Wagons used for the Wheat and Seed industries

The various types of grain and it’s many by-products, make this section very comprehensive in content. Since the beginning of the railway, grain has been moved in large quantities.

At first, grains were shipped as a bagged item, loaded onto flat wagons or into open wagons and railed to a flourmill. Then the first specialized bulk product vehicles started to appear, in an attempt to reduce handling time. As the need for larger volumes of grain products increased, these bulk vehicles grew larger and larger. Types of Grains transported in bags and in hoppers include: Wheat, Sorgram, Canola, Barley, Rice and Corn. Click to go to information on these other products:

Flour Bagged Flour Rice

Wheat Wagons

One of the first bulk vehicles for the wheat industry came in the shape of the BWS. This was an S wagons fitted with extensions to the gunwale to increase capacity. Further developments included a provision in the floor of wagons to discharge the wheat thru bottom ‘trap doors’.

Another requirement of wheat, and other grains, was for it to be kept dry at all times. The first solution was to, tarp the vehicles, later improvements saw permanent roofs fitted to wagons. The latest improvement made to wagons, is the fitting of pneumatic roof hatch and bottom discharge door opening systems.

4 Wheel Wagons

BWS – Bulk wheat S wagon

CU – Tarped U wagon – forerunner to the RU

RU – Wheat hopper – the most common 4 wheel wheat vehicle.

Bogie Wagons

BWH/NGBA– 1954 COMENG – Steel Wheat Hopper – Plain Bearing bogies

FWH/NGBF – as above, but fitted with roller bearing bogies

WH/NGAF – 1968 COMENG – Aluminium Wheat hopper

WHX/NGAX – 1968 Tulloch – Aluminium Wheat hopper - Bogie exchangeable

GCF/NGCF – 1966 A.E Goodwin – Experimental Aluminium Wheat Hopper

WTY/NGTY/NGKF – (type 1) 1976 A.Goninan – Steel bodied Wheat Hopper

WTY/NGTY/NGPF – (type 2) 1977 Mittagong Eng – Steel Body Wheat hopper

NGDX -

NGIF –

NGHF –

NGMA/F – NGBA/F fitted with steel mesh roof walkways.

NGNF –

NGOF -

NGVF – Converted from CHS Coal Hoppers

NGWF –

NGXH – AWB 100-ton Stainless Steel Wheat Hopper

Private Operator Wagon –

CGAY – 2001 CFCLA 100-ton Aluminium Wheat Hopper

CGCF - CFCLA Wheat Hopper converted from NHEF Coal hoppers

XGAY – 1998 ATN Wheat Hopper.

MHGX – Manildra Wheat Hopper.

Interstate Visitors –

GJF/VHGF - Victorian 76 ton Aluminium/Steel Wheat wagons

VHAF – Freight Australia 76t Steel Wheat hopper

VHKY – Freight Australia 100 ton Aluminium Wheat Hopper

AHGX/Y – ARG Wheat Hoppers

Flour Hoppers

NGAX – Tulloch Hoppers converted for Manildra starch traffic

NGLF – as above, carries flour for Manildra flour traffic

PCC – Repurposed cement hopper for use as a ‘Fielders Corn Flour’ Wagon

MGFH – 100 ton Stainless Steel Manildra Flour Hopper

Bagged Flour

NGFF – ex GLX to curtain sided ‘Tautliner’ Van.

NBJX – ex JLX to curtain sided ‘Tautliner’ Van.

Other vehicles used for transport of bagged flour include:

NLDF – ex Newsprint Vans used by FreightRail/FreightCorp

WBAX – West Australian box Vans used by ARG

AQRF – Container wagons used by ARG

WQTY/WQCY - 63’ wagon for containerized bagged flour

Rice Hoppers

NGRX – Modified 1968 Tulloch wheat hoppers to carry Rice.

Interstate Visitors –

VHLY – Freight Australia 100 ton Rice hopper (Converted VHGF wheat hoppers)

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