CDY Open Wagon

A new CDY 34601 upon delivery. SRA Archives photo.

These smooth sided open wagons feature distinctive external bracing and have a steel floor. They also feature 2 pairs of double side doors. They are fitted with external tarpaulin lashing rails and fittings for ridgepoles in the gunwale.

At the time of ordering, there had been a heavy demand for bogie open wagons. This led to a shortage of wagons and tarpaulins for superphosphate traffic. The above photo shows a proposed design of semi-permanent ridgepoles for super traffic. All wagons were supplied as built with 8 individual ridgepoles and regulations specified that they were to remain on the wagons at all times.

Builders:

200 wagons were built by EPT at their Sydney (Marayong) workshops in 1975-76. They were numbered 34601-34800.

Length: 20.1m Tare: 28t Capacity: 48t Gross: 76t (originally) Equiv Length: 3

In 1983, their capacity and gross was increased by 2 tons after the 2 ton handicap was lifted from vehicles fitted with 2CM(YMC) bogies.

Bogies: 2CM (YMC)

Coding:

- As introduced, they were coded CDY

- After 1979, they were recoded NOCY.

- Those wagons transferred to NRC in 1994, were recoded ROCY.

- NRC converted some for carrying wheelsets and recoded them RZCY.

- Silverton Rail purchased some and recoded them SOCY.

Colour Scheme:

- As introduced, they were painted in PTC blue with gunmetal grey bogies. The first 13 were decorated with a white mk1 PTC logo, the remainder had the white shadowed L7 logo applied.

- Some appeared in the SRA red livery with a 2-tone red/yellow L7 on white background logo. Bogies were black.

- A few appeared to be painted in Black, but little information is known at this time.

- From 1994, some of those who stayed under FreightRail/FreightCorp were painted a very dark version of FreightRail Blue.

- Most NRC wagons were repainted NRC light grey overall with black bogies and lettering.

- A few NRC wagons were repainted for the ‘SeaTrain’ intermodal port link service and received a Royal blue livery with white ‘SeaTrain’ logo and lettering.

Modifications:

- As stated above, NRC converted a few for wheelset transport by adding cradles for the wheels inside the wagon.

- Most FreightCorp NOCY’s were converted to the 55 (or 52?) NQKY container wagons in 1997.

Similar Vehicles:

- NQKY Container wagon

Period of Service: 1976 to 2003 as general open wagons. Silverton Rail operates them unchanged in container traffic.

Operation:

They were used as general open wagons, and were therefore able to carry anything (Bagged wheat, hay, pipes, steel, containers etc). They are capable of 115km/h operation and although not bogie exchangeable, they were common on interstate goods trains.

Modelling:

- AR Kits have available the CDY/NOCY/ROCY/RZCY in HO scale kit form and in RTR.

- Hanovale have a HO scale kit available

- Stephen Johnson Models do have a HO scale kit but is not redially available

- Frate-N have a RTR N scale model available.