Nuclear mammoths: the MOD KUA
TWO massive KUA nuclear flask carrying wagons were constructed for the MOD by Bombardier/Prorail at Wakefield in 1998, for the transport of spent nuclear fuel between naval submarine bases and Sellafield in Cumbria, where it is reprocessed. Weighing up to 150 tons when loaded, they are unique for modern wagons by riding on four bogies which distribute the weight of a loaded wagon over its 24.5 metre length. In a time when outsized loads and the specialised wagons required to carry them are all but unknown on the modern railway, the KUAs are a unique sight.
Their appearance in a train can vary and this is dependent on a number of factors. They can be observed working singly and together with either a
