SL/NZLA
High Capacity Flat Wagon
NZLA 2201 at Goobang Junction in 1987
Roger Jones
The SL/NZLA wagons were of a most unusual appearance. The two members of the class were only around 11.5m long but had four curved frame bogies and a horizontal V shaped draw gear arrangement. The flat steel deck between the V shaped draw gear was only 8.2m long. They had a capacity of 120 tonnes.
Builders:
-
Railway Workshops
Running Numbers: 2200, 2201
Length: 11.58m Tare: 31t Capacity: 120t Gross: 151t Equiv Length: 1.9
Bogies: Four curve frame ‘ASF Ride Control A3’ bogies mounted in pairs on cast steel compensating bolsters (see article at bottom of page).
Coding:
- SL (presumably for Special Load)
- Recoded NZLA in the 1980 recoding
Colour Scheme:
- Gunmetal lacquer, repainted in SRA red
Modifications: The wagons could be configured in a couple of different ways as they had removable bolsters, removable stanchions and a removable swivel bolster
Similar Vehicles: None
Period of Service: The two wagons were delivered in 1950 and 1951. The wagons spent some time in storage at Clyde WMC, and now reside at Dorrigo.
Operation: The SLs were used for the carriage of heavy loads, generally by special trains, and as such were not a common site. The two class members often worked together, commonly with flat wagons (including TE wagons) acting as spacers between the SL’s.
Plan: Outline Drawing
Modelling:
No model is known, would need to be scratch built..
Three shots of NZLA 2201 in the piggyback
road at Goobang Junction in 1987 Roger
Jones
For several months Bradford Kendall based an
ad for their bogies on the relatively
new SL wagon. This ad is from the April 1952
issue of the long-defunct Railway Transportation.
NZLA’s 2200 and
2201 in storage in
NZLA 2201 in use thru Taree in the mid 1990’s. Brad Coulter