BBP/NZBF Ballast Plough

NZBF 1043 in Way & Works cream, Enfield Yd.

The last of 16 BBP bogie ballast ploughs was delivered in 1970. There appear to have been two different body styles on the same underframe. Both types had a guard’s compartment, taking up about 20% of the wagon, at one end with a door on either side. The rest of the wagon consisted of living quarters for the ballasting crew. These quarters consisted of a kitchen area with oven, fuel stove and sink; a living area with table, fixed seats, two berths and a wardrobe; and an ablutions area with shower and WC. One type of wagon had only a single door into the crew facilities and large guards duckets, the other had a door each side and small duckets.

More information is required on these vans and their numbers. Many of these wagons were condemned in the mid 1980s; some were returned to service after removal of the superstructure. The stripped wagons appear to have all been different and the conversions may have been done in several depots/maintenance centres. Different devices were employed to increase the weight of the stripped wagons including steel beams and concrete blocks.

Builders: 16 vans were built in the NSWGR workshops.

- 1^st batch of 12 vans were built between 1967-68 and were numbered 1035 – 1046.

- 2^nd batch of 4 vans were built between 1969-70 and were numbered 1047 – 1050.

Length: 10.668m over headstocks Tare: 20 t Width: 2.794 m over plough Height: 3.81 m

Bogies: 2BN, 2BV, AVA, AVB

Coding:

- Introduced as the BBP.

- Some may have been recoded FBP when they obtained roller bearing bogies.

- They were recoded NZBF in the ROA renumbering of 1980.

Colour Scheme:

- The covered wagons were generally in Ways and Works cream

- After conversion the stripped wagons had several colour schemes. Some were in dark blue (eg 1041, 1047), at least one (1036) was yellow and others appear not to have been repainted.

Further Modifications:

The covered forms of the wagon underwent numerous small changes, generally only applied to one or a few wagons so that they slowly became more and more dissimilar in detail. The major modification came in the removal of the superstructure of some wagons in the mid 80s. Some of the converted wagons are still in operation. Wagons known to have been converted include NZBF 1036, W 1037, NZBF 1041, W 1043, and NZBF 1047. Some, including 1036, 1041 and 1047, had decks; others were skeletal. Wagons 1044 and 1049 apparently survived into the 1990s with the superstructure intact.

Operation:

The BBPs operated at the end of a rake of ballast hoppers, either at one end only or at both ends, depending on the job to be done and whether the section had to be cleared during ballasting for other traffic. The covered vans could be seen with the NHWF (BBW/FBW type) and NHBF wagons. The stripped version could be seen with the welded NHWF, NHBF and NDFF wagons.

Modelling:

Rails North produced an epoxy kit of the 4-door covered van in the 1980s. It is not currently available

Hanovale Model Castings has produced a urethane kit of the same version. It is still available

Hanovale has also produced a kit of the converted NZBF 1041.This kit is also still available.

The 3-door covered version would need to be scratch built although the Hanovale or Rails North underframe would appear to be suitable.

References:

Australian Railway Detail Photographs CD 3 has a series of photographs of the covered vans 1044 and 1049.

- PLAN for timber-bodied version.

BBP in action!

The other side of NZBF 1049X at Bathurst. Aaron Denning

NZBF Roof details

W1037 undergoing conversion by Fessl Pty Ltd in Parkes yard, 1987. Photo Roger Jones

Both sides of NZBF 1036, Goobang Junction, Oct 1995 (upper) and Parkes, Apr 1997, photos Roger Jones

NZBF W1043 Parkes, Feb 1991, Roger Jones

NZBF 1047, Goobang Junction, Oct 1995, Roger Jones

NZBF 1047N at Dubbo Yd in RSA Teal. Josh Beveridge