Skawina 2025-11-05

Special-purpose 4-axle platform wagon type 425S, Simms.

This special-purpose 4-axle flatbed freight wagon type 425S, Simms, is equipped with a movable roof. The walls and roof consist of three elements that slide along the wagon’s axis. This allows access to the interior for two-thirds of the wagon’s length. The wagon’s end walls are fixed and immovable. The roof completely protects the goods from weather conditions (snow, rain, solar radiation). The wagon was initially designed to transport sheet metal coils. The sheet metal coils are placed in saddles, which prevents them from shifting. Subsequent versions of the wagons were equipped with removable fifth wheels, enabling the transport of other goods.

The wagons were manufactured at the Gniewczyna Wagon Factory in Gniewczyna Łańcucka near Przeworsk from 1994. The factory closed, and after some time, its premises and facilities were transferred to a company specializing in military production. The wagons were created by modernizing type 426Za flat wagons.

T&T specifications of the 4-axle type 425S Simms special-purpose flat wagon:

Overall length: 12.34 m. Load length: 11.08 m. Height: 4.10 m. Loading area: 25.5 m². Load weight: 23,000 kg. Gross weight: 57,000 kg. Minimum curve radius: 35 m. Design speed: 120 km/h. The wagon has two bogies and 4 axles.

Written by Karol Placha Hetman