“B” Class Container Wagons.

By the mid 1970’s, containers were starting to take off for the movement of goods/freight. Standard ISO containers were 20 ft. long, 8 ft. wide and 8 ft. high. Carrying them on the rail network on standard converted platform wagons, the container was outside the loading gauge. It didn’t take much time before for the dimensions of containers started to grow larger.

By 1982 where was 3 heights of containers, 8ft (2.440m) 8ft 6 in (2.590 m) and 8ft 8½in (2.650 m). ISO containers at 8 ft. (2.440m) wide could not carry two Australian standard pallets side by side in the container. Containers manufactured for the Australian market were made 8ft 2½ in (2.502m) wide. There were two lengths, 20 ft. (6.1 m) and 40 ft. (12.2m).

With a network that was over 100 years old, there was many clearance issues for this type of freight. Modifications were required to bridges, tunnels, station and shed awnings to allow the containers to pass without issues. Speed restrictions were enforced in some incidents. Other roads were a no-go zone.

Another method to assist with the growing height of containers was to reduce the floor height of the wagon. QFC wagons the floor was 1070 mm above the rail head. Newer PYC wagons with smaller wheels this was reduced to 980 mm. With new odd size longer refrigerated containers on the drawing board, a longer wagon was required to reduce train length wastage. Most of QR container fleet was platform wagons, cut down open and box wagons that had been adopted to carry containers. In some cases, a 40 ft. wagon was carrying 20 ft. of freight, just one container. That’s half the train with no revenue.

As the containers grew in height, also did there carrying capacity, 20 ton has grown to 24 tons. The new PYC wagons could carry two 20 ft. containers provided they were not over 17.4 tons. If the container was over that, it was back to one container for a 40 ft. wagon. Ipswich Workshop developed a new prototype low profile container wagon. The new wagons had a floor height of 958 mm. and could accommodate two new QRRC fridge containers and two SRC/QRC fridge containers 7,600 mm long. Five “B” wagon were built by Ipswich Workshop in 1978, running numbers 40128 - 40132.

Length over Buffers	17,500 mm
Length over couplings	17,520 mm
Length over headstocks	16,460 mm
Length over sideframes	2,155 mm
Max width over twistlocks	2,420 mm
Bogie centres	10,970 mm
Wheel centres on bogies	1,676 mm
Rigid wheel base	1,676 mm
Total wheel base	11,648 mm
Height from Rail Level to top of floor	920 mm. plan shows 958 loaded
Unit Length	3. 5 units. (17.5 m)
Material used in underframe	Steel
Bogies	Com Steel QR 35.
Wheel Diameter	762 mm
Carry S & A class lines	46.3 t
Carry some B class lines	32.1 t
Carry all lines	23.9 t
Weight Empty (Tare)	16.7 t

The wagons displayed a red circle making them available for Express Freight trains travelling at 80 Km/h.

Plans suggest the class was included in the North Coast Upgrade lifting their max. speed to 100 Km/h and were to reclassed BY. This didn’t happen, instead the wagon was placed into storage and in time were scrapped. Three of the class sat together stored on the Cecil Plains branch at Oakey in 2005.

B 40128	In service 9^th May 1978
Twistlock Brackets fitted Ips W’shops	Feb 85
Converted to BA (Buffers removed ??)	Jan 94
Converted to B	Jan 95
Cost	$ 24, 975.11

B 40129	In service 9^th May 1978
Twistlock Brackets fitted Ips W’shops	Jun 88
Converted to BA (Buffers removed ??)	Jan 94
Converted to B	Mar 94
Cost	$ 24, 975.11

B 40130	In service 16^th June 1978
Brake beam modified	Oct 88
Derailed Intaburra – Mookarra Section	Dec 88
Cost	$ 29,975.11

B 40131	In service 2^nd June 1978
Brake beam modified	Jul 82
Cost	$ 24, 975.11

B 40132	In service 18^th July 1978
Twistlock Brackets fitted Ips W’shops	Jul 78
Brake beam modified	Dec 83
Cost	$ 24, 975.11

The wagons could carry 1 or 2 x 6.1 m, 1 or 2 x 7.6 m. 1 x 12.2 m 1 x 13.8 and 1 x 14.7 m containers. There was no provision to carry a 6.1m or 7.6 m container in the middle of the wagon. If only carrying one 6.1 m or 7.6 m container on one end the maximum weight of that container was 16 tons.

Normanby April 1987

The ends and the centre of the wagon had checker plate steel on the floor.

Some additional photos can be found on Wuiske Models website under Prototype Photos.

Model.

The model was much like the prototype, a bit of an experiment, one of the local manufactures announced a new container wagon model. The wagon to be release was one of them troublesome trucks on the QR network. The wagon was built to carry a specific traffic, mainly two 25 ft. fridge containers and other odd size containers around at the time, like 16 ft containers. The main issues were the location of the bogies, they were some distance back from the headstock. When loaded with one container down one end the wagon, that was the wagon mounting configured, the wagon would plane like a surf ski making the other end prone to derailing. In model form with the bogies being so far back from the headstock creates another issue with headstock swing on unreal curves. This would run the couplers side swing to their limits throwing the wagon off the tracks.

Construction was simple and made to look like the prototype when carrying two containers. Thus, the open frame was covered by the containers. Plain sheet styrene was used for the sides and floor. Slaters SL-0446 (4mm) Chequer Plate was used on the floor at the ends and in the centre. Southern Rail bogies were used, they are not quite correct. The wheel size is a fraction larger. CGL QR 37 bogies could be a better choice these days. Some lead was added under the floor for some weight. Most of the underbody detail is hidden by the side frames. The whisker couplings were mounted with a 2 mm screw with an ⅛” brass bush that was cut from a length of K&S Brass tube. The only visible detail being the handbrake wheel and bar protectors each side. Container were fixed to the wagon this time with PK screws. The hole in the side frame near the red circle is a black decal.

The containers on this wagon are Lima containers, they were repainted, decals added and weathered with a bit dust. The TNT decals I had in the decal box for many years. The ASP decals I had made. There is a good chance the type of containers may not be correct. For the time being, they look OK for now, the price was good at the time.

The other two wagons are fitted with SDS containers.