KPX ‘KOPPERS’ Tankers

KPX 96 ‘Palmer’ fresh off the production line at Goninan’s workshops.

Courtesy Keith Hughes, Koppers Australia.

These tankers are owned and used by ‘KOPPERS (Australia) Pty Ltd’ to transport ‘creosote’ timber treatment fluid. They are loaded at the Pt Kembla Steelworks and are taken to ‘KOPPERS’ logs treatment plants throughout NSW. The wagons are each named after an executive of the company.

Builders:

- 17 tankers were used by KOPPERS.

- KPX 91-92 were Tulloch 45’ underframed tankers. They have not been seen running for some time.

- KPX 93-107 are ‘standard’ semi underframe-less tankers, which can be still seen today.

Number	Builder	Date	PTC Registered No.	Renumbered in 1983	Name
91	Tulloch	1968	9971	NTBF 3501	Originally Shell SCA.164, 1950 (No name).
92	“	1968	9972	NTBF 3502	Originally Shell SCA.165, 1950 (No name).
93	“	1974	11424	3503	BURKE
94	“	“	11425	3504	WINDSOR
95	“	“	11426	3505	BROWN
96	A. Goninan & Co	1975	11427	3506	PALMER
97	“	“	11428	3507	MITCHELL
98	“	“	11429	3508	BAILEY
99	“	1976	11456	3509	PIPER (c.2000 renamed WHITE) note 2
100	“	“	11457	3510	TURNER
101	“	“	11458	3511	CRAWFORD
102	“	“	11459	3512	WILSON
103	“	“	11460	3513	DUENCE
104	“	1977	11486	3514	T.M.JUNE
105	“	“	11487	3515	TALLARICO
106	“	“	11488	3516	ARMSTRONG
107	“	“	11489	3517	SMITH

Note.1 – It is believed that KPX 91-92 never carried a name.

Note.2 - KPX 99 was originally named PIPER. Upon his passing away, the Piper family requested the tank be

re-named WHITE in recognition of the new occupier of Pipers former seat in the boardroom.

Length: 16.1m Tare: 27t Capacity: 49t 48000L Gross: 76t Equiv Length:

Bogies: XCL

Coding:

- As introduced, they were coded KPX

- From 1979 they were recoded NTBF

- They became NTBX at a later date.

Colour Scheme:

- As introduced, the tank was an unpainted chromed finish with black underbody and bogies. They featured distinctive signboard with bold red ‘KOPPERS’ logo painted onto the tank. The tankers name and all other lettering was in black.

- Later they were repainted into the standard blank tanker livery with white lettering. They still retain their signage, but the ‘KOPPERS’ is now in bold yellow letters. Some tankers have later received repainted white logo.

Period of Service:

Operation:

As mentioned above these tankers are loaded with crude coke oven tar (CCOT) from Port Kembla Steelworks to the Koppers Carbon and chemicals site at Mayfield near the old BHP site in Newcastle.

Modelling:

A model would have to be scratchbuilt

KPX 92 at South Dynon, Vic. November 1978. Rob O’Regan

NTBX 3515J ‘Tallarico’ at Morandoo in October 2007. Brad Coulter

NTBX 3517E ‘Smith’ at Morandoo. Brad Coulter

NTBX 3513Y at Pt Kembla in 2005. Josh Beveridge