HOn3.5 12mm Narrow Gauge VO Steel Coal Hopper

VO STEEL COAL HOPPER. THESE COAL HOPPERS WERE BUILT FOR USE ON THE MOURA SYSTEM AND HAVE SINCE BEEN CONVERTED FOR USE IN MOLASSES TRAFFIC. SOME HAVE BEEN RECLASSIFIED FOR USE IN THE WEIGH IN MOTION TRAIN.

THIS KIT REQUIRES BOGIES:
QRB008 - HOn3½ STANDARD MODERN FREIGHT BOGIES (1 pair) See Accesories Tab to Add To Order

HISTORY.
The VO COAL HOPPERS were built by Nippon Seize Kaisa for the Moura Coal Line. The first VO wagons came into service in 1964 and 1965. There were 300 VO wagons built with the following running numbers, (1964) 32902-33001, (1965) 33269-33468. The VO class were originally built to run on the unit coal trains from Moura into Barney Point. The wagons were fitted with 8 bottom discharging doors and when built, ran on 2BP type bogies, however the second batch ran on 2CF style bogies. When they first entered service, the VO wagons were not fitted with slope sheets over the ends of the wagon. This later proved essential to ensuring the survival of the brake equipment.
In the 1994 and 1995, 45 VO wagons were converted to VMO Molasses Wagons. Around this time also, a number of the VO wagons were trialled for the haulage of apples from the Stanthorpe area.
In 1999, National Rail purchased 44 VO Coal Hoppers and reclassified them RHAF. They are currently running between Dunmore Quarry and Cooks River (south of Sydney).