WOAX Open Wagon

WOAX 33124Y at Cookamidgera on 19/9/87 with a WestRail logo. Roger Jones

These steel bodied open wagons have smooth sides with 2 pairs of double opening doors. They were originally designed with opening ends for discharging wheat, but these were later sealed. With the opening of the standard gauge link across Australia in 1970, these wagons were made available for interstate use. The wagons were used for general goods traffic.

In 1997, Silverton purchased 28 stored WOAX open wagons from the West Australian Government Railways (WAGR). About 19 of these, re-entered service in late 2003 as container wagons. Some running numbers are - 33012A, 33021W, 33032Q, 33043K, 33046Y, 33047A, 33059D, 33095W, 33126F, 33148F, 33163K, 33196P, 33198K, 33202G, 33207F, 33218W, 33225D, 33227V, 33233Q. No modifications were made to these wagons for use in container traffic. They can be loaded with 2 x 20ft or 1 x 40ft container.

Builders: 231 wagons were built by Midland Workshops in WA over 4 batches.

- 100 were built in 1966-67 and numbered 33001-33100,

- 58 were built in 1969 and numbered 33101-33158,

- 48 were built in 1970 and numbered 33159-33216, and

- 25 were built in 1973 and numbered 33217-33233.

Length: 18m Tare: 25t Capacity: 55t Gross: 80t

Bogies: 2CL or any bogie exchange equivilent.

Coding:

- Originally coded WGX.

- They were recoded WOAX in the 1979 ROA system.

- Silverton recoded them SOAX.

Colour Scheme:

- As introduced they were painted yellow with black WAGR lettering, coding and bogies.

Operation:

The ‘big yellow WAGR open wagons’ have been operating in NSW since 1970. They were some of the first vehicle types allocated to intersystem working with the opening of the standard gauge link across Australia. They could be seen on mainly interstate goods trains, but have also been seen on some remote country branchlines.

Silverton’s wagons are used on containerised cotton trains from Warren and Wee Waa to Sydney and on their Sydney to Carrington ‘Tolls’ service.

The wagons were taken out of service in 2012.

Modelling:

- ‘Protype’ produced a whitemetal kit of the wagon, but is no longer available.

- ‘Scaleways’ produced a urethane kit but is no longer available.

- IDR produced a urethane kit in HO but is currently not available.

- SDS Models produced an RTR HO model in 2017.

A Silverton SOAX at Wee Waa. Roger Jones

SOAX wagon on 1441 ‘Toll Train’ in 2005 passing Enfield Yd. Josh Beveridge