THE PFA wagon story starts in 1986 when fuel firm Cawoods ordered 172 of them to carry containers of domestic coal and patent fuel for export to Ireland.
Cawoods originally used its containers on a route between Liverpool and Dublin by sea, but in May 1972 – when faced with ongoing dock labour issues at Garston – the company moved to a newly-built container handling wharf at Ellesmere Port (Cheshire). Although the terminal was close to the Ellesmere Port West to Eastham branch of the Manchester Ship Canal Railway, it only gained a rail connection in 1986 when the quay was extended, new overhead gantry cranes installed, four rail sidings built and the PFA fleet ordered.
The wagons were built by Standard Wagon at its Heywood Works (Lancashire) during 1986/87, being allocated TOPS numbers CAWD 92703-874 and design code PF012A. The low-deck, two-axle, airbraked wagons were designed to accommodate 20ft by 8ft containers. With coal being a relatively light bulk product, an 8ft-high container was essential to maximise capacity; but the low-platform design was required so the wagons could pass under existing coal washery loading screens.
The 838mm platform height was slightly lower than the wheel height so, in order to provide protection for each wheel, four inverted L-sections were fitted to the top of the floor, which protruded into a recess in the base of the specially-built coal containers.
The wagons’ length over the buffers was 8280mm and their wheelbase was 5000mm. They were fitted with UIC double-link suspension with parabolic taperleaf springs and, being ballasted to the minimum tare (empty) weight of 10.5 tonnes, they could carry 30.5 tonnes including the container.
CAWOODS USE
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2020 من Rail Express.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2020 من Rail Express.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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