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Accurascale ACC1071

BR 16T Mineral - 1/108 - NCB Black - Pack R

Manufacturer catalogue image - please note that pre-release images may be CAD renders or CGI/AI images rather than photographs

Prototype Eras
Era 7 (1972 to 1982) British Rail Blue (TOPS)
Era 8 (1983 to 1994) British Rail Sectorisation

Manufacturer description

Seen as very much the ‘missing link’ in the ‘Powering Britain’ range, the 16 ton mineral wagon is an essential addition to the Accurascale range to tell the story of coal traffic on the railways throughout the 20th century. The archetypal BR 16 ton all-steel non-hoppered mineral wagon proliferated across the United Kingdom’s railway network during the 1950s and 1960s and there was probably not a siding, freight yard or industrial railway system in the country that did not house at least an example or three of these vitally important, yet mundane railway vehicles.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Prototype information

The Accurascale BR 16T Mineral wagon pack R features three models of the 16 ton mineral wagon, a staple of British Railways' coal traffic network. The wagons are numbered 9252/579, 9185/1785, and 9252/547. Each model has a die-cast metal chassis with a plastic body and weighs 37g, excluding the coal load. The scale length is 78mm over buffers, and the width is 34.53mm.

The models are designed for operation on a minimum radius curve of 371mm and feature separately fitted side doors, top doors, and end doors. The wheels are metal and chemically blackened to RP25-110 standard, set in blackened brass bearings. The model also includes eroded metal, plastic, and wire detail parts, including handrails, grab handles, and brake gear.

The 16 ton mineral wagon has a long and complex history, dating back to the Second World War. The Ministry of War Transport requisitioned all Private Owner coal wagons, leading to a shortage of materials and resources to repair them. In 1944, the MoWT, working with Charles Roberts and Hurst Nelson, designed and built two new 16 ton, all-steel, end door mineral wagons. Wartime production reached 6652 wagons, with a further 9200 built for the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français.

After the war, British Railways ordered 48,499 more wagons, which were registered as Private Owner wagons before being numbered into British Railways' 'B' system. By 1950, the Ideal Stocks Committee had recommended the elimination of 253,500 grease lubricated wagons, leading to the construction of 14,161 new wagons to a 'standard' design. The new design was carried out to two diagrams: 1/108 and 1/109, with both having unfitted Morton two-shoe brakegear and side top-flap doors.

The construction of the 16T wagon continued until 1959, with a total of 221,123 wagons built between 1951 and 1959. The wagons were used for coal traffic until the 1980s, when the decline of the coal industry led to their withdrawal and scrapping. Despite their eventual disappearance from the network, the 16T wagon played a significant role in British railway history, and its legacy continues to be celebrated through models such as the Accurascale BR 16T Mineral wagon pack R.