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Machine or equipment wagons in use in around 1926


phil_sutters
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In a book of photographs of Burnham and Highbridge there is a photograph of six 6 and 8 ton Babcock and Wilcox steam rollers, arriving at Highbridge Wharf in February 1926. They were for W.W.Buncombe, a local road building and repair company that reportedly had up to 150 rollers working up and down the country. They are on low machinery or equipment wagons. Clearly they are not the Dapol or Hornby types. The nearest one has a more curved edge plate and a white-painted curved spoked brake wheel. The axle box is rectangular with bolts on either side, below the halfway mark, and two bolts or rivets, one above the other on the front centreline. All the wagons seem to have steeper slopes than the Dapol or Hornby ones. There may be more than one other type among the remaining five. It is quite a grainy old photo, so it is hard to see. The rollers will have been transported from Lincoln where they were manufactured. I have tried to find photos of other low mac type wagons of the period, with little success. There are some which are too small. Has anyone got any ideas? My gradually growing collection of Highbridge Wharf rolling stock would benefit from two or three appropriate wagons. I am adapting Hales Aveling and Porter kits to look more like Babcocks.

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B&W's main works was in Renfrew, rather than Lincoln, I think, so you might want to look among the Scottish companies to find the origin of the wagons, although they did buy out Clayton & Shuttleworth at Lincoln, which wasa well-known traction engine and roller maker, so perhaps the wagons are from there, and of GER origin, in which case, try starting with this page (which has an early lowmac) and working forward https://www.gersociety.org.uk/index.php/rolling-stock/wagons/1880-1889

 

This might be worth a look too http://www.2mm.org.uk/products/instruction_sheets/pdf2-591.pdf

 

When I was with BR(S) power supply department in the 70/80s, we had an ex--LNER, GE-design lowmac that that was used to carry large transfomers.

 

 

Edited by Nearholmer
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1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

B&W's main works was in Renfrew, rather than Lincoln, I think, so you might want to look among the Scottish companies to find the origin of the wagons, although they did buy out Clayton & Shuttleworth at Lincoln, which wasa well-known traction engine and roller maker, so perhaps the wagons are from there, and of GER origin, in which case, try starting with this page (which has an early lowmac) and working forward https://www.gersociety.org.uk/index.php/rolling-stock/wagons/1880-1889

 

This might be worth a look too http://www.2mm.org.uk/products/instruction_sheets/pdf2-591.pdf

 

When I was with BR(S) power supply department in the 70/80s, we had an ex--LNER, GE-design lowmac that that was used to carry large transfomers.

 

 

Thanks for your thoughts. My understanding is that the rollers in question were C&S designed machines produced fairly soon after the takeover. I will follow up your suggestions and see what I can find.

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13 hours ago, phil_sutters said:

In a book of photographs of Burnham and Highbridge there is a photograph of six 6 and 8 ton Babcock and Wilcox steam rollers, arriving at Highbridge Wharf in February 1926. They were for W.W.Buncombe, a local road building and repair company that reportedly had up to 150 rollers working up and down the country. They are on low machinery or equipment wagons. Clearly they are not the Dapol or Hornby types. The nearest one has a more curved edge plate and a white-painted curved spoked brake wheel. The axle box is rectangular with bolts on either side, below the halfway mark, and two bolts or rivets, one above the other on the front centreline. All the wagons seem to have steeper slopes than the Dapol or Hornby ones. There may be more than one other type among the remaining five. It is quite a grainy old photo, so it is hard to see. The rollers will have been transported from Lincoln where they were manufactured. I have tried to find photos of other low mac type wagons of the period, with little success. There are some which are too small. Has anyone got any ideas? My gradually growing collection of Highbridge Wharf rolling stock would benefit from two or three appropriate wagons. I am adapting Hales Aveling and Porter kits to look more like Babcocks.

 

Could you PM a copy of the photo?

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1 hour ago, Compound2632 said:

Could you PM a copy of the photo?

 

Phil did so. Having looked through my LMS, LNWR, and LYR wagon books I'm confident I've eliminated those companies' designs of implement wagons. But Essery's Midland Wagons turns up trumps. I'm fairly sure the leading vehicle, with deep framing and brake handwheel, is a Midland D314 18 ton Implement Wagon, 12 built to Lots 553 and 581 in 1903/4 [Midland Wagons Plate 301], although it could also be a D313 15 ton Implement Wagon, 12 built to Lot 417 in 1897 [Midland Wagons Plate 300]. The second wagon, with lighter framing, is either a D728 18 ton Implement Wagon, 8 built to Lot 818 in 1912 [Midland Wagons Plate 302] or the 12 ton version, D727, 3 built to Lot 817 in 1912 [Midland Wagons Plate 298]. The others are more of the same types - I suspect they are all the 18 ton versions. 

 

The Midland Railway Study Centre holds Derby C&W DO drawings, 1½"/ft scale, with the following references:

D313 Drg. 1202 MRSC Item 88-D0038

D314 Drg. 1724 MRSC Item 88-D1806

D727 Drg. 3808 MRSC Item 88-D0751

D728 Drg. 3809 MRSC Item 88-D0758

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On 19/10/2021 at 12:04, Compound2632 said:

 

Phil did so. Having looked through my LMS, LNWR, and LYR wagon books I'm confident I've eliminated those companies' designs of implement wagons. But Essery's Midland Wagons turns up trumps. I'm fairly sure the leading vehicle, with deep framing and brake handwheel, is a Midland D314 18 ton Implement Wagon, 12 built to Lots 553 and 581 in 1903/4 [Midland Wagons Plate 301], although it could also be a D313 15 ton Implement Wagon, 12 built to Lot 417 in 1897 [Midland Wagons Plate 300]. The second wagon, with lighter framing, is either a D728 18 ton Implement Wagon, 8 built to Lot 818 in 1912 [Midland Wagons Plate 302] or the 12 ton version, D727, 3 built to Lot 817 in 1912 [Midland Wagons Plate 298]. The others are more of the same types - I suspect they are all the 18 ton versions. 

 

The Midland Railway Study Centre holds Derby C&W DO drawings, 1½"/ft scale, with the following references:

D313 Drg. 1202 MRSC Item 88-D0038

D314 Drg. 1724 MRSC Item 88-D1806

D727 Drg. 3808 MRSC Item 88-D0751

D728 Drg. 3809 MRSC Item 88-D0758

I have now acquired the relevant volume. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. What a fascinating collection of sometimes quite weird rolling stock. 

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