Railtrack Auto-ballaster

[Intercity]

Hi All, I have been looking for the Railtrack Auto-ballaster wagons, I see Hattons and Rails both have the generator wagon but not the regular ones, I assume these are no longer in production? if anyone knows of a place that still has any boxed away please let me know, I keep an eye on FleaBay and the popular online shops.

Also from the videos I've seen am I correct in thinking one generator to four non-gen in each set?

IC

[RailGooner]

Hi All, I have been looking for the Railtrack Auto-ballaster wagons, I see Hattons and Rails both have the generator wagon but not the regular ones, I assume these are no longer in production? if anyone knows of a place that still has any boxed away please let me know, I keep an eye on FleaBay and the popular online shops.

Also from the videos I've seen am I correct in thinking one generator to four non-gen in each set?

IC

Try Track Shack, though I may have had their last. I've had quite a few from ebay too. They come up quite frequently. I've never paid over £35 (inc. P&P) on ebay - bowing out of any auctions that went higher - confident that another would come along soon enough if I missed out.

Yes, normally rakes of 5 (4x non-gen + 1x gen).

[Tank]

You'll be lucky to find the 'curved top' autoballasters.  I managed to get my sets when other modellers had to sell up - lucky for me, sad for them.

[njee20]

Literally yesterday I sold two curved-top non generator JJAs. I had a mixed rake, now got all flat tops.

[Ben A]

Literally yesterday I sold two curved-top non generator JJAs. I had a mixed rake, now got all flat tops.

My understanding is that whether the wagons had curved or flat tops depended on the original donor hopper - some had been previously been cut down to clear the loading chutes at Tunsted - and in use as autoballasters they were randomly mixed.

Is this wrong?   Were the rakes harmonised?  If so I might need to amend my own sets!

Cheers

Ben A.

[Newportnobby]

You'll be lucky to find the 'curved top' autoballasters.  I managed to get my sets

Strewth! Moneybags!!

[Newportnobby]

Hi All, I have been looking for the Railtrack Auto-ballaster wagons, I see Hattons and Rails both have the generator wagon but not the regular ones, I assume these are no longer in production? if anyone knows of a place that still has any boxed away please let me know, I keep an eye on FleaBay and the popular online shops.

Also from the videos I've seen am I correct in thinking one generator to four non-gen in each set?

IC

Try Track Shack, though I may have had their last.

TrackShack quote 5 x 377-700A in stock and Rails of Sheffield are showing both 377-700 and 377-700A in stock

[njee20]

Literally yesterday I sold two curved-top non generator JJAs. I had a mixed rake, now got all flat tops.

My understanding is that whether the wagons had curved or flat tops depended on the original donor hopper - some had been previously been cut down to clear the loading chutes at Tunsted - and in use as autoballasters they were randomly mixed.

Is this wrong?   Were the rakes harmonised?  If so I might need to amend my own sets!

Cheers

Ben A.

I doubt they're harmonised, just had 2 spare non-generator ones (from a vain attempt at building a longer rake for sensible money), so thought I would go for consistency, and given the curved top ones seem more rare I sold those! Satisfies my OCD.

[Ben A]

OCD - I am with you on that!

Cheers

Ben A.

[RailGooner]

If I ever get round to finishing my NGS kits, I'll be able to match Tank's train. If I ever...

[red_death]

The Farish versions are JJAs which IIRC don't run in fixed sets (unlike the HQAs) though they still try to keep them in rakes of 5.  You get mixed sets of flat and curved top autoballasters - again IIRC there were only a minority (25 according to LTSV) of cut down flat top autoballasters.

Cheers, Mike