Can any of the experts advise on the current status of ARG (EDIT: GWA) coalies in The Hunter?

ARG (EDIT: GWA) had their GWU's pulling PHYH, PHEH, and the new AHAH wagons.  They've also purchased Glencores Hunter Valley rail business.
Are ARG (EDIT: GWA) mix and matching all the various wagons together, or are they maintained as separate sets?

Reason being that I'm wanting to pull the trigger on some of Auscision's coal wagons and would like a bunch of the AHAH's, but they're only doing one set of those, so I'd like to know what sort of consists are prototypical.

Cheers.

EDIT:  I am an idiot.  Substitute ARG for GWA.

By ARG you mean GWA?

By ARG you mean GWA?

Safe bet but maybe that name still trades on contracts?

FYI,

The wagons being produced by Auscision are the Bradken 120T “Bat Girl” hopper. Despite Auscision producing artwork of this type of hopper decorated as an AHAH and offering them for sale, the AHAH’s are actually a different wagon produced by a different builder. The AHAH’s share similarities to the Bradken design but they are also very different. The model being offered by Auscision is incorrect for the AHAH.

As for how GWA operates their consists, at the moment the AHAH’s are largely running as separate rakes. However, since the initial delivery I have noted AHAH’s operating in mixed consists with the inherited ex Glencore/Xstrata wagons generally in small blocks of four and eight. Overtime, I’d imagine just like PN, Aurizon and how the ex Glencore fleet has mixed, the GWA fleet will do the same meaning AHAH’s will probably form the bulk of certain allocated rakes but will also regularly appear amongst the other wagons as they have been on a smaller scale already.

By ARG you mean GWA?

Safe bet but maybe that name still trades on contracts?

GWA has had no association with ARG since June 2006 when ARG became a wholly owned subsidiary of QR National (now Aurizon).

The coal haulage contracts that GWA has in the Hunter were inherited from Glencore when it bought the Glencore Rail business in 2016.

Glencore never had any dealings in the Hunter with ARG.

So in a nutshell - no.

And QRN's ARG operations in Western Australia and Queensland now form the primary footprint of what is now known as Aurizon's Bulk Division.

Pretty sure GWU stole the ARG paint scheme hence the misunderstanding

Pretty sure GWU stole the ARG paint scheme hence the misunderstanding

Other way around.

ARG used the G&W livery because G&W was the major owner of the company.

The G&W livery is a world wide standard on all their various railroads. While many have different initials all have the same livery. Any reader of Trains or viewer of Railpictures.net would be familiar with this. G&W are usually quick to repaint their locos in the corporate scheme, Aurizon (ARG) not so.

By ARG you mean GWA?

Yes.  I am an idiot.

Despite Auscision producing artwork of this type of hopper decorated as an AHAH and offering them for sale, the AHAH’s are actually a different wagon produced by a different builder. The AHAH’s share similarities to the Bradken design but they are also very different. The model being offered by Auscision is incorrect for the AHAH.

So they're a 'near enough' release?

...I have noted AHAH’s operating in mixed consists with the inherited ex Glencore/Xstrata wagons generally in small blocks of four and eight.

How does the Xstrata fleet fit in?  Did Glencore buy them previously?

I wouldn’t call releasing a Bradken 120T in GWA livery a new enough release because while the AHAH wagons share a broadly similar shape, the AHAH (and the associated NHDH) etc are a totally different wagon. They are fitted with a different bogie type and end deck layout while the curvature of the sides and welded assembly of the side sheets is also very different. Careful examination of photos of the AHAH/NHDH/RHDH compared to the NHYH/NHEH and Xstrata/Glencore types will show how different the wagons are beyond a first glance. I’d more call the advertised model as a “someone liked the orange colour scheme and decided to release a few knowing someone would buy them regardless of them being the wrong type release”.

In a nutshell, what is now the GWA Hunter Valley coal fleet (XRN’s and PH type hoppers) was originally constructed for Xstrata Coal as a business group called XRail with Freightliner (from the UK) operating the trains on Xstrata’s behalf. Glencore later bought Xstrata which saw most of the equipment rebranded from Xstrata to Glencore branding while Freightliner continued to operate the trains. A couple of years ago now Glencore offered XRail for sale which was purchased by GWA which had in turn already purchased Freightliner and it’s Australian division in the couple of years prior that. So yeap, what was the Xstrata fleet became the Glencore fleet and in turn is now the GWA fleet.

A couple of years ago now Glencore offered XRail for sale which was purchased by GWA which had in turn already purchased Freightliner and it’s Australian division in the couple of years prior that. So yeap, what was the Xstrata fleet became the Glencore fleet and in turn is now the GWA fleet.

There was an intermediate step in that - Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets bought GRail from Glencore, and then immediately merged it with GWA. The resulting New GWA is therefore owned 51% by GWI and 49% by Macquarie.