BC, BCX, CBX Family Container Wagon

BC 21012 at South Dynon in 1979. Rob O’Reaan

This group of 145 wagons is arguably the most complex and convoluted of any NSW bogie wagon class. There have been more than 20 different codes for these wagons. They include: BC, BBC, BCX, CBX, BBX, EBC, ECB, SBC, STX, NFBX, NQBX, NQDX, NQEX, NQEF, NKDX, NKEX, RKEX (1 wagon, possibly a paper-only recode), RKXX, RKXF, RQRX, RQRF, RFRX. To add to the confusion there were five contracts, three different lengths of wagon, the wagon numbers in the second contract were a broken series and the wagon numbers of the first contract fall within the range of the second contract numbers. As well as being recoded the wagons were also renumbered. Some wagons appear to have had at least a half dozen different codes over the years.

The BCX type wagons were designed for general flat and container wagon service but some of the wagons had modifications for particular purposes. The STX was designed to carry trucks (piggyback loading); the BBC and BBX were fitted with bolsters and stanchions, the EBC and ECB were through-wired for electrical operation of refrigerated containers (with the aid of a an EHG power van) and the CBX was designed to carry 37’ dry containers.

The BCX code was applied to some members of each contract and was the most common of the codes. The 73’6” wagons were not suitable for 37’ containers (without a small extension on the ends of the deck) and less suitable than the other lengths for LCL containers.

To an extent the BCX-type wagons had a relatively short useful life, being quickly overtaken by improvements in transportation technology. They were designed for domestic containers, which were quickly supplanted by ISO containers, necessitating changes to the container lock configuration. The wagons were heavy and restricted to 80 km/h. Comparison with the OCX and particularly the OCY wagons, which came along not much later, shows that the lighter wagons designed for ISO containers and without the extra (and essentially useless) deck length had, and continue to have, a much longer useful life. Where the BCX-type wagons did excel over many years was in the transport of steel rod and plate, where the length, speed restrictions and weight were unimportant.

Most of the BCX-type wagons appear to have been set aside or withdrawn with the exception of some RKXF wagons.

Builders:

- Six BC wagons built by Chullora Workshops in 1963, numbered 21010 – 21015. These wagons were 73’ 6” long and had an open deck however the openings in the deck have been plated over

- Ten 73’ 6” wagons built by Chullora Workshops in 1964 – 1965, numbered 21001, 21002, 21004, 21005, 21007, 21008, 21016-21019. There is some dispute about the number of wagons in this contract and the numbers allocated to the wagons but at least one of the missing numbers (21009) was assigned to an NFEA (E wagon).

- Fifty wagons built by Commonwealth Engineering in 1966 – 1967, numbered 21701 – 21750. These wagons were 74’ 0.5” long

- Twenty-nine BCX wagons built by AE Goodwin in 1968 – 1969, numbered 21751 – 21779. These wagons were 75’ long

- Fifty CBX (and BCX?) wagons built by Commonwealth Engineering in 1971 – 1972, numbered 21780 – 21829. These wagons also appear to have been 75’ long

Apart from the different lengths there were other differences between the various contracts including the depth of the side sills, the presence or absence of lashing rails and the type of lashing rail if present.

Other Running Numbers:

The 143 surviving wagons were allocated numbers in the range 60080 – 60224 in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The 60000 series numbers were allocated in order (ie 21001 became 60080, 21002 became 60081 etc) and numbers were reserved for the two wagons that did not survive until the renumbering (there were no wagons numbered 60118 (21723) or 60168 (21773))

Contracts 1 & 2 Length: 73’6” (22.403 m) Tare: 29 t Capacity: BC 47 t, SBC 48 t, EBC 55 t

Contract 3 Length: 74’ 0.5” (22.567 m) Tare: BCX, CBX 27 t, BBX 30 t, STX 29 t Capacity BCX, CBX 49 t, BBX 46 t, STX 47 t

Contracts 4 & 5 Length: 75’ (22.86 m) Tare: 27 t Capacity: 49 t

Bogies:

- Exchange type bogies for those with codes ending in X. The others were apparently fitted initially with 2CE or 2DA bottom hanger clasp bogies

- NRC/PN wagons with F as the final code letter have been fitted with 70t bogies

Coding:

- BC – from the first two series only, eventually converted to BCX

- BBC – first two series only, a short-lived code used for wagons with removable bolsters but without exchangeable bogies

- BCX – the most common of the codes. It is believed that all of the fourth contract entered service as BCX as did much of the third and perhaps the fifth. Many wagons from the first two contracts were recoded BCX.

- CBX – third contract, set up for two 37’ containers, 21721, 30, 34, 40, 46 (there may have been a few others) plus much, if not all, of the fifth contract.

- BBX – third contract, set up with removable bolsters and stanchions

- EBC – first and second contracts, electrically wired, mounts to carry four 16’8” refrigerated containers or two 33’ 7” containers, power from EHG power van

- ECB – first and second contracts, electrically wired, to carry two 37’ refrigerated containers, power from EHG power van

- SBC – second contract, similar to the BC, possibly only a single wagon 21019

- STX – third contract, numbers 21731, 32, 35, 36, 39, 41, 42, 44 (may have been a few others). Used for piggyback services west of Goobang Junction

- With the ROA coding of 1980 the wagons set up as flat wagons were coded NFBX and those set up for container transport coded NQBX apart from a handful of electrically wired container wagons which were coded NQEF. Commencing in the late 1980s, wagons designated for steel traffic were recoded NQDX (and later NKDX) and wagons in container traffic were all recoded NQEX, whether electrically wired or not.

- With the formation of NRC the container wagons were recoded RQRX and the steel wagons recoded RKXX/RKXF. The NFBX wagons were apparently converted to either container wagons or steel wagons in the early 1990s. Eight wagons were further converted/recoded from RQRX container wagons to RFRX flat wagons. It appears that RKXF wagons are the only ones still in regular traffic. Some wagons were returned by NRC and regained their earlier NSW codes.

Colour Scheme: Introduced in gunmetal lacquer. There doesn’t appear to have been a repainting program although individual wagons have received PTC blue and SRA red liveries.

Modifications:

- The initial contract was delivered with an open deck that was subsequently covered in. Many wagons received minor modification such as repositioning of container locks, removal of bolsters, removal of LCL and 37’ container locks. More recently the RKXF style wagons have had vertical posts fitted to the ends and sides, giving them the appearance of a longer RKQF.

Similar Vehicles: RKXX/XF

Period of Service: 1963 to the present (although only a few are still in service)

Operation:

The BCX-type wagons were initially used in general flat wagon service and to carry a variety of different types of domestic container. The basic wagon could hold up to 10 LCL containers. Some were designed to take two dry 37’ containers, others to take electrically refrigerated containers in either of two different sizes. It was this last service for which the wagons are probably best known. They were used, with an EHG power van, for the express transport of Tasmanian and Victorian fruit from Melbourne to Sydney. In later years the container and flat wagons were used mainly in intrastate traffic, being too slow for interstate intermodal traffic. The steel wagons were used in interstate traffic, carrying flat sheets at the 80 kph speed these trains run at. Occasionally the flat wagons were used to transport trucks as, after the conversion of the NQSY and similar wagons, they were the only long NSW wagon with a solid deck.

Modelling: No HO model known, would need to be scratchbuilt.

BBX 21715 with a load of steel plate at Albury in August 1979. Rob O’Regan

BCX 21015 with two 37’ flat pack containers at Chilton Loop in 1979. Rob O’Regan

CBX 218016 at South Dynon in July 1979. Note the holes in the deck for fitting retaining brackets for LCL containers.

Rob O’Regan

ECB 21014 at South Dynon bogie exchange sidings in June 1979. Rob O’Regan

NQDX 60122U at Cootamundra in 2002. A Browne