Tag: iza

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Cargo inbound and Cargowaggon couplers

Cargowaggon deliveries and balance invoices

As many of you will have noticed our Cargowaggon twins arrived in the nick of time on Friday 7 September – just as the doors were closing on setup for TINGS.  This allowed us to hand out orders to customers at the show and save time picking/packing/posting on the rest of the orders.

We’ve got a few bits of admin to complete before we can start sending out the rest of the orders – namely closing off all the orders collected at TINGS and refunding any P&P due so that we don’t send out duplicates.

Then we will send out orders in the following order (in date order of when the order was placed):

  • Orders paid in full;
  • Balance invoices, which we will send to you and then despatch in order of when balance received.

NB based on previous experience it will take us a few weeks to process all the orders in our spare time so please bear with us.

If you like the look of the wagons but didn’t place an order then all the retailers listed on our website should have received their order by early next week (w/b 17/09/18).

Cargowaggon Coupler Conundrum

Some customers have reported that when coupling their new IZA twins together for the first time, in a small number of occasions the coupler pocket cover inside the wagon comes loose, meaning the socket can be pushed out of its housing and up into the wagon body.

At the factory both halves of the wagon were fitted with inner couplers.  This ensures customers have a spare, and also “loosens” the coupler pocket, but obviously on one car needs to be removed before the twin can be joined up.

To avoid any possibility of the socket becoming dislodged you may wish to remove the bodies of both wagons before coupling.  This is very simple as they just pull off with gentle pressure.

Then the coupler pocket covers can be held firmly in place with a fingertip as the model is clicked together.

If the cover does come loose, replacing the wire spring and putting the coupler pocket back in place – maybe with a tiny amount of adhesive – is straightforward.  Even if the spring is lost and the coupler will not automatically self-centre it will still function.

Because of their long wheelbase, the models will drag a little around curves less than 12″ radius.  If your locomotives are having trouble you may wish to remove the weights inside, which can be simply unscrewed.

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It’s twins for Revolution Trains

Revolution Trains is offering the ubiquitous Cargowaggon twin ferry van as its next RTR model in British N-gauge 1:148 scale.

IZA twin 27 80 2794 008-3 at Hoo Junction December 1986. Courtesy Paul Bartlett.

100 twin sets were built by Duewag of Germany for Cargowaggon in 1986, and the vast majority remain in service.

92036 “Bertolt Brecht” with a rake of IZAs carrying mineral water at Soulbury in 2013.Courtesy Andrew Chambers.

Coded IZA under TOPS, under the continental UIC system they were initially designated Habbfis, though this was later changed to Hfirrs 3.  Their success led to further builds of 50 pairs each in 1989 and 1991.

When introduced they were used on the Dover-Calais train ferries and they are certified for Channel Tunnel use.  The primary traffic for these wagons from the continent is mineral water, however they are or have been used to transport a wide variety of goods within Britain including bagged clay, newsprint, whisky, beer, cider, pet-food and metal.

A pair of IZA twin vans and two bogie vans behind 31142 on a Norwich-Whitemoor train at March in 1989. Courtesy Mick Page.

They have been recorded across the network, from Cornwall to the north of Scotland, from Kent to South Wales, from East Anglia to the Midlands and North West, and to the south of France, the Netherlands and Germany.

They can be seen both in block trains, or in smaller cuts in Enterprise (formerly Connectrail) wagonload trains, as well as MOD services.

47200 with three Cargowaggon twin sets immediately behind carrying cider between Exeter and Mossend, 1992. Courtesy Mick Page.

They were built in permanently coupled pairs to take advantage of European grants available at the time aimed at encouraging the use of wagons with 4 axles.  The brake gear is such that the they cannot operate separately; if one derails then the pair must be taken out of service.

Courtesy Ernie Puddick

When introduced, the majority carried Cargowaggon branding, though a small number of sets carried the Perrier logo as they were used on mineral water traffic from central and southern France to Britain.

We will be offering both liveries, along with the slightly revised Cargowaggon livery brought in later, when the wagons were given modified lettering and the ferry hooks and axleboxes were painted yellow.

We are working with Touax, the present owners of these wagons, to ensure our model is as accurate as possible and we would like to thank them for all their assistance in drawings and site visits.

Our model will feature expected levels of fidelity and detail, with injection-moulded plastic bodies, separately fitted detail parts and handrails, kinematic NEM couplers on the outer ends and a inner coupler ensuring the wagons are a scale distance apart.

We are also offering one pack with a factory fitted, battery powered flashing tail lamp at one end, for additional authenticity and realism.

Look out for the flashing tail light option!

The models are priced at £36 for each twin, £108 for a triple pack with different numbers and £40 for the twin fitted with a flashing tail lamp.

Once we have enough pre-orders we will authorise tooling to begin and, as ever, we will only produce enough models to satisfy pre-orders.