Covered steel wagons – codenamed BYA and probably dormant since prehistoric times, have been brought back to life by scientists at DB Cargo UK, working in their secret facility deep in the tropical jungles of Stoke on Trent. Alright, that may be enough tenuous movie references for one story, but DB Cargo UK is in the process of reviving some thirty-year-old covered wagons and genetically altering them to become open coiled steel carriers.
“The Stegosaurus is alive and well and living in Stoke”, says the company’s slightly tongue in cheek statement. Innovative engineers (they’re not actually scientists, but they do have white coats) at DB Cargo UK’s maintenance depot in Stoke on Trent are busy converting a set of unused BYA wagons into open hot coil wagons. The Jurassic nickname –‘The Stegosaurus’ – comes from the wagons’ operational profile, claiming the company looks like the fearsomely finned reptile. Fact is, the profile is anything but ferocious – and far more ferrous. The wagons are being reengineered to offer an economical answer to the needs of DB Cargo’s metals manufacturing customer base.
The company is breathing new life into 29 old and redundant BYA wagons after successfully trialling several prototypes with its customer Tata Steel. Demand has recently seen an increase for open hot coil wagons, so DB Cargo UK set about exploring ways to optimise its existing fleet of covered wagons to ensure it could continue to fulfil requirements. The challenge was given to DB’s cross-business Wagon Innovation Group, which came up with the concept of removing the doors from the BYA wagons and adapting the coil beds inside. The mark one prototype, which was completed in early 2020, was sent for live testing with Tata Steel, receiving only mixed reviews. To obtain a greater understanding of Tata’s needs, DB’s Sales and Production teams discussed the design with Tata and fed back some of their queries and additional requirements to its Group Technical Services (GTS) Team. Supplied with this valuable insight, the GTS boffins went back to the drawing board. In a flash of creative genius, they came up with a new version and called it Mark Two.