UR Wagons

Back in July 2017 I built a U wagon, these wagons are much the same, an 8 wheeled low sided open ballast wagon. Details of the U wagon can be found in blog post dated July 2017. The UR wagons are covered in the post, some additional information has come to hand and now I have made the models.

QR Plan drawing shows them as a Convertiable Wagon, my first post (June 2017) also showed the CC covered wagon with the same heading. As with the CC class wagons, UR wagons also had a dual role. As the classification suggests “U” eight wheeled ballast wagon and “R” as a runner. The wagon sides and ends were unique. The sides could be pinned down allowing the wagon to run in the train with the doors down. The ends could fold down onto the floor. Due to this many of the class had the hand brake lever down one end over the bogie, this allowed the hand brake to be applied with the doors down.

The plan book has two drawings for the class. Drawing 4604 Plan P 208 dated 1938 shows the wagons were converted from P class platform wagons. The drawing shows three different lengths.

26’ Tare 7 ton 7 cwt, carry 12 ton 13 cwt. # 4847, 4850, 4851, 4853, 4845, 4848. 

30’ Tare 7 ton 17 cwt, carry 12 ton 3 cwt. # 11623, 11650, 17047, 17065, 3339.

32’ Tare 7 ton 19 cwt, carry 12 ton 1 cwt   # 821, 825, 829, 830, 839, 840, 3246, 3247,

The wagon ran on 4’ bar frame bogies with 2’ 2” wheels.

Drawing 4677/4677A Plan P 209 dated 1942 shows a 32 ‘ wagon, Tare 10 tons 5 cwt, carry 9 tons 15 cwt. The wagon ran on a 5’ bar frame bogie with 2’ 9½” wheels. 

Both bogie sets had 7” x 3” journals, thus the gross weight of the wagon, (tare plus load) could not exceed 20 tons. One and a half ton overload was allowed. Sides were 1’ 6” high, two planks like the “U” wagons. All wagons were 7’ 9” wide, 32’ and 30’ wagons had 3 doors, the 26’ long wagon just 2 doors.

The wagons carried loco ash (used as ballast/fill), tools/materials with camp wagons, drums and were used in general traffic similar to other open wagons. The class was used quite a lot to carry "out of gauge" rain water tanks given the doors could be pinned down in traffic. Some of the class were used in special roles. Four became match wagons for the Krupp Cranes, one was a winch wagon used to recover part used rail.   

                  Both of these wagons are U wagons, they give some idea the loads they carried.

Winch wagon. I think this would make a great model.

This photo shows the hand brake arrangements on the later wagons. 

Prior the 1969, the wagons were painted black, after that they were painted freight grey like all other goods wagons at the time. The class remained in service until the disposal of wooden wagons in the later half of the 1980’s. 

ARHS Rosewood. 

I don't recall any of the class in service being painted red oxide. 

 Models:

The two wagons on the layout were built from Evergreen Styrene scribe sheet and strip.

The bogies are Far North Hobbies brass bogies fitted with Steam Era spoke 9.5 mm wheels. 

The models are painted with Mirotone etch primer black and weathered with Vallejo paints.

The pipe load was made from breathalyser tubes. Evergreen Models has a similar size tube that could be used and painted in concrete colours. At this point the second wagon will remain empty. Both wagons are lighter than I normally run due to the larger wheels restricting the area for lead sheet. 

Trust you find the information useful and assists with your QR modelling. 

Regards

Arthur H.