NOFF Mineral Concentrate Open Wagon

NOFF 70001P, at Morandoo after its first load from Cobar. Casula Hobbies Collection

Electric Power Transmission supplied 40 concentrate opens wagons in 1987-88. The wagons are short and have very low sides, adequate for a high density material like lead-zinc concentrates. The wagons appear not to have been successful and disappeared from mineral traffic very quickly while the much older NOEF’s and NOHF’s remained. They were later used in Departmental service as spoil wagons etc.

The class was overhauled a Bathurst Railway Workshops between 1991-92. During the overhaul they had their doors removed and replaced by plain panels. They were fitted with chokes about this time also, identified by the white triangle in the codeboard.

NOFF’s 70001G, 70025V and 70029 became shunters floats. They had a side panel removed and were fitted with a BP exhaust tap inside the body for a shunter to operate in an emergency. Several NOFF’s were acquired by CFCLA and converted into CQEY Container Wagons in 2000.

Builders:

- Electric Power Transmission built 40 wagons, which are numbered 70000 – 70039.

Length: 11 m Tare: 17.7 t Capacity: 58 t Gross: 76 t

Bogies: XFA

Coding:

- Only ever coded NOFF in revenue service .

Colour Scheme:

- Introduced in SRA red with white code applied directly to the side

Period of Service: 1988-1990 in concentrate traffic. 1990 + in departmental use.

Operation:

- Used mainly in Cobar to Pt Kembla and at times in Broken Hill mineral traffic but removed from these services in 1993. They were used inconjunction with NOGF and NOHF wagons.

Modifications: Doors removed in 1991-92. Shunter’s float conversion time unknown.

Remaining Vehicles: Shunters floats - 70001G is stored at Harden, 70025V is stored in Cootamundra, 70029 has been transferred to Victoria for use as a shunters wagon.

Modelling:

Columbia Models produced a RTR HO scale model in 2009.

SRA red NOFF 70015 N, coupled to a PTC blue NOEF 31866, Goobang Jn. Roger Jones

Both sides and an end of “class leader” NOFF 70000G, Goobang Junction, Oct 1989.

The yellow “stripe” on each photograph is the blade of a tape measure with exactly 1 metre exposed.

Roger Jones photos.

NOFF 70001G in use as the Temora Yd Shunters float. 22/1/03. Josh Beveridge

A pair of ex concentrate wagons, NOFF 70025V and NOHF 5201H in storage in Cootamundra Yd, 2005.

Note the height difference of the sides between the ‘G’ and NOFF types.

NOFF 70029L in storage at Carrington. Josh Beveridge

NOFF 70029L was later taken to Victoria, modified and recoded ROZX 70029J. Ed White