GB Railfreight has revealed that it hauled the last PCA rail wagon from Port of Blyth to ALVANCE British Aluminium’s Fort William.

PCA rail wagons are pressure-discharge wagons, which feature a distinctive inverted ‘V’ shape. During their decades of use, they mainly transported dry bulk materials such as cement, alumina and various chemicals.

The wagons were originally designed in the 1970s and were built mainly by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL). They operated across the UK network, from the North East and Scotland to other regions.

The PCA wagons have been used on the railway for 37 years and, between them, have travelled 50 million miles, the equivalent of two thousand laps of the globe, 105 return trips to the Moon, or nearly halfway to Mars.

As they modernised their rolling stock, some operators have recently taken their fleets of PCA wagons out of service. One of these was Tarmac UK, which retired its PCA wagons from its Oxwellmains works in Scotland.

GBRf ran its final trip with PCA wagons from Fort William on Wednesday 9 July 2025, and was hauled by its locomotive GBRf 66302.

The train made a brief stop at the Port of Tyne, and then travelled on to its destination at the Port of Sunderland.

The wagons are now being decommissioned. ALVANCE British Aluminium has begun discussions with a historical rail organisation about the possibility of donating PCA wagons. GBRf says that the aim of this is to preserve a small part of the UK’s industrial heritage for future generations.

Their place in railway heritage is underlined by the production of PCA wagon models.

GB Railfreight runs two trains per week for ALVANCE.

“These wagons have been part of the rhythm of life at Fort William and the Port of Blyth for almost four decades. Their retirement marks a significant moment for everyone who’s worked with them. More than anything, I want to recognise the commitment of our teams, contractors and long-standing partners who kept everything running smoothly. As we look ahead to a modernised fleet and a more sustainable supply chain, we do so with real gratitude for the people and partnerships that brought us here.”

Tom Uppington, Managing Director of ALVANCE British Aluminium