KA class open wagons

In 1939 the first of a new class of open wagons entered service. They were similar in design concept to the GS class built from 1935 but with a much larger volume as these new wagons were 18'-0" long with 4'-0" high sides. The relationship between these types was akin to that between the G and GA.

It is unclear why this class was put in the "K" group rather than the "G" group especially as many of the "G" codes were never used.

A total of one hundred and fourteen were built as follows:

1939	2010, 2026, 2350, 2356, 2361, 2363, 2368, 2370, 2399, 2432, 2436, 2451, 2489, 2493, 2502, 2505, 2506, 2512, 2514, 2516, 2526, 2528, 2533, 2542, 2546, 2569, 2589 built W.A.G.R.
1940	1517, 2591, 2603, 2616, 2625, 2629, 2649, 2659, 2677, 2687, 2732, 2740, 2749, 2753, 2760, 2809, 2822, 3025, 3027, 3032, 3077, 3082, 3084, 3089, 3145, 3157, 3161, 3662, 3669 built W.A.G.R.
1941	3670, 3682, 3692, 3698, 3719, 3726, 3731, 3738, 3750, 3758, 3806, 3807, 3822, 3835, 3863, 3869, 3921, 4137, 4139, 4178, 4179, 4180, 4199, 4217, 4221, 4225, 4227, 4303, 4304, 4309, 4320, 4438, 4519, 4521, 4525, 4526, 4528, 4534, 4552, 4553, 4554, 4597, 4920, 5158, 5808, 5837, 6734, 6840, 6861, 7086, 7252, 7591, 7951, 8697, 9177, 9181, 9257 built W.A.G.R.
	Plus one other whose number I have missed!

These wagons must have been very successful as the class remained intact until 1972 when writing off started. They were disposed of as follows:

1972	2526, 3806, 4137 written off
1973	2512, 3084, 3807, 4525, 9257 written off
1976	2569, 2740, 3758, 4221, 4309, 4521 written off
1977	2760, 3032, 9177 written off
1978	3726, 3921 written off
1979	2505, 2677, 3698, 3863, 4438 written off
1981	4217 written off
1983	2350, 3089, 3692, 3869, 4554 written off
1984	2546 written off
1985	3682, 3822, 4179 written off
1986	2010, 2363, 2432, 2489, 2506, 2516, 2591, 2603, 2616, 2753, 2822, 3025, 3082, 3161, 3835, 4139, 4199, 4534, 4920, 7951 written off
1987	2026, 2370, 2749, 4180, 4227, 4552, 7591 written off
1989	2361, 2436, 2528, 2542, 3077, 3145, 3157, 3669, 3731, 4178, 4304, 4519, 4553, 5158, 5837, 6734, 6861 written off
1990	1517, 2356, 2368, 2399, 2451, 2493, 2502, 2514, 2533, 2589, 2625, 2629, 2649, 2659, 2687, 2732, 2809, 3027, 3662, 3670, 3719, 3738, 3750, 4225, 4303, 4320, 4526, 5808, 6840, 7086, 7252, 8697, 9181 written off
	4528, 4597 unaccounted for if these are the correct numbers 4528 could be 4523 w/o 1990.

The success of the KA class must have influenced the choice of a new 18'-0" chassis as the post-war standard. It is therefore even more surprising to find that in 1959 production of the KA class was restarted after a gap of eighteen years! The two hundred new wagons (19101-19159 built 1959, 19160-19300 built 1960) differed slightly from the originals in that they were fitted with end doors. It is unclear why they were built given the availability of the GM class design of similar size.

Cane support brackets were fitted to the class from 1963. They were disposed of as follows:

1970	19134, 19231, 19272 written off
1973	19135 converted to class JGS 19208 written off
1976	19103, 19130, 19133, 19177, 19187, 19206, 19225, 19233, 19238, 19252 written off
1978	19212, 19230, 19297 written off
1979	19151, 19162, 19256 written off
1980	19293 written off
1981	19133 written back
1982	19178 written off
1983	19159, 19164, 19180, 19185 written off
1985	19120, 19149, 19184 written off
1986	19105, 19111, 19114, 19116, 19118, 19119, 19123, 19153, 19154, 19155, 19158, 19167, 19194, 19211, 19214, 19215, 19243, 19248, 19255, 19257, 19270, 19273, 19282, 19284, 19287 written off
1987	19106, 19107, 19117, 19122, 19144, 19148, 19161, 19173, 19199, 19222, 19227, 19229, 19236, 19240, 19259, 19268, 19277, 19299, 19300 written off
1989	19108, 19109, 19110, 19112, 19124, 19126, 19128, 19129, 19137, 19138, 19139, 19142, 19147, 19160, 19168, 19176, 19182, 19189, 19191, 19196, 19198, 19204, 19216, 19220, 19221, 19223, 19239, 19244, 19245, 19247, 19251, 19253, 19254, 19258, 19260, 19274, 19276, 19278, 19281, 19283, 19289, 19290, 19296 written off
1990	19101, 19102, 19104, 19113, 19115, 19121, 19125, 19127, 19131, 19132, 19133, 19136, 19140, 19143, 19145, 19146, 19150, 19152, 19156, 19157, 19163, 19165, 19166, 19169, 19170, 19171, 19172, 19174, 19175, 19179, 19181, 19183, 19186, 19188, 19190, 19192, 19193, 19195, 19197, 19200, 19201, 19202, 19203, 19205, 19207, 19209, 19210, 19213, 19218, 19219, 19224, 19226, 19228, 19232, 19234, 19235, 19237, 19241, 19242, 19246, 19249, 19250, 19261, 19263, 19264, 19265, 19266, 19267, 19269, 19271, 19275, 19279, 19280, 19285, 19286, 19288, 19291, 19292, 19294, 19295, 19298 written off
	19141, 19217, 19262 unaccounted for