VDA to ZCA ‘Sea Urchin' conversion

There are several ways to model the 1992 ZCA ‘Sea Urchin’ air braked ballast and spoil carriers built on redundant VDA air braked van underframes. The wagons can be built on the underframes of Bachmann VDA and OTA models as conversions or from a kit by S Kits. A Bachmann VDA van and OTA were used to build the ZCAs shown in this article using simple styrene techniques and a little scratch building.

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CONVERSIONS remain as important a part of rollingstock modelling as kit building and this one is fun to do. Conversions allow the modelling of differences within wagon types and to replicate conversions made by the railways themselves. Bachmann’s ‘OO’ gauge VDA van model provided the basis for several conversion projects including RLA/REA runner wagons and OTA timber carriers with the original VDA van ends. Until Bachmann offered that very type as a ready to run model.

One wagon which remains to be offered on the VDA van underframe is one of the ZCA ‘Sea Urchin’ ballast and spoil wagon types which were built on both the short brake lever type (200xxx number sequence) and the long brake lever type (210xxx number sequence) VDA underframes. It is worth noting that there was a batch of VDA vans equipped with experimental ‘Taperlink’ suspensions numbered 20100-099 which are quite different to the Bachmann model.

Variations exist within the various Sea Urchin wagons seemingly built on the same underframes. When researching the ZCA, be aware that similar wagons were built using the underframes of similar but different wagons, including VAA and VBA air braked vans together with former OAA, OBA and OCA open wagons, yet still coded ZCA Sea Urchin, making the use of reference photographs and records important.