Cattle Dock Construction

[BartonStDavidSDJR]

Hello all,

 

After a visit to the South Devon Railway last week, I picked up a Ratio cattle dock kit, as my current scratchbuilt one has served a purpose, but is now falling apart. 
 

I have started painting up the brickwork, but have reached the stage where I don’t know what else to do to it. I’ve already received a suggestion that the mortar could benefit from further toning down, but is there anything else I can do to make it more like how cattle docks were in the 30s, as I’m a little in the dark when it comes to this.

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Suffolk Dave]

Perhaps the mortar could do with a darkening wash added to it, otherwise it looks quite sound. While I'm no expert on 1930's cattle docks (and lets face it, there'll be few people around who can remember them!)  I imagine they would have been washed down after use, after all, cattle van interiors were cleaned with a lime wash so, there must have been some sort of commitment to cleanliness.

 

Even if they weren't cleaned down, whatever was left behind would have ended up on the stationmaster's roses!  

[geoffers]

In North East Norfolk the station at Honing (now on a long distance footpath/cycleway called the Weaver's Way) has been restored - at least in it's post-closure demolished state. There is a cattle dock in quite good derelict condition (oxymoron I know) which still has signs of white limewash showing in its brickwork. So I guess the dock was regularly sanitised after use. The station is worth a visit if you are up around that area with a good walk either direction. To the east you can find the old lock on the disused North Walsham/Dilham canal. Yes Norfolk did arrive in the 19th Century. There is a carpark at Honing station.

[Siberian Snooper]

The dock at Cranmore is still extant, but minus the fencing. It's also right next to the fence, so easily accessible.

 

 

[ejstubbs]

4 hours ago, Suffolk Dave said:

cattle van interiors were cleaned with a lime wash

 

According to the informed opinion on this thread:

 

 

that practice ceased in the mid-late 1920s.

[BartonStDavidSDJR]

Thanks for the replies, so stick as is with the base then? Maybe a little more toning down?

[Suffolk Dave]

On 20/08/2021 at 16:22, ejstubbs said:

 

According to the informed opinion on this thread:

 

 

that practice ceased in the mid-late 1920s.

That is very interesting. Looks like many folk may have to revisit the weathering of their cattle vans!