GWR Coaling Stage

[melmerby]

Hi All,

 

Thought I would post a few interior images of the Didcot Coal Stage, taken during the excellent RMWeb tour organised and hosted by Mr Castle last year.

 

Such photos from the working days of steam are very rare, I guess due to the fact it was not a place you would wish to linger! You get an idea of the simplicity of the process, but one can only wonder at the back breaking work the men of the larger sheds must have endured feeding a constant stream of hungry locomotives!

 

 

Hope these are of interest.

 

 

Regards,

 

Andy.

Definitely of interest

 

Thanks

 

Keith

[billyb_imp]

Some very interesting thoughts and photos on the thread, very useful

[Andy M]

Seen as I did the inside, might as well post a few of the outside as well.

 

Andy.

[The Fatadder]

On 18/12/2012 at 18:50, Andy M said:

Locomotives were strictly prohibited from entering the covered areas of coaling stages due to the fire risk. The shed pilot link at most large depots was given to Pannier Tanks, although Laira often used a 1361. There is a photo of 4900 Saint Martin on the ramp at Newton Abbot, proving 'big un's' were used when needed!

 

Regards,

 

Andy.

I don’t suppose you could share the source of that photo please?

 

i have been giving thought to making a small diorama of the Newton coal stage as a photo backdrop for completed models.

[Denbridge]

On 22/01/2014 at 11:17, melmerby said:

The GWR had facilities which ranged from virtually nothing, e.g. just a stack of coal and baskets or similar to chuck the coal into the coal space on the loco right up to the very large facility at Old Oak Common with twin sided drops. However they hadn't progressed to mechanical coaling towers as had the LMS & LNER.

 

This is a typical medium/large sized coaling stage: (although bigger than many which only dropped on the one side)

 

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrt2398.htm

 

The wagons were pushed up the ramp by a loco to the loading area where the coal was unloaded from the wagons into small tubs which were manually pushed out to the opening on the side and tipped into the loco.

some stages had multiple drops on the one side.

 

This is a smaller one: (but same principal)

 

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrsa614.htm

 

Keith

 

EDIT: This is an LMS one however:

http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwrrm988.htm

 

(visit the main   http://www.warwickshirerailways.com/ site for plenty of pictures!)

There was a very good reason for the GWR  not using mechanical coaling stages. Welsh steam coal is very soft, unlike that from other mining areas.  Dropping it from a height into tenders/bunkers would have rendered most of it into dust.

[Andy M]

On 10 October 2019 at 15:03, The Fatadder said:

I don’t suppose you could share the source of that photo please?

 

i have been giving thought to making a small diorama of the Newton coal stage as a photo backdrop for completed models.

 

Hi Rich,

The first time I encountered that image was in an article by Ian Sixsmith entitled UNDER THE WALL : Newton Abbot Shed - From Broad Gauge to Diesels. It is dated 29th May 1958 and the photographer was K.C.H. Fairey.

 

I'm sure it has appeared in print elsewhere as well, but can't place where at present.

 

Regards,

Andy.

[Phil Bullock]

On 10/10/2019 at 15:23, Denbridge said:

There was a very good reason for the GWR  not using mechanical coaling stages. Welsh steam coal is very soft, unlike that from other mining areas.  Dropping it from a height into tenders/bunkers would have rendered most of it into dust.

I know it’s the exception but there was a GWR mechanical plant at Worcester…  very different to anything else! 
 

Worcester shed and coaling stage

 

Difficult to work out how it functioned though…,