What are these wagons for?

[Peter Fox]

I was struck by what to me is a very odd shape of wagon in the photo at
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/656111/

Can anyone tell me what they are for and why they are that strange shape?

 

[John Webb]

Possibly side-tipping wagons for ballast or other civil engineering material?

 

[etr221]

DB F-z 120 wagons, with 5 tipping skips for gravel & such traffic (I think revenue-earning rather engineering department) - the skips would be tilted to pour the load direct into lorries or 'high' level bins. See attached scan, from Taschenbuch Deutsche Güterwagen by Horst J. Obermayer. One of many attempts to facilitate goods handling - there was also a three skip version.

 

[John Webb]

Was there any speed limit for these wagons? Only the Centre of Gravity would be rather higher than most rail vehicles with the loads in those skips!

 

[eastwestdivide]

Was there any speed limit for these wagons? Only the Centre of Gravity would be rather higher than most rail vehicles with the loads in those skips!

80/100 km/h according to the scan above. You'd certainly worry about taking a curve at top speed.

 

[edwin_m]

I think they'd only be filled to the bottom of the doors (the widest point of the "hopper"), in which case the load wouldn't be great but the centre of gravity should be fine.

 

[Peter Fox]

Very much obliged. The picture you gave was very clear.

 

[sarahj]

Funny, the only pictures I've ever seen these in use has been on ballast work on the track.

 

[Peter Fox]

A cracking good photo of these in operation has just appeared on Rail Pictures:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/667845/

 

[Peter Fox]

A cracking good photo of these in operation has just appeared on Rail Pictures:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/667845/

 

[Groningen]

That looks more like coal.