NHFF 100t Coal Hopper

 

 

NHFF in original condition.                                                                               Casula Hobbies Collection.

 

These stainless steel coal hoppers were built to cope with expected increase of coal traffic from the mines in the Western Region (Baal Bone, Charbon Clarence etc) and Hunter Valley. Nicknamed ‘Bomb Bay’ hoppers, as they were the first type of hopper fitted with 3 large longitudinal bottom discharge doors. Their arrival coincided with the expansion of the export coal terminals at Pt Waratah and Pt Kembla Inner Harbour.

 

Builders:

600 were built by EPT in 1982-84.

-                     300 were built in 1982-83, and numbered 42500-42799.

-                     300 were built in 1983-84, and numbered 42800-43099.

 

200 very similar NHKF wagons were built by Goninan in 1984-87 and are numbered 43200-43399.

 

Length: 16.7m              Tare: 23t                      Gross: 100t

 

Bogies: Gloucester DCA

 

Recodings:

            As delivered the wagons were allocated into 2 different operating areas –

-                     Hunter Valley based wagons were coded NHFF,

-                     Southern & Western coalfield based wagons were recoded NHJF.

This was done to distinguish between members of the fleet on paper.

-           Later some Hunter Valley based wagons were transferred to the southern area, they were given upgrades to the discharge doors and were recoded NHSH.

-           33 NHFF’s were fitted with experimental bogies on which they still sit and were recoded NHFH.

 

Colour Schemes:

 

-                     As delivered, the hopper body was unpainted stainless steel with a 2-tone blue L7 logo. The ends and chassis was SRA Red. Bogies were black.

-                     In time they weathered to a heavy grime dark grey/brown.

-                     With the renaming of the freight division of the SRA to Freight Rail, a new logo was attached to the body sides, over the existing PTC L7’s.

-                     When FreightRail was renamed FreightCorp, these logos were placed on the wagons.

-                     With the sale of FreightCorp to Pacific National, PN have applied its own corporate logo to the hoppers.

 

Modifications:

 

-                     As delivered, the hoppers were individually coupled and coded NHFF/NHJF.

-                     Later they were overhauled by Varley Engineering and converted to 3-pack sets by adding permanent solid drawbars between inner hoppers, leaving automatic coupler at both ends of the set. Some sets have mixed codings in the same 3-pack. Varley also fitted a sensor towards the top rim of the hopper. These sensors allowed the wagons to pass thru automatic discharge unloading sheds. They also had a direction arrow applied to show which way the vehicle had to travel thru the unloader.

-                     Some sets were fitted with a No3 pipe, which when coupled to the locomotives provides extra independent brake holding power when stopped without the main automatic brake applied throughout the train. Enough sets were converted to allow 6-12 hoppers, dependant on the length of the train, to be placed at each end of a train. These sets have ‘B’ in a yellow diamond logo applied near the codeboard on each side. Sets from all code variations have been modified.

 

Operation:

 

Modelling in HO:

 

-                     Auscision Models released a model of the class in 2006.

 

New NHFF at EPT workshops, 1982

 

Auscision Models Collection

 

          

NHKF as new                                                  NHSH with FC logo

 

              

NHSH with PN logo                                        other wagons in service today.

 

 

NHFF type hopper interior with the ‘bomb bay’ discharge doors open!