STANDARD WAGON PGA

Cavalex Models first project

Designed and built by Standard Wagon of Heywood in the late 1970s early 1980s, the 51-tonne glw, 2 axle hopper replaced the aging fleet of HTV wagons. With Design code PG012 and with a 38 tonne payload, the fleet of new wagons helped Redland not only to increase tonnages to their distribution terminals in London and the South East of England but also the company’s operational efficiency. The new wagons operated out of Redland’s Mountsorrel quarry moving large quantities of aggregate products to their terminals at Radlett near St Albans, Trowse near Norwich, Kennet near Newmarket, Elstow in Bedfordshire, Barham near Ipswich, Bat and Ball near Sevenoaks Kent, Woking and Aylesbury. Painted in Redland’s light green livery with red, text these wagons could be seen on BR metals behind a variety of traction from the early ‘80s up until and post privitisation.

In 1997 Redland was acquired by the French industrial company Lafarge which saw the PGA wagons gain a new livery, white body with Lafarge’s company logo.

Following the purchase of the PGA wagons by DB Schenker, the wagons began to lose the Lafarge logo with the majority of the fleet remaining in all white livery or gaining a black patch on the body side. Up until August 2016 these wagons could still be seen on the network plying their trade delivering aggregates to terminals around the country. Whilst a few remain in service in 2019, these are in the process of being replaced by newer bogie aggregate hopper wagons.

We feel that the PGA will appeal to modellers across the spectrum from those that model the current scene right the way back to those modelling the early 80s and 90s. Regarding regions, as mentioned previously they ran from Mountsorrel to East Anglia, the Western, Southern, London and Midland, so they travelled far and wide. Also the variety of traction that can pull them is very extensive, including classes, 20, 25, 31, 37, 45, 47, 56, 58, 60, 66 and 73, which is quite a selection!

Whilst these wagons normally and historically run in long rakes, there have been occasions where services are split into shorter rakes to allow smaller terminals to accommodate the workings. More recently these wagons have also been mixed in with bogie hopper wagons offering modellers further potential for variety on their layouts.

Project status - First production run arrived in the UK in November 2018. Second production run arrived in the UK November 2019.