PBA BOGIE LIME HOPPER WAGONS
Above : PBA (JAA) TRL 135xx seen at Warrington Bank Quay on the Mossend - Bescot Enterprise - this and the other three PBAs behind it will be detatched in Arpley yard for onward movement to Dowlow the next morning (Thursday)
Above : Two PBAs seen in the Down goods loop at Peak Forest as part of the Speedlink train from Warrington Arpley to Peak Forest; Hope Earles Sidings, Buxton and Hindlow. Livery was originally a desert sand brown colour which weathers to the colours seen here. This train was jam packed full of wagons and ran from about 1986 to the end of Speedlink. At the front were the empty PBA and PAA lime hoppers, then the loaded TTA fuel tanks for Buxton MPD, then other wagons as required (VAAs, POAs etc) often returning from works followed by a longish rake of empty PCAs. With the train in the Down loop, the PCAs could be taken off the rear and put into the Up sidings for onward movement to Earles Sdgs then once done the train would continue onto Buxton via Ashwood Dale where the loco would run round and uncouple the fuel tanks and deposit them in another siding. The remaining PBA and PAA wagons were taken along the Hindlow branch for re-loading at Steetley lime works at Brigg's Sidings, Dowlow. The return journey collected empty TTAs from Buxton and loaded PCAs and other wagons for repair from Peak Forest. However, the formation was slightly different - Train loco(s) + Loaded PCAs for Northenden cement terminal + misc wagons + empty TTAs + loaded PBA/PAAs + loaded PCAs for Widnes cement terminal. Once the train arrived at Northenden the loaded tanks were swapped for the empties and attached to the front of the train :. Northenden empties returned back via Warrington and added to the empties from Widnes to form one rake of empties for the next day ! Phew.
Above : TRL 13522 is seen in the consist of the 6F67 Dowlow - Peak Forest - Warrington Arpley 'Enterprise' feeder service on the 28th March. The blue livery is only just showing thru the grime.
Notes from Rob Vollands GBrail website upon the ownership of the remaining JAAs
The TOPS owner listing shows that TRL13514/18/21/22 are owned by Peter D. Stirling Ltd. The only other JAA listed is TRL13516 which is owned by E.G. Steele. This is believed to have been cut up and the bogies re-used.
All of the other PBAs were scrapped to meet the credit needs of the various companies who were owed money by Tiger Rail - these wagons were scrapped during 1992. Some had been in use as PHAs on the Kings Lynn sand traffic and others on RMC stone from Peak Forest; at least one PHA wagon was noted in Cornwall again around 1992. The reason for the five wagons 'escaping' is that they were I believe on hire to ECCI for Ball Clay traffic to/from Quidhampton and may have been refurbished and painted into ECCI blue colours - that would explain the faded blue colour scheme that they wear at the moment. Up until now even I wasn't sure on the ownership of the wagons but as they are used solely on lime traffic from Lafarge Dowlow to P D Stirling at Mossend then having ownership of the four wagons would make sense. More recent developments has seen the wagons operating in the Doncaster area. It would seem that once the powdered lime has been discharged they are cleaned and re-loaded with sand which is then taken to the glassworks at Barnby Dun, near Doncaster. Empty wagons are then thought to be returned to Dowlow via Warrington Arpley.