MA06
MA06[1] (also referred to as TW95455[2] or 94157[3][4]) is a 19-tonne (tare, 50-tonne GLW) bogie flat wagon manufactured by Procor in 1977[2], then modified with railhead treatment equipment including a tank and a Hughes Pumps high-pressure water jet.
It is used during autumn by sandwiching it between two traction units (historically battery locos and/or metrocars) to form Metro's RHTT, which is used to tackle low rail adhesion.
The coupling system of the Class 555 units is not directly compatible with that of MA06. While an adapter exists for coupling Class 555 units to metrocars, it is used sparingly and there is no evidence to suggest it can be used with MA06. With all three battery locos now only used inside Gosforth Depot, and the metrocars expected to all be disposed of by autumn 2026[5][6], it is not yet clear what traction will be used for the RHTT going forward, or if MA06 will still be used to form it.
Photos dating back to before July 2023 and as recently as October 2025 show the name "Leafy McSprayface" scrawled onto the base of MA06's tank, implying that this may be an informal nickname for the wagon.
Sources
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Prior, Gareth (22 October 2025). "In Pictures: RHTT out on the Tyne and Wear Metro" (accessed 25 January 2026)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 UK Preserved Rolling Stocklist, "Record No: 38371" (accessed 22 January 2026)
- ↑ Roots, Trevor (November 2015). "TRACKS: November 2015" (accessed 22 January 2026). Inter City Railway Society, p. 31
- ↑ LTSV (31 December 2019), "Article 7: Stock Numbering - Other" (archived)
- ↑ Nexus (14 August 2025). "Metro’s old trains deliver recycling boost on their final journeys"
- ↑ Nexus (18 February 2025). "New Metro fleet enters customer service on the Sunderland line" (archived)
