| Class KA open wagons |
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WAGR Official photo of three of the last 4 KAs of the 1941 batch when new. RHWA collection |
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In 1939 the first of a new class of open wagons entered service. They were similar in design concept to the GS class built from 1935 but with a much larger volume as these new wagons were 18'-0" long with 4'-0" high sides. The relationship between these types was akin to that between the G and GA. It is unclear why this class was put in the "K" group rather than the "G" group especially as many of the "G" codes were never used. The WAGR outline diagram is shown below.
A total of one hundred and fourteen were built as follows: |
| 1939 | 2010, 2026, 2350, 2356, 2361, 2363, 2368, 2370, 2399, 2432, 2436, 2451, 2489, 2493, 2502, 2505, 2506, 2512, 2514, 2516, 2526, 2528, 2533, 2542, 2546, 2569, 2589 built W.A.G.R. |
| 1940 | 1517, 2591, 2603, 2616, 2625, 2629, 2649, 2659, 2677, 2687, 2732, 2740, 2749, 2753, 2760, 2809, 2822, 3025, 3027, 3032, 3077, 3082, 3084, 3089, 3145, 3157, 3161, 3662, 3669 built W.A.G.R. |
| 1941 | 3670, 3682, 3692, 3698, 3719, 3726, 3731, 3738, 3750, 3758, 3806, 3807, 3822, 3835, 3863, 3869, 3921, 4137, 4139, 4178, 4179, 4180, 4199, 4217, 4221, 4225, 4227, 4303, 4304, 4309, 4320, 4438, 4519, 4521, 4523, 4525, 4526, 4528, 4534, 4552, 4553, 4554, 4597, 4920, 5158, 5808, 5837, 6734, 6840, 6861, 7086, 7252, 7591, 7951, 8697, 9177, 9181, 9257 built W.A.G.R. |
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These wagons must have been successful as the class remained intact until 1972 when writing off started. They were disposed of as follows: | |
| 1972 | 2526, 3806, 4137 written off |
| 1973 | 2512, 3084, 3807, 4525, 9257 written off |
| 1976 | 2569, 2740, 3758, 4221, 4309, 4521, 4528 written off |
| 1977 | 2760, 3032, 9177 written off |
| 1978 | 3726, 3921 written off |
| 1979 | 2505, 2677, 3698, 3863, 4438 written off |
| 1981 | 4217 written off |
| 1983 | 2350, 3089, 3692, 3869, 4554 written off |
| 1984 | 2546 written off |
| 1985 | 3682, 3822, 4179, 4597 written off |
| 1986 | 2010, 2363, 2432, 2489, 2506, 2516, 2591, 2603, 2616, 2753, 2822, 3025, 3082, 3161, 3835, 4139, 4199, 4534, 4920, 7951 written off |
| 1987 | 2026, 2370, 2749, 4180, 4227, 4552, 7591 written off |
| 1989 | 2361, 2436, 2528, 2542, 3077, 3145, 3157, 3669, 3731, 4178, 4304, 4519, 4553, 5158, 5837, 6734, 6861 written off |
| 1990 | 1517, 2356, 2368, 2399, 2451, 2493, 2502, 2514, 2533, 2589, 2625, 2629, 2649, 2659, 2687, 2732, 2809, 3027, 3662, 3670, 3719, 3738, 3750, 4225, 4303, 4320, 4526, 5808, 6840, 7086, 7252, 8697, 9181 written off |
| The success of the KA class must have influenced the choice of a new 18'-0" chassis as the post-war standard. It is therefore even more surprising to find that in 1959 production of the KA class was restarted after a gap of eighteen years! The two hundred new wagons (19101-19159 built 1959, 19160-19300 built 1960) differed slightly from the originals in that they were fitted with end doors. It is unclear why they were built given the availability of the GM class design of similar size.
Cane support brackets were fitted to the class from 1963. They were disposed of as follows: |
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| 1970 | 19134, 19231, 19272 written off |
| 1973 | 19135 converted to class JGS
19208 written off |
| 1976 | 19103, 19130, 19133, 19177, 19187, 19206, 19225, 19233, 19238, 19252 written off |
| 1978 | 19212, 19230, 19297 written off |
| 1979 | 19151, 19162, 19256 written off |
| 1980 | 19293 written off |
| 1981 | 19133 written back |
| 1982 | 19178 written off |
| 1983 | 19159, 19164, 19180, 19185 written off |
| 1985 | 19120, 19149, 19184 written off |
| 1986 | 19105, 19111, 19114, 19116, 19118, 19119, 19123, 19153, 19154, 19155, 19158, 19167, 19194, 19211, 19214, 19215, 19243, 19248, 19255, 19257, 19270, 19273, 19282, 19284, 19287 written off |
| 1987 | 19106, 19107, 19117, 19122, 19144, 19148, 19161, 19173, 19199, 19222, 19227, 19229, 19236, 19240, 19259, 19268, 19277, 19299, 19300 written off |
| 1989 | 19108, 19109, 19110, 19112, 19124, 19126, 19128, 19129, 19137, 19138, 19139, 19141, 19142, 19147, 19160, 19168, 19176, 19182, 19189, 19191, 19196, 19198, 19204, 19216, 19217, 19220, 19221, 19223, 19239, 19244, 19245, 19247, 19251, 19253, 19254, 19258, 19260, 19274, 19276, 19278, 19281, 19283, 19289, 19290, 19296 written off |
| 1990 | 19101, 19102, 19104, 19113, 19115, 19121, 19125, 19127, 19131, 19132, 19133, 19136, 19140, 19143, 19145, 19146, 19150, 19152, 19156, 19157, 19163, 19165, 19166, 19169, 19170, 19171, 19172, 19174, 19175, 19179, 19181, 19183, 19186, 19188, 19190, 19192, 19193, 19195, 19197, 19200, 19201, 19202, 19203, 19205, 19207, 19209, 19210, 19213, 19218, 19219, 19224, 19226, 19228, 19232, 19234, 19235, 19237, 19241, 19242, 19246, 19249, 19250, 19261, 19262, 19263, 19264, 19265, 19266, 19267, 19269, 19271, 19275, 19279, 19280, 19285, 19286, 19288, 19291, 19292, 19294, 19295, 19298 written off |
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