Second run of MRA Side Tipping Ballast Wagon set confirmed

Featuring a finely detailed moulded body, opening ballast doors, NEM pockets at the outermost ends of the rake and profiled wheels, the second run also includes a new magnetic inter-car coupling system.

Available liveries

• 4F-075-001 MRA Ballast Wagon Railtrack Blue/Grey
• 4F-075-002 MRA Ballast Wagon Railtrack Blue/Grey NR Decals
• 4F-075-003 MRA Ballast Wagon Railtrack Blue/Grey NR Decals
• 4F-075-004 MRA Ballast Wagon Network Rail Yellow
• 4F-075-005 MRA Ballast Wagon Network Rail Yellow
• 4F-075-006 MRA Ballast Wagon Metronet

Some minor tooling modifications are underway to facilitate the new magnetic inter-car coupling system, and the new models are expected to be in shops sometime during autumn 2025 priced at £225 for a set of five wagons.

About the prototype

The MRA side tipping ballast wagon ran in fixed rakes of five wagons, one of which was fitted with a generator to provide power and air for the whole set. Each wagon had two shallow boxes that could be tipped to either side, discharging ballast onto parallel track beds. The first batch of 300 wagons (60 sets) was made by Thrall Europa in York between 2000 and 2002 and was liveried in cream and blue of Railtrack. A second batch of 100 wagons (20 sets) was made by Trinity Rail in Romania in 2004 and brand in yellow Engineers livery of Network Rail. In 2006, five sets were transferred to GB Railfreight to work on its Metrnet track removal contract. From 2023, a program to convert a significant portion of the MRA fleet into JNA-Y wagons has been undertaken.

Image is of a previously produced model for illustration purposes only

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