RMweb Gold Argos Posted March 23, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 23, 2020 (edited) I am just about to build my first presflo kit for future layout based on the Callander and Oban. The Presflos carried Alumina from Burntisland in Fife out to Ballachulish for unloading onto wagons to be delivered to the aluminium smelter in Kinlochleven. Whilst there are plenty of photos of the wagons most are indistinct. There looks to be writing on the side but no photo I've found is clear enough to read. (lovely colour photo half way down the page http://www.45163.co.uk/Archive.html ) Most of the BR presflo fleet seemed to carry the word "Cement" but this would obviously be inappropriate for alumina, or where the general fleet wagons used? Or were the wagons labelled specifically for this flow (and if so what did it say?). Thanks Angus Edited March 23, 2020 by Argos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham R Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 Hi Angus, There's a nice album of photos of the BACo Burntisland plant online, which includes a shot of a Presflo there on 9 April 1964 , and it looks like the lettering is "Presflo Alumina", with the first word spaced over the top row of four "panels" between the main side stanchions, and the second word spaced over the second row, one letter per "panel". There's also a nice detail shot of the Presflo roofs, a shot of an ICI caustic soda tank on the same day, and an LNER-era shot of the wooden hoppers in use before the Presflos. No excuse not to post a photo of the completed wagon now :-) Regards Graham 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Argos Posted March 24, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 24, 2020 Thanks Graham, that's a great help. I've yet to start the wagon but it should be underway tonight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kylestrome Posted March 24, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) On 23/03/2020 at 21:49, Argos said: Whilst there are plenty of photos of the wagons most are indistinct. There looks to be writing on the side but no photo I've found is clear enough to read. There seem to have been some variations of lettering for the alumina Presflos. Good photos are not easy to come by. Here are a couple: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/61633-fort-william-in-1972/&do=findComment&comment=786771 https://www.railscot.co.uk/img/23/922/ You can see how I've tackled the problem here, based on what references I could find: https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/118922-kylestrome’s-4mm-workbench-–-scottish-malt-distilleries-ltd-no4/&do=findComment&comment=3580891 David Edited March 24, 2020 by Kylestrome 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Argos Posted March 24, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 24, 2020 Thanks David, That confirms Graham's post above. Nice Presflos and Prestwins, impressive modelling. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kylestrome Posted March 24, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) While we're on the subject of Ballachulish and alumina, the biggest mystery to me is how the alumina was transported from the presflos in the goods yard to the smelter in Kinlochleven? After considerable searching, I still haven't managed to find any pictures of unloading facilities or any kind of road transport. David Edited March 25, 2020 by Kylestrome Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Argos Posted March 24, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) Hi David, It was by truck. I'm sure I've seen a photo of a road tanker in the yard a Ballachulish ready to load. I think it's in a magazine. I'll try and find it tomorrow Edited March 24, 2020 by Argos 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 10 hours ago, Kylestrome said: While we're on the subject of Ballachulish and alumina, the biggest mystery to me is how the alumina was transported from the presflos in the goods yard to the smelter in Kinlochleven? After considerable searching, I still haven't managed to find any pictures of unloading facilities or any kind of road transport. David Unloading facilities would be minimal. No fixed installations, just a compressor, which could be a towable one or lorry-mounted . This, and and any lorries used, would only be present when unloading operations were in progress. The lorries themselves might be specially built tankers, but could be ordinary tippers, sheeted. Prior to the development of powder tankers, Blue Circle had done this for cement. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Argos Posted March 25, 2020 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 25, 2020 21 hours ago, Argos said: It was by truck. I'm sure I've seen a photo of a road tanker in the yard a Ballachulish ready to load. I think it's in a magazine. I'll try and find it tomorrow Nope, looked through all the pictures I could find of the branch and can't see it so it may have been a figment of my imagination. Sorry! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 Looking at the other end of the line (Burntisland), I worked there in the days when the bauxite was transported from the harbour to the works by road. As mentioned before you took in your washing, moved your car off the main road & closed your windows. Talk about cowboy drivers, the roads & everything else on the route ended up brick red from the dust. Not a tarp in sight. If it was raining, the town looked like a wild west set, with red mud everywhere. If I could, I tried to avoid going there when the ships were in. I don't know what the alumina was like to transport in an open lorry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted March 25, 2020 Share Posted March 25, 2020 1 hour ago, duncan said: Looking at the other end of the line (Burntisland), I worked there in the days when the bauxite was transported from the harbour to the works by road. As mentioned before you took in your washing, moved your car off the main road & closed your windows. Talk about cowboy drivers, the roads & everything else on the route ended up brick red from the dust. Not a tarp in sight. If it was raining, the town looked like a wild west set, with red mud everywhere. If I could, I tried to avoid going there when the ships were in. I don't know what the alumina was like to transport in an open lorry. Go to North Blyth it is rather like having fine white sand blowing everywhere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
design8027 Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 Apart from the scenic appeal, the aluminia traffic caught my eye. There's no need for a big unloading sight, especially taking up room on a small layout. Was going to run as a separate loaded train and even a Ballachulish version of the "Killin school train" to give extra train's to run. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
design8027 Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 There is a 1960’s photo of Ballachulish yard around the goods shed area. There are lots of open wagons with tarps, was that ash heading away or something else? Not my photo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 5 hours ago, design8027 said: There is a 1960’s photo of Ballachulish yard around the goods shed area. There are lots of open wagons with tarps, was that ash heading away or something else? Not my photo. Might it be coke, or Petroluem coke, used for the electrodes? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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