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[[File: {{Infobox wagon|image = Rudd Ballast Wagons.jpg|thumb|300px|right| caption = Train of Rudd Ballast Wagons in use by the Permanent Way Department at Highley]]These |construc = See table|status = Operational|wagno = See table|othernos = See table|designed = |diagram = See table|lot = See table|wagtype = 4-wheel steel open|capacity = 21 tons|telcode = RUDD|topscode = ZBA|brakes = Air braked|built = See table|years1 = 2007|events1 = Arrived on SVR on loan|years2 = 2015|events2 = Acquired by SVR(H)|years3 = |events3 = }}The SVR's '''RUDD ballast wagons ''' were originally built in the 1950s as Coal Hoppers (mainly HTV), but a surplus of such 21-ton coal hopper wagons and converted into their present form in the early 1980s led to their withdrawal. This coincided with a requirement for ‘new’ civil engineers ballast and spoil Fifteen wagons to replace arrived on the elderly Grampus open wagons SVR on loan following the 2007 storm damage and second-hand 16-ton minerals wagons then have remained in use. A programme was therefore put in hand to convert more than 2000 such wagons into ‘Clam’, ‘Rudd’ and ‘Tope’ wagonsby the P-Way department since.

==RUDD ballast wagons==The ‘Rudd’ original 21-ton coal hoppers were a BR development of an earlier LNER design. All but one of the fifteen later to arrive at the SVR were originally built to Diagram 1/146, of which all the Lots had a welded body with bottom discharge doors, vacuum brakes and a standard 20-ton hand lever brake. The exception, built to Diagram 1/149, had roller bearings and self-contained buffers with 100 out of the 1,000 also being vacuum through-piped.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Rowland (1996)]] pp. 53, App. 2, 4.</ref> The original [[TOPS code]] for the vacuum-fitted hopper wagons was '''HTV'''. They were used in revenue-earning service.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Larkin Vol 3 (2013)]] p22.</ref> A surplus of such revenue-earning hopper wagons in the early 1980s led to their withdrawal. This coincided with a requirement for 'new' civil engineers ballast and spoil wagons to replace the elderly Grampus open wagons and second-hand 16-ton minerals wagons then in use. A programme was therefore put in hand to convert more than 2,000 such wagons into CLAM, RUDD and TOPE wagons.<ref name=LTSV>LTSV.com (wagon class information)</ref> The RUDD variant involved the fitting of replacing the existing hopper body by a new box body with three drop-side doorsper side, and also fitting air brakes in place of the existing vacuum brakes. 800 of these were converted by Marcroft Engineering of Stoke (wagon numbers DB 972000-DB 972399) and C C Crump of Connah’s Quay (wagon numbers DB 972400-DB 972799400 each)to design ZB001A. The ‘Rudd’RUDD, which has a 21 ton capacity, was particularly long-lasting with more than 200 still in use at the start of 2008. <ref name=LTSV/> The [[TOPS code]] for the converted RUDD is '''ZBA'''.

Following the [[2007 Storm Damage|storm damage of 2007]], the SVR acquired 15 ‘Rudd’ RUDD Ballast Wagons on loan from EWS (now DB Schenker). They were used extensively for the repair project, and have seen regular use since for moving ballast, waste ash and similar materials. Details of the 15 wagons are as follows:

!Number !! Originally built !! Originally built by!! Original Diagram & Lot No!! Original number !! Rebuilt !! Wagon Survey !! Notes

| DB 972299 || 1958 || Pressed Steel || 1/146, 3157 || B 432033|| 1990 Marcroft|| [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=11648 Link] ||

| DB 972345|| 1958 || Pressed Steel || 1/146, 3157 || B 432343 || 1990 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=11649 Link] ||

| DB 972349 || 1957 || BRCW ||1/146, 3030 || B 423279|| 1990 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=9671 Link] || Rebuilt from HTO. Arrived on SVR 2009.

| DB 972359 || 1956 || Cravens Railway C&W Co, Sheffield || 1/146, 2933 || B 420479|| 1990 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=9672 Link]|| Rebuilt from HTO. Arrived on SVR 2009.

| DB 972378 || 1956 || Cravens Railway C&W Co, Sheffield || 1/146, 2933 || B 420561|| 1990 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=11650 Link] ||

| DB 972407 || 1958 || Pressed Steel || 1/146, 3157 || B 432604|| 1990 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=11651 Link] ||

| DB 972416 || 1958 || Pressed Steel || 1/146, 3157 || B 432511 || 1990 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=9673 Link] ||

| DB 972467 || 1955 || BR Shildon ||1/146, 2713 || B 416448 || 1990 Crump || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=14803 Link] ||

| DB 972469 || 1958 || Pressed Steel || 1/146, 3157 || B 433453|| 1990 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=11652 Link] ||

| DB 972513 || 1956 || Metro Cammell || 1/146, 2935 || B 412521 421521 || 1991 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=9674 Link] || Arrived SVR 2009.

| DB 972548 || 1957 || Head Wrightson ||1/146, 3033 || B 425624|| 1991 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=11653 Link] ||

| DB 972655 || 1958 || Pressed Steel || 1/146, 3157|| B 431469 || 1990 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=14804 Link]||

| DB 972677 || 1958 || BR Shildon || 1/149, 3120 || B 430362|| 1990 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=11654 Link]|| Sold September 2023, awaiting removal

| DB 972688 || 1957 || BRCW || 1/146, 3030 || B 423151 || 1990 Crump || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=11302 Link] ||

| DB 972724 || 1957 || Head Wrightson || 1/146, 3034 || B 426121 || 1991 Marcroft || [http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrustrhrp.org.uk/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=11655 Link] ||

The wagons arrived in 2007 filled with ballast<ref name=SVR166>SVR News 166, ''Track Topics'', Roger Ford</ref> and were used extensively during the repair project. They were then put into use for other purposes, including moving ballast, waste ash and similar materials. At the end of 2008 the P-Way department were notified that the wagons were required in Cardiff at short notice. Seven were collected from various locations at Bridgnorth, Highley and the Tenbury siding. After being emptied, they were moved to Kidderminster and re-united with the other eight which were parked on carriage siding CS1. However they were then moved back to Bridgnorth for use in a New Year's Eve log collection train,<ref name=SVR166/> after which they returned to their regular duties. During 2012 the mechanical maintenance exam procedure for the SVR’s wagons was reviewed and updated in the light of past experience; the reasons including "''the variations in some GWR wagon handbrake ratchets, and the peculiarities of the Rudd wagons on long-term loan''". All 15 Rudds were examined and some minor repairs carried out.<ref>SVR News 180, ''Wagon Repair Notes'', Steve Peplow</ref> In 2015 an SVR NBI announced ''DB Schenker contacted the SVR this year to inform us that the wagons were available for purchase, and following negotiation I can announce that they have been bought for a competitive price. I would like to thank two individuals who have provided finances to assist with the cost of purchase''.<ref>SVR NBI</ref> Having become SVR property, the following summer all fifteen RUDDs underwent air brake reservoir internal inspections and working exams, for insurance purposes and at the same time all the wagon identification numbers were repainted on the wagon sides by sign writer Clive Hyett, making identification of the individual wagons easier<ref>SVR News 197, ''Kidderminster Carriage Works Notes'', Hugh McQuade and Nigel Hanson</ref>. <gallery mode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">Rudd_Wagons_Highley_20150426.jpg| RUDDs 972513 (nearest) and 972724 carrying ballast at Highley, April 2015. Rudd_20160731.jpg | One of the numbers repainted in 2016</gallery>

In summer 2016 DB 972677, the numbers were repainted'one-off' ex-Diagram 1/149 example, making identification of the individual wagons easierwas sold in September 2023.

Railway Heritage Register Wagon Survey<brreferences/>LTSV.com (wagon class information)

*[http://www.ltsv.com/downloads/w_profile_045.pdf LTSV Wagon information] [[Category:Featured articles]]