20 to 66 ...)

They were also steam hauled!

 

[455driver]

They were also steam hauled!

Which steam locos were air braked at the time?
There have been a few (as in the fingers of one hand) occurrences of steamers pulling a few of them (with a brake van on the back) but not enough to call it regular.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Just got me thinking, what is the future for the CDA versions built for Cornish China Clay traffic? from what Iam led to believe this is now a mere shadow of what it used to be,certainly as far as Cornwall (& Devon to a lesser degree) is concerned.

 

[Monty]

Which steam locos were air braked at the time?
There have been a few (as in the fingers of one hand) occurrences of steamers pulling a few of them (with a brake van on the back) but not enough to call it regular.

9Fs that were used on the Tyne Dock iron ore trains were fitted with air brakes. Though in this case any loco hauling HAAs without air brakes (not all diesels had air brakes during this time) it would have been treated as an unfitted freight.

 

[455driver]

I thought they were vacuum braked with the air system operating the wagon doors, the 24s that took over weren't air braked (as far as I am aware) but if they were why were they (the 24s) withdrawn just as air braked trains were becoming the standard?

 

[Monty]

I thought they were vacuum braked with the air system operating the wagon doors, the 24s that took over weren't air braked (as far as I am aware) but if they were why were they (the 24s) withdrawn just as air braked trains were becoming the standard?

You are quite right, double check the air pumps on the 9Fs were for the doors only, I wrongly assumed they operated the brakes too.

 

[sprinterguy]

Which steam locos were air braked at the time?
There have been a few (as in the fingers of one hand) occurrences of steamers pulling a few of them (with a brake van on the back) but not enough to call it regular.

Rare indeed, but there is a published picture in "Merry Go Round on the Rails", by David Monk-Steel, of an 8F hauling a (loaded) block trains of HAAs during 1965. The same source confirms what Monty has said, that, as the steam locomotives were vacuum braked, any such trains had to be treated as unfitted and accompanied by a brake van at the rear. In the County Durham and Northumberland area, where mainline steam clung on at the likes of Sunderland's South Dock shed for longer than most, former North Eastern Railway J27s also worked with HAA coal hoppers.

NCB steam locos also regularly worked with, albeit shorter, rakes of HAA coal hoppers within colliery complexes right up until steam was finally ousted from NCB operations in around 1983.

 

[The Crab]

In 1966 there were still a handful of air-braked steam engines but we can be sure that they never worked with HAAs.

 

[37038]

The three at Newport will follow into pres at Chasewater

Thanks

 

[WSnook37025]

hello,
a meeting to formalise the group has been started, please see the below thread

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=2180443#post2180443

 

[WSnook37025]

Yes, well spotted! Perhaps they shrunk in the wash? seriously though it's great that these have been saved, and like Rich says if all eleven could be brought together behind a slow speed fitted 47 or similar, that would be the icing on the cake!

Also, 368103 is from Lot 4006 at Shildon in 1981