Torpedo/Slag Wagons

[JC]

Hello, I'm relatively new to the forum and the hobby and am in the process of building my first OO layout which is steelworks based. I'm struggling to source torpedo and slag wagons. The only slag wagons I can find are from rtmodels so that's a possibility. The only torpedo wagons I can find are the Walthers HO ones, though Gaugemaster were very cagey about when/whether they may get some. There appear to be a couple of HO options from abroad on Ebay from abroad but they're not cheap and I don't know anything about the quality of those models so am a bit loathe to take a punt on them.

 

I'm relying on internet searches which I know may not give me all the possible options.......I'd be very grateful if anyone could point me to any other sources or if you have any recommendations? Thanks JC

Edited September 10, 2020 by JC

[Michael Hodgson]

https://www.shapeways.com/marketplace?type=product&q=slag+wagon

 

 

[Michael Hodgson]

Think may may also find some other interesting stock there but I find that site hard to navigate.

 

3D printing is the place to look for unusual items that are not going to sell in great numbers, there are quite a lot of other sites out there.

[JC]

11 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Think may may also find some other interesting stock there but I find that site hard to navigate.

 

3D printing is the place to look for unusual items that are not going to sell in great numbers, there are quite a lot of other sites out there.

Thank you for the pointer Michael, I'd not considered 3d printing sources.

[MyRule1]

Lima once made what is probably an approximation of a torpedo wagon

https://www.thelocoshedmcr.co.uk/product.php/7123837/

[Mark Saunders]

Here are four examples available!

 

The Lima rtr torpedo similar to those at Scunthorpe and Port Talbot

 

The Walthers kit similar to some at Ravenscraig

 

The State Tool & Die, Kling hot metal ladle

 

The Walthers slag ladle as used at Ravenscraig and Lackenby

 

 

[JC]

10 minutes ago, MyRule1 said:

Lima once made what is probably an approximation of a torpedo wagon

https://www.thelocoshedmcr.co.uk/product.php/7123837/

Thanks pal.....can I asked how you found that?]

 

OK scratch that....if I'd have known Lima made a model I'd have found it!!!!!

Edited September 10, 2020 by JC

[JC]

22 minutes ago, Mark Saunders said:

Here are four examples available!

 

The Lima rtr torpedo similar to those at Scunthorpe and Port Talbot

 

The Walthers kit similar to some at Ravenscraig

 

The State Tool & Die, Kling hot metal ladle

 

The Walthers slag ladle as used at Ravenscraig and Lackenby

 

 

 

Nice collection! I think the torpedo wagon I found on Ebay was State Tool and Die but they wanted over £100 for it. 

 

I've now sourced 2 x Lima Torpedo wagons which is a result. 

[Joseph_Pestell]

36 minutes ago, JC said:

 

I've now sourced 2 x Lima Torpedo wagons which is a result. 

 

Not surprised. Contrary to that advert they are not "rare".

[Mark Saunders]

This is the last of the Pollock slag ladles, it is currently at South Bank, business centre, Middlesbrough!

 

 

[Philou]

Looks similar to the ones I used to see as a child tipping the hot slag on the foreshore from the East Moors (aka Dowlais) Steelworks in Cardiff.

[Fat Controller]

RT Models do a slag ladle, and also things such as ingot moulds, scrap boxes etc:-

https://www.rtmodels.co.uk/rt_models_039.htm

[Ruston]

3 hours ago, JC said:

Thanks pal.....can I asked how you found that?]

 

OK scratch that....if I'd have known Lima made a model I'd have found it!!!!!

I wouldn't bother with the Lima one. it's small, even for HO. It looks ridiculous when you see it next to a OO loco and consider how huge the real things are.

[JC]

2 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

RT Models do a slag ladle, and also things such as ingot moulds, scrap boxes etc:-

https://www.rtmodels.co.uk/rt_models_039.htm

I'd clocked that one, will probably be trying it.

[JC]

13 hours ago, Ruston said:

I wouldn't bother with the Lima one. it's small, even for HO. It looks ridiculous when you see it next to a OO loco and consider how huge the real things are.

 

Oh,  I bought two just before I read this. Got them cheap so I'll see how they look. Though atm I don't have a great deal of choice unless I lash out £100 on the State Tool and Die one from abroad?

[Enterprisingwestern]

On 10/09/2020 at 20:20, Ruston said:

I wouldn't bother with the Lima one. it's small, even for HO. It looks ridiculous when you see it next to a OO loco and consider how huge the real things are.

 

Just use it for small diameter bar and thin sheet steel then?

 

Mike.

Edited September 13, 2020 by Enterprisingwestern

[Fat Controller]

Landore Foundry used to have a small 'torpedo'-style ladle, used to take molten iron to the General Casting Foundry from the 'Hot-Blast' furnace. this was across the site from the much-larger Ingot Mould Foundry. The ladle was built by Distington Engineering from Cumbria, who were part of the same Division of British Steel as Landore.

[maridunian]

Wide variety of prototypes out there (eg 

) .

 

If you feel the Lima's are too small, maybe fabricate larger 'torpedo's using the same bogies, etc?

 

Mike

[Paul Webb]

Distington also built Torpedo wagons for Scunthorpe steelworks, but they travelled between the furnaces and works over BR metals, similar is size to the Port Talbot ones, but does anyone have the dimensions to them, they were pretty huge. 

[JC]

22 hours ago, maridunian said:

Wide variety of prototypes out there (eg 

) .

 

If you feel the Lima's are too small, maybe fabricate larger 'torpedo's using the same bogies, etc?

 

Mike

I'll see when they arrive. Though I suspect any type of fabrication may be beyond my skill level 

[Busmansholiday]

On 13/09/2020 at 07:32, Paul Webb said:

Distington also built Torpedo wagons for Scunthorpe steelworks, but they travelled between the furnaces and works over BR metals, similar is size to the Port Talbot ones, but does anyone have the dimensions to them, they were pretty huge. 

 

Distington built torpedo cars for British Steels' Scunthorpe (both Appleby Frodingham and Normandy Park) Works. They were built to hold 200 tons initially but we're subsequently lengthened to hold 300 tons by the company. They chopped the ends off then inserted a section of tube at each end before welding the lot back together. Some pics of those and slag cars on page 3.

 

The torpedoes didn't run over BR metals at Scunthorpe, all the track internally is BSC. There was the occasional transfer of hot metal from NPW (before it closed in 1981) to the main site but we had our own tracks between the sites and the adjacent  drift mine at Dragonby.

Torpedo and slag cars were different at each of the steel sites, usually due to local requirements including gauging clearances. Scunthorpe's torpedoes were long and thin due to clearance under the furnaces, Teessides were short and fat but also held 300 tons. 

 

[brian daniels]

Here's a Scunny torpedo seen on a tour this year.

[Michael Hodgson]

2 hours ago, brian daniels said:

Here's a Scunny torpedo seen on a tour this year.

 

Railtour stock with a difference! 

I suppose you could get people into the boxes at each end.  I don't see it going down well with HMRI though.

[phil_sutters]

Now there's one to add to the Hornby 'steam punk' range!

[Busmansholiday]

1 hour ago, Michael Hodgson said:

 

Railtour stock with a difference! 

I suppose you could get people into the boxes at each end.  I don't see it going down well with HMRI though.

Not the nearest end as that's just a cover over the bearings that the center section revolves around. The far end is possible to get inside being larger but there's not much space in there as it contains the electric motor and drive gears that revolve the torpedo.

That white pointer you can see on the main bit lines up with a mark on the front section and is to indicate to the Pour Station Operator at the steel plant that the unit is horizontal and can be returned to the furnaces.