adanapress Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Can anyone point me to information regarding the use here and there of slightly adapted farm tractors as shunters in various East Anglian sidings. Or is my memory entirely at fault? I seem to recall very large, lashed up wooden bufferbeams, but thats about all I recall! .. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
clecklewyke Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 Tractors were definitely used on Humber and Princes Docks in Hull in the 1950s/60s. My recollection is that they had large metal sheets in place of buffers and buffer beams. I wish I could remember more... Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv1000r Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 you're recollections are correct, one was certainly used on the snape branch to transfer wagons across the road into the maltings, & also on the quay at gt. yarmouth, just trying to locate pics to give you as referance sources regards Nigel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfwit Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 See http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/gansg/8-yards/y-intro.htm for some info. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv1000r Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 right, two for starters, firstly the Snape tractor, photographed in April '59 propelling a RCH 7 plank end door mineral across the road, reg no, JBJ 765 in illustrated history of the east Suffolk, Brodribb OPC 2003 secondly an "epping auto-shunter" on Yarmouth South Quay, April '68 reg no. TGU 485 in branchlines east of norwich, adderson & Kenworthy Middleton Press 2010 Nigel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merfyn Jones Posted August 22, 2011 Share Posted August 22, 2011 right, two for starters, firstly the Snape tractor, photographed in April '59 propelling a RCH 7 plank end door mineral across the road, reg no, JBJ 765 in illustrated history of the east Suffolk, Brodribb OPC 2003 secondly an "epping auto-shunter" on Yarmouth South Quay, April '68 reg no. TGU 485 in branchlines east of norwich, adderson & Kenworthy Middleton Press 2010 Nigel TGU485 was British Railways no. RY 0309 E of October 1956, based on the Fordson Major, with Wetherall conversion. One of many used on B R mainly Fordson based. Merf. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 31A Posted August 22, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 22, 2011 There was one at Sandy, in the '70s at least if not later, for moving grain hoppers under the loading chute. I'll see if I can find any more details. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted August 22, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 22, 2011 Further afield, a tractor was used to position wagons for unloading at Tunnel Cement Sidings in Curzon St yard c1966. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted August 22, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 22, 2011 One was also used at Knottingley to shunt sand hoppers across the A645 into the one of the glass works before the contract was lost to road. That had the large metal sheets and certainly ;lasted into the 1980's complete with a man with a red flag in tbe middle of the road. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 They were reasonably common, both used by BR and in industry- one particular use was in locations served by traversers, such as wagon works. There is a published view in a book of one at Leith Docks. As a child, I used to be fascinated by the one in the wagon works next to Sandy Bridge, Llanelli (the building still exists, as 'Newlec', in the unlikely event of someone knowing the area). I believe JCB have recently supplied a modified version of one of their big tractors for use in this fashion. For anywhere with layout constraints, a tractor is probably much more useful than a normal shunter, with the advantage that you can use them for other things if required. I think Mervyn Jones' long-running thread about BR Road Motors has had images of tractors used for such purposes in the past; I did a cursory search, and found a reference to one such, but couldn't find the link to the image. East Anglia used to have an even stranger 'shunter' at Lowestoft sleeper works- a powered Grampus wagon. I remember there being a piece about it in Rail about 20 years ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted August 23, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 23, 2011 I know English China Clay used a tractor with buffing plates to shunt Moorswater Clay Dries - "bcnPete" discussed it here 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted August 23, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 23, 2011 A tractor (Fergie T20 I think) was used to replace the horse on the Totnes Quay line for shunting timber traffic from Baltic Wharf to The Plains as locos were banned from beyond the gate into the square. I used to enjoy a pint with the late Stan Smith who was the last horse shunter listening to his stories! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hughes Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 When the locomotives finally died, Shropshire County Council used one as the sole motive power on the Snailbeach line; one strange consequence of this was that the frequency of trains increased markedly as it could only handle two or three wagons of roadstone at a time. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stuartp Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 East Anglia used to have an even stranger 'shunter' at Lowestoft sleeper works- a powered Grampus wagon. I remember there being a piece about it in Rail about 20 years ago. There was a photo of it on the old forum somewhere - bright yellow (ok, rust with yellow bits) with a small engine at one end above the axle and what looked like a garden shed at the other. I would try to link to it if I could find the old forum... [Edit - It's on departmentals.com: http://www.departmentals.com/photo/041707] 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv1000r Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 They were reasonably common, both used by BR and in industry- one particular use was in locations served by traversers, such as wagon works. There is a published view in a book of one at Leith Docks. As a child, I used to be fascinated by the one in the wagon works next to Sandy Bridge, Llanelli (the building still exists, as 'Newlec', in the unlikely event of someone knowing the area). I believe JCB have recently supplied a modified version of one of their big tractors for use in this fashion. For anywhere with layout constraints, a tractor is probably much more useful than a normal shunter, with the advantage that you can use them for other things if required. I think Mervyn Jones' long-running thread about BR Road Motors has had images of tractors used for such purposes in the past; I did a cursory search, and found a reference to one such, but couldn't find the link to the image. East Anglia used to have an even stranger 'shunter' at Lowestoft sleeper works- a powered Grampus wagon. I remember there being a piece about it in Rail about 20 years ago. I remember the Lowestoft grampus well, it was in fact the works shunter for the engineers wagon repair shops, the sleeper depot being long gone, it was converted from DB988525, internal user no. 041707, painted yellow, & used to be parked by the gates on commercial rd. Nigel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Jonboy Posted August 23, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 23, 2011 Bit more modern? http://www.flickr.com/photos/tunnyspics/5140755181/in/photostream Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJ Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 English China Clays have used tractors at quite a few other sites, Wenfordbridge, Ponts Mill and Par docks spring to mind. I guess they're ida for cramped works to ease shunting, you don't even need a run round loop I think one is still used for shunting the cement at Moorswater as the newer larger locos can't get round the sharp curves. I think it would be a bit of a challenge to model a working one though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
micknich2003 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 They were known as "Tow Motors", and they were certainly used here in Hull, at Princes Dock and no doubt elsewhere. The last one I saw in use was at Beverley during 1981 when I was signalman at Beverley Chreey Tree. Best Wishes, Mick. Nicholson. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold bcnPete Posted August 23, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 23, 2011 I know English China Clay used a tractor with buffing plates to shunt Moorswater Clay Dries - "bcnPete" discussed it here And here it is, as photographed in Moorswater shed 3 weeks ago... County 1474 with modified front and rear ends... Not really your area but I hope it helps... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merfyn Jones Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 Bit more modern? http://www.flickr.co.../in/photostream This is PBT236P, a former British Railways, Eastern Region machine, before Crewe it was photographed at Acton yard in London in 2009. Merf. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 The long gone Stadex Starch Works at Langley near Slough, used a tractor with boards to move wagons along the sidings within the works in the early 1970's Xerces Fobe Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classsix T Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 A tractor was used to shunt the dock sidings in Ipswich, specifically the Pauls flour section. C6T. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Natalie Graham Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I think it would be a bit of a challenge to model a working one though! It has been done in 2mm scale. http://freespace.vir...2mm/gallery.htm Scroll down the page to '2003 dinner'. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsv1000r Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 A tractor was used to shunt the dock sidings in Ipswich, specifically the Pauls flour section. C6T. have you got, or do you know of any pics of this one? Nigel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 There was one at Sandy, in the '70s at least if not later, for moving grain hoppers under the loading chute. I'll see if I can find any more details. Photograph of it here http://PaulBartlett....alrail/eb495180 Another, older design, here from Brierley Hill http://PaulBartlett....lrail/e38107a28 Paul Bartlett Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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