[3] Cargowaggon was founded in Frankfurt, Germany by Swiss shipping company Danzas, to undertake trans-European shipment of customers rail cargo.
[9] Via taut weather proof vinyl side curtains, these wagons allowed easy access to load a number of palletised engines.
As the UK had the most restrictive loading gauge in European railways, the two jointly approached British Rail to agree a new design, which resulted in Ford placing an order for private owner wagons with Cargowaggon to make a replacement for the ageing VQX.
The problem of the twin axle design was that although its short length meant that it easily fitted on the cross-English Channel rail ferry, its long wheelbase restricted the minimum radius on which it could be used.
The resultant longer length wagon, based on a twin EVA bogie, twin axle design,[10] the IGA spawned three basic variants: The Cargowaggon IGA is now the most commonly used trans-European railway wagon, particularly popular since the opening of the Channel Tunnel, resulting in a design which has been improved over the developing years as opposed to replaced.