The CEA conversion was one of the later attempts to find a use for the large numbers of HEA hoppers that were standing around with very little to do as the requirements for domestic and industrial coal diminished. The CEAs were converted in 1996 by the shadow privatisation company Loadhaul with a retractable sheet that could be rolled back from ground level by attaching a windlass to a spigot fitted to the under-frame. The sheet allowed them to carry products which needed protecting from the weather or that may have had issues with dust blowing off in transit. Interestingly a thin corner support was added to the later build wagons at the time of conversion.
Some 44 wagons were converted and they appear to have had questionable success in traffic. Some commodities that the wagons have been noted carrying include Limestone, Calcified Seaweed, China Clay, Petroleum Coke and Chipped Tyres for use at Aberthawe Cement Works.
The Loadhaul CEA Covered Hopper Wagon Pack for Train Simulator includes:
- Clean and weathered versions of both wagon body types
- Loaded and unloaded versions with suitable physics
- ‘Intelligent’ tail lamps
- Animated hand brakes
- Body variation switching based on vehicle number as per the prototype.
The pack includes a user manual with further details about the rolling stock and the customising of some of the features when using the wagons in scenarios.
