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HAA Wagons

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CW2

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Has anybody preserved any of the once-vast fleet of HAA MGR wagons? They were once common across much of the network, carrying coal from mines or docks to power stations, but with the reduction in coal burning they have fallen into disuse. Do any / many survive, or have they all been cut up and recycled?
 
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ChiefPlanner

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The Cornish CDA fleet are pretty much pure HAA wagons - albeit with modifications. If anyone wanted to purchase a rake ? (at some future time)
 

61653 HTAFC

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There was one in the middle of the exhibition hall at the NEC Brum for Warley last year, as a fundraiser for the preservation appeal.
 

LowLevel

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When were they last used on the 'normal' railway network?

The last rakes were retained until about 2008 or so when Stirling - Alloa - Kincardine reopened to allow coal traffic for Hunterston to be diverted away from the Forth Bridge which was route barred to the larger replacement wagons and I think until maybe 2010 or so once Hope Cement Works could start accepting HTA wagons with it's coal deliveries? I distinctly remember the former being a big thing in the railway press but the latter I'm less sure of.
 

sprinterguy

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The last rakes were retained until about 2008 or so when Stirling - Alloa - Kincardine reopened to allow coal traffic for Hunterston to be diverted away from the Forth Bridge which was route barred to the larger replacement wagons and I think until maybe 2010 or so once Hope Cement Works could start accepting HTA wagons with it's coal deliveries? I distinctly remember the former being a big thing in the railway press but the latter I'm less sure of.
That's correct regarding the Hope Cement works traffic: According to 'Merry-Go-Round On The Rails' by David Monk-Steel, two sets of HAAs were retained until summer 2010 to work up to three trains per week to Hope from the Ayrshire opencast sites, and were the last regular working for the wagons.

The most recent photos I have of HAA wagons within Hope works were taken during summer 2009, seen in the background in the photo below.
How many were built?
Again according to 'Merry-Go-Round On The Rails', there were a total of 11,162 wagons, including variations on the basic design, built. By 2009, as the final flows to use these wagons were switching to HTA bogie hopper operation, there were 1,185 still in stock of the following types:

HAA: 765 (Standard design - 10702 built as noted above)
HBA: 3 (HDA hoppers fitted with canopies)
HCA: 9 (HAA hoppers fitted with canopies)
HDA: 49 (Improved braking capability, permitted to run at 60mph - 460 built)
HFA: 36 (HAA hoppers fitted with modified canopies)
HMA: 318 (Hoppers fitted with modified brakes)
HNA: 5 (Hoppers fitted with modified brakes and canopies)
 

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Phil Scott

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Last time I went past yes, with massive gardens growing in what’s left of the loads.
It was planned to move these two, plus another from Scotland to the Chasewater Railway. Presumably this has fallen through, or the wagons can’t be removed easily from these locations.
 

Tom Quinne

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It was planned to move these two, plus another from Scotland to the Chasewater Railway. Presumably this has fallen through, or the wagons can’t be removed easily from these locations.

I don’t think there is easy road access to AD, so would probably need moving to the dock after the contaminated loads where removed. Seeing as ABP where the ones who wanted them off their property, I can’t see them being cost effective to move.
 

Cowley

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A load of MGR hoppers were rebodied as ballast wagons and given a suitably fishy type name. Coalfish.
Must admit that I’d never heard of that. Great name though.
 

EbbwJunction1

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Used to be two stuck at Alexandra Dock Jct. They still there?

Last time I went past yes, with massive gardens growing in what’s left of the loads.

It was planned to move these two, plus another from Scotland to the Chasewater Railway. Presumably this has fallen through, or the wagons can’t be removed easily from these locations.

I don’t think there is easy road access to AD, so would probably need moving to the dock after the contaminated loads where removed. Seeing as ABP where the ones who wanted them off their property, I can’t see them being cost effective to move.

I went past ADJ last week, and looked out for them; I think I saw them, but I'm not sure. It looks like they're tucked away around the corner of the main yard on the line which goes towards the docks. If they are where I think they are, to get them out would be quite difficult by rail, as there would have to be a quite complicated manoeuvre to achieve this. There is a road connection is to ADJ, but it's at the very far end of the Yard, roughly opposite what used to be the Diesel Depot.
 

Tom Quinne

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I can’t see them being taken out by road from AD, I don’t ever recall it happening previously.
Probably better to trip them round to the docks.
 

EbbwJunction1

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They won't be able to be taken out by road, as the connection is a good distance away. There is a large parking area next to where they are, but it's about twenty feet above the line, so they'd need a big crane or a skyhook to get them out of there.

Tripping them out through the docks is a possibility, but as I say it looks like it would involve quite a few manoeuvres to achieve this.
 
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