That Draw Bar

Seems everyone is interested in the PHTH draw bar, especially due to the unusual length.

The draw bar is pretty much 2400mm long, making the distance between the wagon headstocks 1800mm.

Rest assured that the length is not an error but a precise calculation to allow these babies to run on the 'Network' when loaded to 100t gross.

The long draw bar spaces out the bogie centres and spreads the axle load over a greater distance (bridge friendly according to the 'Cooper M' rating) - Keeping in mind that other 100t hoppers (i.e. NHSH/NHFF) are actually longer than the PHTH wagons and are also fitted with primary sprung bogies.

The wagons are numbered in recent PN style with the first four numbers being the 'rake' or 'unit' number and the fifth digit being the platform. These are all two packs, and the first hoppers in service were PHTH 00121 and 00122 (Rake 12, platforms 1 and 2).

Expect to see a train of PHTH wagons in the second week fo Feb.

Enjoy

p.s. The above photo is of the test set (rake 17) at Bradken Mittagong.