The wagon fleet is primarily comprised of a large fleet of container/flat wagons for general use, and smaller fleets of specialised vehicles such as coal hoppers, cement wagons and mineral concentrate wagons. In addition to revenue earning vehicles, a dedicated fleet of service stock primarily of flat wagons and ballast wagons are also available for use in maintenance activities.
This page gives a brief overview of the wagons that were in revenue traffic at some point in the privatisation era (1996 to 2014), but are now either scrapped or stored.
Tasmanian Rail News magazine publishes regular articles on the current wagon fleet, including statistics showing the status of existent vehicles (including stored wagons), changes since the last article and information on the major changes to the vehicles over the previous few years.
Articles have been published in the following issues: April 1993 (Issue 181), October 1996 (Issue 195), August 1999 (Issue 206), September 2002 (Issue 218) and July 2005 (Issue 228)
Previous classifications (Tasmania): FJ
Main Traffic: General container traffic
History: Eighty wagons were built by TGR from 1973. All remaining wagons scrapped or rebuilt to QS wagons from 1999
Number remaining: 0
Main Traffic: General container traffic
History: This single wagon was lengthened in the 1980s from an AOGF wagon underframe but not used. Placed into container traffic in 1998, but scrapped due to damage a few years later
Number remaining: 0
The carriage of logs on Tasmanian railways goes back many years, generally using standard flat wagons. Whilst predominantly to supply the paper mills at Boyer and Burnie, as well as the Longreach woodchip mill, under ATN a number of other movements were operated including serving the Hampshire woodchip mill on the ex Emu Bay Railway, and small numbers of wagons serving timber processing activities at Western Junction, Bell Bay and Tonganah. All of these traffics have now ceased and the wagons all stored or scrapped
Main Traffic: Pine logs
History: Rebuilt ex SAR O series open wagons (O, OB, OC, OX, AOGA/F, AOWA/L/Y, AOXX, CE) from 1981 onward. Some wagons converted to/from QP container wagons or FW class log wagons
Approximate number remaining: Most, if not all of the remaining wagons of this class were scrapped in late 2008.
Main Traffic: Pine logs
History: South Australian Railway's FB/AFFA class flat wagons transferred to Tasmania & modified for log traffic from 1986. Some wagons used for rock traffic around 1998
Approximate number remaining: Most, if not all of the remaining wagons of this class were scrapped in late 2008.
Main Traffic: Woodchip logs
History: Two hundred wagons built by TGR Launceston workshops from 1971. Air-braked 1981 to 1983. Many wagons converted to QN, QNH and FEP classes
Approximate number remaining: 60 (stored)
Main Traffic: Pine logs
History: Modified from FE class in 2000 and 2001
Approximate number remaining: 30 (stored)
Previous classifications (Tasmania): FFL
Main Traffic: Pine logs
History: Built as FFL class. Remaining wagons converted to air-brake in 1986/1987
Approximate number remaining: 4 (stored)
Main Traffic: Pine logs
History: Built for Commonwealth Land Transport Board in World War Two. To TGR as KKD class in 1944. Rebuilt as pine log wagons in 1978, modified to air-brake mid 1980s.
Approximate number remaining: 24 (stored)
Superphosphate for fertiliser had long been transported by rail from the EZ Company works at Risdon (near Hobart) to country sidings around the state. This largely ceased in the mid 1990s, although limited movement of imported superphosphate was later transported from the Pivot depot near Devonport to a number of sidings around the north of Tasmania. This too ceased in 2002 due to the short distances involved
Previous classifications (Mainland): WSH (Western Australian Government Railways), AHVY (AN)
Main Traffic: Superphosphate
History: Built for ballast traffic on the WAGR standard gauge line, eventually to AN ownership in same traffic. To Tasmania from 1987, later modified by fitting of permanent roof
Number remaining: 0
Main Traffic: Superphosphate
History: Converted by joining two HA wagons, later modified by fitting of roof. Used interchangeably with HD class
Number remaining: 0
In the past, petroleum products, clay slurry and sulphuric acid have been transported by rail in bulk in Tasmania. In more recent times small numbers of tank wagons have been used in waste oil traffic from Hobart and Burnie to Launceston, although this traffic ceased in 2005 due to a closure of the receiving plant. Other tank wagons were positioned around the system as water tankers to support fire fighting activities
Main Traffic: Clay slurry. Later waste oil or water for fire fighting
History: This class has a very convoluted history. Various tanks from the Commonwealth Railways, Australian National Railways and the TGR, were combined with a similarly diverse range of underframes between 1984 and 1995. Wagons all withdrawn with the cessation of clay traffic in 1997, since then various wagon reinstated as required
Approximate number remaining: 4
Thanks to Stuart Dix, Michael Dix, Phil Lange and Tasmanian Rail News magazine
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Page last updated: 6 January 2008
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