Coke Oven By Products

[Narrow Gauge Jordan]

Hi all,

 

Its finally time I get my act together and start building a layout after all these years.

 

As part of my apprenticeship at Scunthorpe steelworks I had a 6 month placement at Appleby Coke Ovens, which is more like a working museum than a live industrial site. it showed a lot of history, for example the machine that used to bag salt to be loaded into box vans even though its rail connection was taken out decades ago. It all got me thinking how good a layout it would make, Then the book Modelling Heavy Industry showed the building of a diorama of a tank farm which just reminded me of the coke ovens. several hours later I ended up with this:

 

 

Orange= Tanks

Red= Benzole Loading

Grey=Tar loading

Blue= Pump house

Green= Gasholder

 

The layout is set late 1960's to early 70's and will feature all sorts of industrial locos in a (hopefully) authentic background. I've tried to keep the trackplan simple but operationally interesting with 2 sidings for tar loading and one for Benzole, as well as a sidings for empty's. it will fit on a 3' x 18" baseboard with the same for the fiddle yard.

 

I know Benzole and tar used to be transported in the old 14t tankers, but would TTA's have ever transported them?

 

Hope you all enjoy watching the build as it develops

 

Jordan

[Ruston]

 

I know Benzole and tar used to be transported in the old 14t tankers, but would TTA's have ever transported them?

 

Hope you all enjoy watching the build as it develops

 

Jordan

By TTA tanks I expect you mean 45/46-tonne monobloc tanks. Not all were coded TTA.

 

Modern Private Owner Wagons, by David Ratcliffe, lists tank wagons of 40 to 51 tonnes, their TOPS codes and the classes of traffic carried. Although there are bitumen tanks listed  (TTA, TTB, TTF, TTV and TUA) there are none shown for the use of carrying tar. Perhaps this is because the carriage of tar from coke ovens had gone over to road vehicles? I don't know, but you can always apply rule #1 and say that it was still carried by rail from your coke ovens by this period. Tanks for bitumen would be the type that could be used for tar as they had flame tubes for heating the load for discharge that were a more modern equivalent of steam heating coils.

 

What scale is this?

Edited October 5, 2017 by Ruston

[Narrow Gauge Jordan]

By TTA tanks I expect you mean 45/46-tonne monobloc tanks. Not all were coded TTA.

 

Modern Private Owner Wagons, by David Ratcliffe, lists tank wagons of 40 to 51 tonnes, their TOPS codes (TTA, TTB, TTF, TTV and TUA) and the classes of traffic carried Although there are bitumen tanks listed there are none shown for the use of carrying tar. Perhaps this is because the carriage of tar from coke ovens had gone over to road vehicles? I don't know, but you can always apply rule #1 and say that it was still carried by rail from your coke ovens by this period. Tanks for bitumen would be the type that could be used for tar as they had flame tubes for heating the load for discharge that were a more modern equivalent of steam heating coils.

 

What scale is this?

 

Thanks Dave,

 

The layout is going to be 00, forgot to mention that, was there any major differences between the bitumen tanks and the TTAs in the Hornby railroad range? I have a few that I've been given a while ago and I was struggling to find a use for them.

 

Thanks

 

Jordan

[Dava]

Will you have a vaporiser unit to provide the distinctive tar and benzole aromas? I used to live a few miles downwind [on the wrong day] from the Coalite plant at Bolsover. Other will have their own olfactory experiences...

 

Dava

[Narrow Gauge Jordan]

Will you have a vaporiser unit to provide the distinctive tar and benzole aromas? I used to live a few miles downwind [on the wrong day] from the Coalite plant at Bolsover. Other will have their own olfactory experiences...

 

Dava

 

I think the smell is too well stuck in my head to need one! It's not one you forget very easily after being drenched in benzole a few times, even the car ended up smelling of it!

[Ruston]

I don't know what the Hornby Railroad tanks are like but if they're anything like the old Hornby TTA tanks that I had years ago they will have the ordinary domed ends. Bitumen tanks were lagged and had a conical end and flame tubes in the ends. Someone used to do replacement cast whitemetal ends for bitumen tanks and acetic acid tanks but it's a long time ago and I can't remember who made them.

Ordinary TTA type tank - http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/algecoa

Bitumen tank - http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brtmobilbitumenvb

[Narrow Gauge Jordan]

I don't know what the Hornby Railroad tanks are like but if they're anything like the old Hornby TTA tanks that I had years ago they will have the ordinary domed ends. Bitumen tanks were lagged and had a conical end and flame tubes in the ends. Someone used to do replacement cast whitemetal ends for bitumen tanks and acetic acid tanks but it's a long time ago and I can't remember who made them.

Ordinary TTA type tank - http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/algecoa

Bitumen tank - http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/brtmobilbitumenvb

 

Suppose I could chop the end off and make a new one using a former? Might be worth it as I would like a few.

[Narrow Gauge Jordan]

Hi all,

 

Well it didn't take long but I've now ordered the first 2 locos specifically for the coke ovens,

 

http://www.hattons.co.uk/312306/Hattons_H4_AB14_005_Andrew_Barclay_0_4_0ST_14_2134_WTT_in_lined_green/StockDetail.aspx

 

 

My plans for the locos are for them to become Beckton Coke No.1 Ann and No.2 Jan

 

 

A crudely made version of the Beckton Coke livery with the B C either side of the name and the United Steels Logo on the cabside.

 

Just now need to find someone who can make USC logos as they don't seem to be available from anywhere.

[gpplumy]

Prolly best to point out you mean unites steels company logos

[toplink@()1989))((]

I think the smell is too well stuck in my head to need one! It's not one you forget very easily after being drenched in benzole a few times, even the car ended up smelling of it!

 

I used to work at the Coalite plant at Bolsover, 12 years until 2003. I did most of my modelling on nights and afternoons at the weekends! I can still smell it on my books and some models. 

 

I still live about a mile or so from the plant, it is just now being demolished and every time they disturb something or the wind is in the right (or wrong) direction it comes wafting over!!

 

Pete. 

[enginelane]

Will you have a vaporiser unit to provide the distinctive tar and benzole aromas? I used to live a few miles downwind [on the wrong day] from the Coalite plant at Bolsover. Other will have their own olfactory experiences...

 

Dava[/quote

 

I worked at the Grimethorpe Coalite plant for a couple of summers and can confirm it had a whole range of smells all very distinctive in comparison to the Royston coking plant. I think it had to do with the different ways in which the carbonised coal was produced.