Almost 10,000 sturdy wagons, specifically designed by British Railways, were built to carry iron ore traffic. In the BR era it was found that it was just as easy to empty the wagons by rotating them on a tippler, removing the need for any doors at all. The BR design is superficially very similar to the 16 ton mineral with a body 16'6" long featuring clear steel sides braced by channel sections.

However, iron ore is much denser than coal, so the wagons have a smaller cubic capacity (being about 4" lower than a 16ton mineral), and a higher payload, at either 26 or 27 tons. There are technically five different diagrams for BR iron ore tipplers, all varying slightly in detail. The first three were built with a 9'0" wheelbase, but on the last two it was increased to 10'0" to improve stability when running. The first 8,590 wagons were built originally without automatic vacuum brakes.

Most tipplers were used for iron ore traffic, and were regularly seen in the Stoke area in block train working. In 1965, 94 tipplers were branded to be used for chalk traffic, and 91 for sand traffic, replacing obsolete fleets of older wagons. The absence of doors ensured there were no leaks en route!

In the early 1970s the demand for wagons for iron ore traffic declined and many more of the tipplers were used for stone traffic, with a distinctive "STONE" logo stencilled on the sides. Some of these were a feature of the Stoke area too, appearing on the Caldon Low stone trains. Other wagons were converted for Ingot Mould traffic, carrying large lumps of steel on a bed of ballast.

THE MODEL:

Our model is of the 9’ wheelbase version. Although reproduced to 1.54" : 1' is more of a representation than a like for like scale replica, allowing us to produce a reliable and useable model that still looks just the part. All steel construction and modern engineering techniques allow this model to be used on a garden railway or club track alike, whether used in a rake behind a loco or shunted in a yard, without losing detail.

KEY FEATURES:

• TIG & MIG welded body and chassis assemblies
• Profile Channel section for chassis
• Rivet detail
• Sprung suspension
• Sprung Buffers
• Sprung draw Hooks
• Laser cut Underframe gear, brake & spring detail
• Choice of BR bauxite or BR freight grey paint finishes
• Choice of wagon numbers allowing you to build up rakes of wagons
• Full 12 month warranty