Bulb wagon (NS 99625 Ucs)

NS has been using these special silo wagons since the late 1950s to transport very fine, powdery substances such as chalk and soda. As powdery substances can become airborne, it is important to load and unload them in such a way that the cargo does not blow away. NS uses compressed air to load and unload the silo wagons. NS has three types of silo wagons of different sizes. The undercarriages were built by Werkspoor, the silos by the Swedish firm Interconsult.

They are known as ‘bulb wagons’. The abbreviation Ucs or Ubcs stands for silo wagon, with the ‘U’ denoting a ‘special type of wagon’. The spherical silos of these silo wagons each have a capacity of 17 m³. NS 99625 Ucs was the last silo wagon to be used for transporting soda from Delfzijl and came into the museum’s possession in the late 1990s.