As the Merry-go-Round hopper coal wagons were reducing in numbers considerably, during 1997, surplus wagons donated their underframes to a fleet of ballast wagons for hire to the infrastructure maintenance companies.A total of 1,071 were so converted between 1997 to 2007, the later wagons having some detail differences to the number of vertical ribs on the bodies.

Dapol are making models of the original batch of 400 wagons built at RFS Doncaster between 1997 and 1998 Coded MHA Coalfish. This earlier version has the E W S wording in three different side panels between the ribs whereas the later body had EWS on the middle panel.

At Tower Models we like to give people additional number options for freight vehicles so we are also producing a pack of three with different numbers to the standard four being produced by Dapol for a total of seven different numbers being available for this model. We are taking advance orders for these now for despatch as soon as they are released and these are expected around the middle of 2025.

The Dapol O gauge model of the Coalfish features:

• Extremely detailed and accurate body/shell and chassis.
• Diecast compensated chassis and underframe.
  
• Diecast and profiled wheels
  
• Sprung metal buffers.
  
• Working Instanter couplings
  
• Superbly applied livery
  .

We will also be offering our weathering service on these for those people who wish to take advantage of this service at £25.00 per vehicle.