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 vehicles (historically battery locos and/or metrocars) to form Metro's RHTT, which is used to tackle low rail adhesion.
All three battery locos are currently (as of 4 February 2026) only used inside Gosforth Depot, the metrocars were previously expected to all be disposed of by autumn 2026,[5][6] and the coupling system of the Class 555 units is not directly compatible with that of MA06. As a result, it was not clear what traction would be used for the RHTT going forward, or if MA06 would still be used to form it. On 24 April 2026, Nexus published a preliminary market engagement notice in preparation for tendering for the refurbishment of all three BLs, however this refurbishment is estimated to take until 1 September 2028, meaning traction could still have been unavailable for autumns 2026 and 2027.[7] Nexus is considering retaining some metrocars past 2026 to be used as traction for the RHTT.[8]
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" (archived)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 UK Preserved Rolling Stocklist, "Record No: 38371" (accessed 22 January 2026)
- ↑ Roots, Trevor (November 2015). "TRACKS: November 2015" (archived). 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)
- ↑ "NEX26/18 Battery Locomotives Refurbishment" (archived). Find a Tender. 24 April 2026.
- ↑ Holland, Daniel (11 June 2026). "What's happening to all the old Tyne and Wear Metro trains after they are retired?" (archived). ChronicleLive.
