GB RAILFREIGHT has converted 49 former coal hoppers into wagons to move aggregates from Tarmac quarries.
They have been converted by removing the middle section to make them an appropriate length for aggregates use while retaining their 102-tonne maximum gross laden weight. The first 24 wagons to be converted are working trains from Arcow quarry to Bredbury, Agecroft and Leeds, while a second set of 25 wagons will work further services from Arcow and Swinden quarries. GBRf is one year into a five-year deal with Tarmac to haul aggregates out of Arcow and Swinden.
John Smith, managing director of GB Railfreight, said: ‘We are very pleased to have been able to refurbish and upgrade 49 new wagons, and continue to find innovative ways to support our customers’.
