Description
Designed in France by CFMF in 1980, three batches of wagons were built on behalf of Storage Transport Systems (STS). All had a 16′ wheelbase, a length of 27’1″, a gross laden weight of 50.75 tonnes, and a maximum speed of 60mph. The design featured top loading through twin hatches, with a single outlet for gravity or air pressure discharge. The wagons are fitted with hand wheel and air brakes, and Gloucester Pedestal suspension.
Some 79 were built: 12 by CFMF in 1980/1, subsequently sold to Blue Circle Cement; 52 by CFMF in 1982-3, for the spot hire fleet; and a further 15 by Fauvel-Girel in 1985, for hire to Rugby Cement. The three batches were very similar with minor variations to the roof walkways and brake gear. The earlier batch was disc-braked with a rounded ladder arrangement; the later batches had two steps in the ladders and were clasp braked. Ferry tie down hooks were present on the first two batches but not the last.
The BCC owned wagons were used on Blue Circle flows including to and from Eastgate, Hope, Northfleet, Oxwellmains, Swanscombe and Aberdeen. This essentially remains so today. All were/are painted in the Blue Circle plain grey livery. The second batch were hired out to several companies and were seen in STS grey livery in many parts of the UK. There is photographic evidence of them as far apart as Aberdeen, Barry, Hoo Junction, Severn Tunnel, and Westbury. They were in store by the 1990s. The third batch worked initially between Halling and Southampton on hire to Rugby Cement. All were in the standard Rugby Cement livery of the period. After this traffic ceased these wagons were stored. In the late 1990s all wagons from batches 2 and 3 were refurbished by Marcroft Engineering, returned to traffic by Caib and now work cement flows from Ketton to St Pancras. Some were still in traffic as of June 2015.