Over 2,600 of these wagons were built for use on British Railways, between 1949 and 1953. They became synonymous with the North East Region, where coal drop staithes were commonly provided in the station goods yard, so a bottom-discharge hopper was the obvious type to use. Although intended for transporting coal, in later life they became more nomadic around the UK and were used for carrying other materials such as stone and sand. The last examples lingered in service until the early 1980s.