📢 Please take a minute to read this personal message from the creator of RailwayModels.uk

Accurascale ACC3370

FEA-F Network Rail black RHTT - Twin Pack 1

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

Prototype Era
Era 9 (1995 to 2004) Initial Privatisation

Manufacturer description

FEA-F Network Rail black RHTT (twin pack) - 642006 Sandite+Water+Tank & 642047 Sandite+Tank+Tank (Pack 1)

The 2005 railhead treatment train (RHTT) season marked a major step in Network Rail’s modernisation, introducing purpose-built FEA-F wagons and replacing an assortment of ageing second-hand vehicles. Fifty 60-ft flats, built in Poland by Greenbrier Europe, were numbered 642001–642050 and designed to carry modular equipment, allowing retirement of General Utility Vans and TTA water tanks. Earlier KFA wagons had already introduced large water tanks and high-pressure jetting systems, later supplemented by Sandite applicators capable of operating at up to 60mph.

Operational changes accompanied the new fleet. The dominance of English Welsh & Scottish Railway ended in 2004 as Direct Rail Services (DRS) and GB Railfreight took on contracts, while Class 37 locomotives gave way to Class 66 and 67 traction. DRS led operations in 2005, using a mix of locomotives across regional circuits.

Typical formations combined water-jetting and Sandite modules with multiple water tanks, sometimes adding extra wagons for long-distance routes. Subsequent developments included revised nozzle arrangements in 2007, wider operator involvement, and module upgrades such as larger fuel tanks in 2009. Additional wagons joined the fleet in 2013 following refurbishment. By 2025, operation of 29 trainsets was shared between Colas and GB Railfreight, employing a varied mix of modern and heritage locomotives.

Catalogue listing

Model details

Accurascale FEA‑F Network Rail black RHTT – Twin Pack 1 (Manufacturer part number ACC3370) is a model rail kit representing a pair of railhead treatment train (RHTT) wagons in Network Rail black livery. The pack contains two 60‑ft flats: wagon 642006 equipped with sandite, water and a tank, and wagon 642047 fitted with sandite and two tanks. The model depicts the initial privatisation era of Network Rail.

The wagons are based on the FEA‑F design introduced in the 2005 RHTT season, when Network Rail modernised its fleet by commissioning 50 purpose‑built flats (numbers 642001–642050) from Greenbrier Europe in Poland. These wagons were intended to replace a mixed collection of second‑hand vehicles, General Utility Vans and older TTA water tanks, and to carry modular equipment such as high‑pressure water‑jetting units and sandite applicators capable of operating up to 60 mph.

The introduction of the FEA‑F wagons coincided with operational changes: English Welsh & Scottish Railway lost its dominance in 2004, and contracts were taken up by Direct Rail Services (DRS) and GB Railfreight. Locomotive haulage moved from Class 37 to newer Class 66 and Class 67 types, with DRS leading the 2005 operations across regional circuits.

Subsequent developments saw nozzle revisions in 2007, larger fuel tanks fitted in 2009 and further refurbishments in 2013. By 2025, a fleet of 29 trainsets was shared between Colas and GB Railfreight, using a mixture of modern and heritage locomotives. The Accurascale kit captures this era of railhead treatment train equipment and livery.