Coal trains on the District Line

[PhilJ W]

The current edition of Backtrack (Feb 2016) has an article 'Coals to Kensington' about the operation of coal trains to the depot at Kensington. An interesting scenario for a model BR (MR) Jinty's operating coal trains over the electrified lines.

Edited January 22, 2016 by PhilJ W

[Arun Sharma]

I believe you might mean "Backtrack" Vol 30 no:2 Feb 2016

[PhilJ W]

I believe you might mean "Backtrack" Vol 30 no:2 Feb 2016

Oops, now ammended.

[LULFAN]

The coal trains were also mentioned here

 

http://www.trainweb.org/districtdave/html/stories_from_q8.html

 

Second story down the page

 

"Freight and Coal Workings on the District"

 

A fascinating read

Edited January 22, 2016 by LULFAN

[The Stationmaster]

Very many years ago I 'copped' a Jinty on a Kensington coal train - amazing what you could see on the UndergrounD back then although the best thing I ever saw was a Western 97XX charging through Baker street toward Edgware Road one Saturday afternoon.

[roythebus]

There's been some lengthy discussions on this topic on the District Dave site.

 

Don't forget there was also an LMS coal depot at High Street Kensington which closed around the same time. there is now a hotel on the site.

Edited January 22, 2016 by roythebus

[adanapress]

Is it possible that I have a memory of a coal truck parked against the buffers at Baker Street?   or am I remembering the same thing at Liverpool Street Main line buffers, deep under the hotel?  I must be getting old . . . .

[PhilJ W]

Is it possible that I have a memory of a coal truck parked against the buffers at Baker Street?   or am I remembering the same thing at Liverpool Street Main line buffers, deep under the hotel?  I must be getting old . . . .

This could well be the 'Ash train' for the boiler waste from Chiltern Court before they went over to other fuels. These trains were usually hauled by the Metropolitan Bo-Bo's.

[brightspark]

There were a couple of articles about this traffic in Midland Record.

[Metr0Land]

Pic here which I guess a lot of people on this board have seen, but maybe new to some

 

https://flic.kr/p/A47Xh6

[erict]

Just another bit of random information regarding the district line coal trains descending towards Hammersmith:

 

There was a short length of isolated conductor rail in the Ravenscourt Park area EB, electric trains would put a voltage on this bit of conductor rail and if the section ahead was clear would get a green signal, a steam train would not be able to energise this section of conductor rail and consequently be given a yellow signal. This info was gained during the early 1970s when I was a teenager on LTE and was told this by an older employee.