RMweb Premium NCB Posted March 4, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 4, 2017 Been thinking about how to load 2-plank wagons (e.g. Cambrian) with slates. Any idea how these were done? My guess would be that they were leant sloping against either end, maybe with a space in the middle for the stackers to work from, but this is purely a guess. Nigel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Stacked on end, wedged in as tightly as possible. Any gaps would allow movement of the slates and cause breakages, so if the wagon isn't full it would need to be packed up with wood to keep the slates from moving. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NCB Posted March 10, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 10, 2017 (edited) Thanks, Alan. What prompted the thought was seeing Modulu offering slate loads for Dinorwic wagons in 7mm, and wondering whether something similar would be useful for Cambrian 2-plank wagons and the like. On the other hand, maybe they wouldn't be too hard to make from scratch, and maybe a lot cheaper. Nigel Edited March 10, 2017 by NCB 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcD Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Every wagon that I have seen loaded with slates have had them stacked in end on. They are however they were stacked in different directions. This allows the stacks to inter lock and removes movement and therefore breakages. There are 3 main sources slate on the UK mainland. Mid and North Wales (LNWR/Cambrian/GWR/NG), Lake District (Furness/LNWR) and West Scotland (Caledonian) all of which used in the main 2 and 3 plank opens. Marc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NCB Posted March 11, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 11, 2017 Every wagon that I have seen loaded with slates have had them stacked in end on. They are however they were stacked in different directions. This allows the stacks to inter lock and removes movement and therefore breakages. There are 3 main sources slate on the UK mainland. Mid and North Wales (LNWR/Cambrian/GWR/NG), Lake District (Furness/LNWR) and West Scotland (Caledonian) all of which used in the main 2 and 3 plank opens. Marc Thanks for that, Marc. I'm sure I have a pic somewhere in one of my books but can't locate it. Have done a trawl of the web but although there's loads of narrow gauge wagons can't find a standard gauge wagon. One pic I do rememer seeing, think it was in a C.C. Green book, was of slates being loaded into a 4 plank wagon at Machynlleth. Probably the exception which proves the rule; output from the quarries up the Corris Railway was mainly of large slate slabs intended for things other than roofing, so a 4 plank wagon could have been useful. Nigel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ChrisN Posted March 12, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 12, 2017 I have looked for pictures of loaded slate wagons and have not found any. (It will be on the first picture of the next book I pick up and open which I have thumbed a thousand times before.) If you find a picture and can post it it would be useful, even if it is only the book and page etc. Mike Morley made loads from individual plasticard slates that he made but being a lamination they went banana shaped, so it might be worth doing it is thick paper or card if you wish to make them that way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NCB Posted March 14, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted March 14, 2017 Have found the Machynleth pic of Corris slate being transhipped; it's in vol 1 of Green's Cambrian Coast Lines. Large slabs of slate, untypical of roofing slate. On the Corris railway they used trestle wagons to transport them. They're being leant against the sides of the standard gauge wagon, but it's not clear if that was just temporary during the loading process. Have found the odd pic of 4 plank wagons with roofing slate in them, but the wagon is far enough away and the slates deep down so that you can't actually see them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NCB Posted December 14, 2018 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted December 14, 2018 (edited) Having been dwelling for some time on the subject of slates as wagon loads, and how to make. Then, I came across Bachmann's slate loads, intended for their OO9 narrow gauge slate wagons. Very convincing they look; they come in packs of 4 for around £5, as here: The 4 fit very neatly into my 3mm/ft scale scratch-built Cambrian Railways 2-plank drop-side wagon: They can of course be used in other open wagons. The slates measure 6mm x 3mm, 24" x 12" in 3mm/ft, which is OK for the large standard size of slates. They would of course be fine in 4mm/ft scale, although you'd need more than 4 in a typical open wagon. One thing less to ponder! Nigel P.S. I seem to remember a discussion on slates somewhere other than this thread, but I can't find out where! Edited December 14, 2018 by NCB 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2975 Posted December 15, 2018 Share Posted December 15, 2018 24" x 12" was the size referred to as a " Duchess". A common size. Good find. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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