Merry-go-round train
[2] It was estimated at the time that the 80 MGR hoppers needed to feed Cockenzie would replace up to 1,500 conventional wagons.
When MGR services were first introduced, British Rail designed an all-new wagon with air brakes and a capacity for 33 tonnes of pulverised coal.
[8] Before the introduction of TOPS these wagons were referred to by the telegraphic code name "HOP AB 33", this was an abbreviation of Hopper Air Brake 33 tonne.
With the coming of privatisation to Britain's railways, new wagon types have been introduced by EWS (HTA), GB Railfreight (HYA), Freightliner Heavy Haul (HHA and HXA) and Jarvis Fastline (IIA).
These new wagons have increased tonnage and air-operated doors that do away with the need for the "Dalek" release mechanism at the power station end of the trip.
When Railfreight re-invented itself in 1987, a new livery with yellow framework and a large coal sector logo on the hopper side was introduced.
Merry-go-round hoppers were worked hard however, and the typical livery included a coating of coal dust.
However, whilst power stations such as Ratcliffe, West Burton and Cottam had balloon loops, few if any colliery/loading points had them, and thus true merry-go-round operation never really existed.
Two of the class 60s were named in honour of the men behind the MGR system, 60092 Reginald Munns and 60093 Jack Stirk.
In 1985, Driver Only Operation (DOO) was introduced after a short training session on the wagons which mostly showed how to isolate a defective brake.
MGR trains in the Worksop and Shirebrook areas to West Burton and Cottam started running.
More of the type were replaced when EWS introduced a new batch of 1144 high-capacity bogie coal hoppers (HTA) from 2001.
Coalfish Conversions Although many HAAs were scrapped for being worn out, approximately 1,000 had donated their underframes to be rebuilt as MHA low-sided box spoil wagons for infrastructure and general use.
An initial order for 250 extended several times until eventually over 1,150 wagons were converted using two distinct body styles.
There are now only three MGR hoppers still remaining on the network, excluding the examples that were successfully converted into china clay covered hoppers Whilst there were over 10,000 of the MGR wagons to begin with, there was only one notable scrapping after their official withdrawal in 2009 due to the wagon being scrapped in error at Newport Docks.
The CDA was introduced in 1987-88 for English China Clay trains in Cornwall, with 124 wagons being built at Doncaster Works.
A prototype was converted from a HAA, number 353224, which the National Wagon Preservation Group are custodians of, in 1987 at Derby Works and given the design code CD001A.
In 2011, The NRM secured the last-built MGR hopper (HDA 368459) and it was appropriately moved to its Shildon outpost in May of the same year.
As of 2024, the NWPG and Chasewater Railway have collectively acquired ten MGR wagons and have regular running days throughout the operating season
