random pre-grouping questions

[Caley Jim]

 

 

And, if you look in the background of this Caledonian Railway photo, you can see carts parked, with shafts turned-up, out in the (terrible Scottish) weather http://photopolis.dundeecity.gov.uk/wc1023.htm

 

At many/most rural stations, at least on the GWR, local deliveries and collections were carried out by the Cartage Agent, a local carrier under contract to the railway company. Normally their horses and vehicles would be kept at their own premises remote from the station.

Wordie and Co were the Cartage Agents for the Caledonian Railway.  I have a trial etch in 2MM scale for one of their flatbed lorries waiting to be put together.

 

Jim

[Penlan]

I have a few cartage horses around Penlan (the layout) it occurs to me I haven't provided any troughs for them.

[SRman]

I have a Dapol gunpowder van in LSWR livery, which I weathered down a bit. It is a nice livery but I wonder about the authenticity of the van, as they seem to offer it in numerous other liveries. Can anyone shed some light on the origins of the van Dapol have modelled, please? Is it a 'generic' van or was it something many railways bought 'off the shelf'?




Whatever the answer, I like it and it looks convincing, so I will be keeping it in my pre-grouping trains.

[Caley Jim]

....... Is it a 'generic' van or was it something many railways bought 'off the shelf'?

Many iron gunpowder vans were very similar to one another Both the CR and the NBR (& probably others) had such vans which were almost identical to a GWR iron mink, but without the ventilators.

The prototype :-

 

 

and the model, from a 2MM Scale Association iron mink kit :-

 

Jim

[Poor Old Bruce]

The Dapol GPV is actually the old Honby Dublo wagon which was stretched by 4mm to fit a standard 10ft wb by 17ft 6in chassis. It is based on the BR version of which some were built with handbrake only and Morton brake on a 9ft wb while later ones were built on a 10ft wb chassis with 8-shoe vacuum brakes but still with a 16ft 6in body. As Caley Jim says above, many companies used vans based on the GWR Iron Mink which was 9ft wb and 16ft over headstocks although others built their own designs.

[HeeleyBridge]

Locally the horse buses and horse trams were privately run. A horse trough was actually built into the retaining wall of the goods yard (on the road side, the whole yard and station being built on an embankment).Sadly this feature was lost when a retail park was built on the old goods shed site. 
 
Heeley horse tram terminus
 
The tram sheds (also lost recently despite many protests) were on a side road just beyond the Red Lion. Heeley Station is on the right of the picture.
 
Looking towards the station showing the retaining wall and a few select advertising posters.

[runs as required]

A most entertaining thread Cornamuse; thank you - and thanks also to contributors of the illustrations.

 

Another question - has anyone (such as an ingenious Nuremburg toymaker) constructed a working model shunting horse ?

 

dh

 

PS

I suppose it would be easier if the horse wore a skirt. ISTR from childhood : horses did sometimes pull railway delivery carts wearing a tarpaulin protection.

[Edwardian]

 

Another question - has anyone (such as an ingenious Nuremburg toymaker) constructed a working model shunting horse ?

 

dh

 

.

 

I realise that clichés and gimmicks are the horror of 'proper' layouts, which, these days, seem to suffer increasingly from depopulation, but I like a bit of fun.

 

I liked the HO moving cyclist that came to the market last year, and I'd love a 4mm scale moving horse!  I think this is because, having grown up with a stack of my father's '50s RMs, I was very taken with those carton suggestions for animated vignettes, featuring articulated figures; The Living Lineside, I think they were called.  Does anyone remember them? 

[IWCR]

Whilst  researching  for  a  potential  model  I  found  the  planning  application  drawings  for  a  building  adjoining  the  specific  station  which  I  had  known  as  the  Coal  Merchants  premises  were  actually  built  as  the  railways  cart  sheds  and  stables.

Possibly  in  many  other  locations  similar  buildings  did  exist  till  late  but  in  other  uses.

As  regards  horses  it  was  also  established  (at  a different  station  on  the  same  route)  that  the  railway  owned  a  field  on  the  edge  of  the  town,  this was  approx  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the station  and  one  of  the  closest  bits  of  open land,  presumably  this  was  used  as  a  paddock  for  their  horses.

On  this  particular  route  there  is  little  evidence  of  Railway  horse  drawn  transport  after  grouping,  deliveries  etc  being  dealt  with  by  local  carriers.

 

Pete

[CKPR]

I realise that clichés and gimmicks are the horror of 'proper' layouts, which, these days, seem to suffer increasingly from depopulation, but I like a bit of fun.

 

I liked the HO moving cyclist that came to the market last year, and I'd love a 4mm scale moving horse!  I think this is because, having grown up with a stack of my father's '50s RMs, I was very taken with those carton suggestions for animated vignettes, featuring articulated figures; The Living Lineside, I think they were called.  Does anyone remember them? 

 

I remember those  ! "The Living Lineside" by 'Dax'