HEA Hopper Conversions: Scrapped

Sorry, couldn't resist that heading given the subject of this post!

The stars of the blog post today, featuring items under development for our HEA Hopper Conversions expansion for Train Simulator 2014 are possibly some the most minimal 'conversions' ever. As domestic and industrial coal traffic declined British Rail started looking for further traffic that the HEA hoppers they had relatively recently invested in could be used for.

One such traffic was the carrying of scrap from collection points to processing plants. Given the nature of the traffic the bottom discharge capabilities of the wagons was not needed with locations loading and unloading wagons using electro-magnets or grabs. As a consequence conversion involved blanking off the hoppers at the bottom of the wagon to give a level base. Two methods of conversion were used, either the welding of a steel plate across the tops of the hoppers (as in the maroon version above) or a more basic conversion achieved by filling the bottom of the wagon with ballast (as with the flame red and grey wagon above).

In both cases the TOPS code was changed to HSA and an increased tare indicated for the ballast filled examples to take into account the weight of the ballast in the bottom of the wagon. In either case the wagons were not overly successful for the harsh treatment they received being loaded and unloaded with grabs and magnets with serious body damage taking place fairly rapidly due to the much lighter build compared to the specialist scrap box type wagons.

HEA Hopper Conversions: A Brake Van for the Sectorisation Era

Our latest screenshot of items to be included in our HEA Hopper Conversions expansion pack for Train Simulator 2014 is a dia 1/507 CAR brake van in Trainload Railfreight Sector livery.

Even though the days of every goods train conveying a brake van on the rear for the use of the guard were long past a number of CAR brake vans did surprisingly receive the Trainload Railfreight livery complete with sector decals. The vans were given this modern livery as they were still needed for use with hazardous cargoes and where propelling movements were required as a part of a trains booked schedule. It was probably good for public perception of some of these potentially controversial commodities to appear to be carried in smart, well maintained trains too!

The main reason for including a new version of the CAR in our HEA Hopper Conversions expansion is to work alongside the RNA Barrier Wagons for use with nuclear flask traffic. The vans were included in trains in the late 1980's and early 1990's to assist with shunting movements at terminals and in the unlikely event of something untoward happening to a train conveying nuclear flasks the guard would be able to protect the rear of the train without the locomotive crew having to pass the flasks carried on the train.

HEA Hopper Conversions: Loadhaul MEA

The last of the pre-privatisation shadow freight companies to place an order for MEA conversions was Loadhaul. These wagons were delivered after the acquisition of Loadhaul (along with Transrail and Mainline Freight) by a subsidiary Wisconsin Central, better known as EWS.

The livery of these wagons differs from others given the Loadhaul treatment in that they were delivered in all over black without the orange ends usually applied to Loadhaul rolling stock. The wagons are also notable for having a white band around the top rather than the more usual yellow carried by other MEA conversions to that date. Possibly these changes were dictated by the change in owning company at the time of delivery.

Our latest screenshot from Train Simulator 2014 shows an ex-works MEA wagon in tidy black and white Loadhaul livery posing for the official camera before entering service.

HEA Hoppers - Post BR: Hoppers in Action

One of the testers has been a bit creative while testing the scenario to be included in our HEA Hoppers - Post BR expansion for Train Simulator 2014.

The screenshots are taken around the Ribblehead area and feature a class 37/7 taking long stored HEA hoppers for conversion for MEA mineral wagons. 

HEA Hopper Conversions: Cut Down RNA

It seemed to be about time to have a break from pictures of coal wagons, so here's a wagon that used to be a coal wagon!

One feature of railway operation, which seems to have virtually ended now, is the use of barrier wagons to hopefully give some protection to the train crew should anything go wrong. Quite often these barrier wagons were empty revenue wagons placed at either end of the hazardous commodity being conveyed.

However, in April 1989 a design sheet was issued to convert 30 HEA hopper wagons into barriers for use with nuclear flask trains which were then the responsibility of the Railfreight Coal Sector. The work involved the removal of the hopper body, the addition of some extra weight and plating over of the hole left by removing the hopper.

The screenshots from Train Simulator 2014 show both sides of recently converted RNA wagons posing in the sunshine for the official photographer. The application of lettering does seem to have posed a problem due to the lack of bodywork and as such there are some non standard lettering features and no two wagons seem to be lettered in quite the same way which means we have had to go for a bit of a best average approach.