General goods vehicles, or ‘Merchandise Waggons’ of the later Stephenson period were simple four-wheeled platform vehicles with sprung 3’ diameter wheels and were typically around 14’ in length, ‘with a superficial surface of platform area of seventy-five square feet’ able to carry ‘a considerable quantity of light goods’ of ‘about four tons weight.’ By 1841 dumb-buffers and coupling chains were fitted and as the decade progressed, the length of the wagons shortened and the width increased, creating a greater load area.

The fitment of loose sides of around 2’ in height allowed for the carriage of coal and loads were protected by canvas tarpaulins painted with the company initials to prevent their theft, with each waggon having its number, weight and gauge clearly marked in white paint on a black background. As travel time by railway was superior to that of road travel by coach, coach companies sought new ways to compete, leading to mail coaches and stagecoaches being loaded onto the ‘open carriage waggons’ for onward travel to places such as Liverpool or Manchester. These connecting, or ‘branch coaches’ were to become the antecedent for the Branch Line railways of the future.

Built from 1964 to 1977, HAA wagons were built as a method to move coal more efficiently, particularly with the aim of improving the supply of coal to power stations. It was intended that trains of these wagons could run in a continuous loop from the colliery to the power station and back, with machinery in place to allow loading and unloading at slow speeds. In reality it was often the case that the infrastructure to allow this type of running did not exist, particularly at the collieries, but nonetheless these wagons greatly improved coal transfer.

With the decline of Britain’s coal industry these previously extremely common wagons have now become extremely rare with most having been either scrapped or rebuilt as another form of wagon.

Wagons included in this pack: Railfreight HAA 356106 Railfreight HAA 356107 Railfreight HAA 356108

Built from 1964 to 1977, HAA wagons were built as a method to move coal more efficiently, particularly with the aim of improving the supply of coal to power stations. It was intended that trains of these wagons could run in a continuous loop from the colliery to the power station and back, with machinery in place to allow loading and unloading at slow speeds. In reality it was often the case that the infrastructure to allow this type of running did not exist, particularly at the collieries, but nonetheless these wagons greatly improved coal transfer.

With the decline of Britain’s coal industry these previously extremely common wagons have now become extremely rare with most having been either scrapped or rebuilt as another form of wagon.

Wagons included in this pack: Coal Sector HAA 354496 Coal Sector HAA 354497 Coal Sector HAA 354499

HAA wagons were built as a method to move coal more efficiently, particularly with the aim of improving the supply of coal to power stations. It was intended that trains of these wagons could run in a continuous loop from the colliery to the power station and back, with machinery in place to allow loading and unloading at slow speeds. In reality it was often the case that the infrastructure to allow this type of running did not exist, particularly at the collieries, but nonetheless these wagons greatly improved coal transfer.

With the decline of Britain’s coal industry these previously extremely common wagons have now become extremely rare with most having been either scrapped or rebuilt as another form of wagon. Based upon the successful HAA wagon, the HFA design added an aerodynamic canopy designed to stop coal-dust from escaping.

Wagons included in this pack: Coal Sector HFA 358713 Coal Sector HFA 358550 Coal Sector HFA 358784

HAA wagons were built as a method to move coal more efficiently, particularly with the aim of improving the supply of coal to power stations. It was intended that trains of these wagons could run in a continuous loop from the colliery to the power station and back, with machinery in place to allow loading and unloading at slow speeds. In reality it was often the case that the infrastructure to allow this type of running did not exist, particularly at the collieries, but nonetheless these wagons greatly improved coal transfer.

With the decline of Britain’s coal industry these previously extremely common wagons have now become extremely rare with most having been either scrapped or rebuilt as another form of wagon. Based upon the successful HAA wagon, the HFA design added an aerodynamic canopy designed to stop coal-dust from escaping.

Wagons included in this pack: EWS HFA 354248 EWS HFA 354249 EWS HFA 354250

China clay, more formally known as Kaolinite, is one of the main products of the south west of England. Until the 1980s this cargo was transported by rail using small wooden wagons covered with tarpaulin. Based upon the HAA wagon design, CDA wagons featuring a flexible hopper covering to protect the clay from the rain were introduced in 1987 carrying the livery of English China Clays, although more recently they have been repainted in EWS colours.

Wagons included in this pack: EWS CDA 375072 EWS CDA 375073 EWS CDA 375074