Popular Post Ben Alder Posted September 21, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted September 21, 2012 (edited) As a follow on to my earlier postings, I spent four years at Aberdeen from 1972, and often wandered round Ferryhill shed on a Sunday, this being the sum total of any railway activity during this time, the usual student distractions occupying most of my life. I did photograph a few engines there from time to time, which I haven't got round to scanning yet, but usually the depot was very quiet, and nobody seemed to mind me being about. Due to my general disinterest in diesels I never photographed any of the passing trains, but in 1975,IIR, there was a flurry of wagons appearing to get their metric weights applied, and suddenly I had found something of real interest to me. By this time I had graduated to colour film and started taking shots of these passing wagons. They seemed to have been hauled in at random, as there was always on my visits a real mix up of types and usually in singles. Due to the pressures of uni. work most of my visits were in the early part of the year, and decent shots were difficult often due to the position of the sun and the sidings they were kept in, so once more much went unrecorded, but I do have a selection of photos I did take. They are a mixture of slide and film, with the slides being much clearer, but they do give a portrait of the state of some of what was around at the time. Here are some at random. I didn't, or have lost, any details of these photos, but they are all pretty obvious what they are. Some of the weathering/ patching had to be seen to be believed! Edited October 4, 2012 by Ben Alder 30 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted September 22, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 22, 2012 Wow, thanks for posting. Also, Mackerel spelt wrong in the first pic, I wonder if they are all like that? Mike. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben04uk Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Great stuff again, if you have any photos of the ubiquitous 12-ton box van I'd be particularly interested to see them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 Cheers, here are some more. I'll sort some more out tonight. 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberdeenBill Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Great shots, Ben. if only there was anything like that around Aberdeen today... It's interesting that metric tares were being painted on, but not, apparently, TOPS codes. Any idea what the black and yellow stripes on the van next to the Conflat were? Best regards, Bill 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 Great shots, Ben. if only there was anything like that around Aberdeen today... It's interesting that metric tares were being painted on, but not, apparently, TOPS codes. Any idea what the black and yellow stripes on the van next to the Conflat were? Best regards, Bill Yes, to a wagon afficiando/nut like myself it was like Xmas- it was the variety of types ,almost all as singles, mixed up in no order- put me in mind of a full size train set of someone who bought an example of each type of stock available and ran them all together, that was part of its appeal. Each time I went I wouldn't know what was going to be there. The stripes were also on another dept. van, so it must have had something to do with that usage- see below-, and one wagon has a chalked message referring to TOPS- see the 24T coal wagon poking in on the right of the second pic. Great stuff again, if you have any photos of the ubiquitous 12-ton box van I'd be particularly interested to see them. I don't remember great numbers of 12T vans being there- perhaps they were done at times I wasn't around- although one or two can be seen lurking in photos. By this time all revenue vans were BR versions, and I had seen plenty of them already, so took shots of any Big 4 stock I could find. There are some LNE vans here, but this seems to be the only BR one I took- 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted September 22, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 22, 2012 Any idea what the black and yellow stripes on the van next to the Conflat were? From memory, so it ain't necessarily correct, but ISTR they were boards screwed on denoting some form of departmental use? Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 (edited) A further selection. BTW, the wagons seen on the raised section are stabled on the old coaling stage ramp, and were somewhat inaccessible with regard to build details, but it was the state of their liveries that I was interested in. Edited September 22, 2012 by Ben Alder 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 (edited) Thanks for posting, very useful. Couple of Qs: 1) I assume these wagons were all in service at the time? (I've weathered a wagon before using a photo only to find out later that the wagon hadn't been used or moved for several years!) 2) What is the symbol on the smaller conflat container that looks like a circle with a cross in it? It's also on the 5 plank wagon a couple of photos below. Thanks again. Edit: actually, just looking at that 5 plank wagon again, what's going on with the left hand end of it?! (it's the very first post btw) Edited September 23, 2012 by Dave777 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhall Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 the cross within a circle is often combined with the lettering 'COND' as in Condemed. Jon 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted September 23, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 23, 2012 Wow, thanks for posting. Also, Mackerel spelt wrong in the first pic, I wonder if they are all like that? Mike. To answer my own question, I can't find another mis-spelt Mackerel, but have found a Lampray, wonder if they were (wrongly) lettered by the same person and others might exist? Mike. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhall Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 To answer my own question, I can't find another mis-spelt Mackerel, but have found a Lampray, wonder if they were (wrongly) lettered by the same person and others might exist? Mis-lettered wagons were pretty common. Everything from fishkind names through to TOPS codes and even wagon numbers went astray from time to time. Jon 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Some good shots there showing just how $h city the wagon fleet was! A challenge for the weathering brigade? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvdlcs Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Hello. Post #8, picture #5 - that with DM742520 in the foreground. I'm curious about the wooden wagon in the right background, next to the 24t minerals on the raised line. Is that a modification to the ends or a load that it was carrying? Hopefully someone can work it out. Thanks for any forthcoming response. David. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 (edited) Glad this is throwing up discussions-I'll post more up later. I think that these were in traffic when taken in, but as can be seen, some didn't make it out again alive. The 5 plank with the added ends is interesting, and here is a shot of another?/same one with it as well. Edit- looks as though it is the same one. Edited September 23, 2012 by Ben Alder 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mark Forrest Posted September 23, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 23, 2012 There appears to be a platform behind each of the ends. Possibly a tunnel/bridge inspection vehicle? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted September 23, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 23, 2012 Glad this is throwing up discussions-I'll post more up later. I think that these were in traffic when taken in, but as can be seen, some didn't make it out again alive. The 5 plank with the added ends is interesting, and here is a shot of another?/same one with it as well. Edit- looks as though it is the same one. The platforms are hinged at floor level and lift up to the middle to make a raised platform, you can see the baseboard joiner/alignment dowels on the right hand one! Mike. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham R Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 here is a shot of another... Are these the Aberdeen Gasworks pugs behind the wagon? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 (edited) Are these the Aberdeen Gasworks pugs behind the wagon? Yes,there were three of them, kept for a Council scheme in Duthie Park,IIR,that eventually came to nothing. Here they are, along with a view of some of their wagons as well. Edited September 23, 2012 by Ben Alder 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 Some more wagons. 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Alder Posted September 23, 2012 Author Share Posted September 23, 2012 Some fab images there Any ideas as to how a Clayfit ended up in Aberdee? Im not very well up on where they went to, more where they came from There were paper mills around Aberdeen that used the stuff-perhaps someone aware of more recent traffic patterns can confirm if it continues. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave777 Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Keep 'em coming Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iak Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Pure gold is this thread... DRIBBLE!!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porcy Mane Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 Superb. Took me back to the first time I bought a Larkin wagon book. Porcy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberdeenBill Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 More great shots... Mr Therm and a couple of wagon underframes did eventually make it to Seaton (not Duthie) Park: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/925919 Bill 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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