Shock absorbing wagons

[Legend]

I've been browsing the Bachmann catalogue . What exactly was the purpose of a shock absorbing wagon? Yes I know inevitably someone will point out to absorb shocks! But how did they work. The Bachmann ones seem to be derivatives of normal 5 plank and ventilated vans. I assume that the bodies were not fixed fully to the chassis which must absorb the shock. But what trains would they have been used on? Were they very widespread?

 

Sorry for questions but I've been meaning to ask for a while. I did search forum and found a thread on wagons but it did tend to assume you knew what they were for in first place.

[Ravenser]

The experts will no doubt be along in a minute , but the body was loose on the chassis and movement was restrained by large springs (found in the centre of the solebar).

 

Anything breakable and delicate would have been a possibility. I think I've read that earthenware pipes were one traffic

[Pennine MC]

I did search forum and found a thread on wagons but it did tend to assume you knew what they were for in first place.

 

I dont know if this is it but I'll link to it anyway

 

Rave has summed up the essence of it - key points being:

 

* built to some extent by all the Big 4 apart from the LNER, though an LNER-inspired van design appeared after Nationalisation

 

* the body was about a foot shorter to allow fore-and-aft movement

 

*the springs were usually mounted external to the solebar but some late BR builds had internal springing units

 

* GW, LMS and early BR builds had special Duplex self-contained buffers; SR ones had conventional spindles and late BR builds had the same sort as other contemporary wagons (Oleo, Dowty and hefty self-contained)

 

In fact I'd make a reasoned guess that it was the development of better buffers that signalled the end of shock absorbing wagons per se. There were however also the early 60s LWB 'Shochood' wagons for metals traffic, one of the last significant 'traditional' wagon types before effort became concentrated on AB designs

 

The wagons would have been used in very specific traffics at first - slate, sanitary ware, glass products (I think), biscuits, whisky. Last use was tinplate from South Wales, finishing c1978. As with all specialised vans though, they often wandered into 'normal' merchandise traffics.

 

As ever, Paul Bartlett's site has images covering a variety of designs

[The Stationmaster]

I dont know if this is it but I'll link to it anyway

 

The wagons would have been used in very specific traffics at first - slate, sanitary ware, glass products (I think), biscuits, whisky. Last use was tinplate from South Wales, finishing c1978. As with all specialised vans though, they often wandered into 'normal' merchandise traffics.

 

As ever, Paul Bartlett's site has images covering a variety of designs

 

Shocvans were very much the preferred wagon for certain tinplate flows from South Wales by the early 1970s. The reason for this was that some output was despatched (e.g. from Ebbw Vale to Metal Box Ltd factories) as flat sheet made into self-contained stillages with a spray painted tinplate 'wrapping' and secured with steel banding to a couple of lengths of 4x4 (which enabled it to be fork-lifted).

 

It was essential that the material travelled in weather proof wagons because despite the packging method the cut edges were still prone to corrosion - quickly. It was found however that the stillages tended to collapse off the 4x4 if the wagon got anything like a normal loose shunt, let alone a rough shunt. So to overcome that problem - and the resultant claims for damage to the product - it was decreed that it should be loaded in Shocvans.

 

I often wondered if the tinplate would be suitable for modelling but alas never got the chance to pick-up any, er, 'oddments'.

[Fat Controller]

Shocvans were very much the preferred wagon for certain tinplate flows from South Wales by the early 1970s. The reason for this was that some output was despatched (e.g. from Ebbw Vale to Metal Box Ltd factories) as flat sheet made into self-contained stillages with a spray painted tinplate 'wrapping' and secured with steel banding to a couple of lengths of 4x4 (which enabled it to be fork-lifted).

 

It was essential that the material travelled in weather proof wagons because despite the packging method the cut edges were still prone to corrosion - quickly. It was found however that the stillages tended to collapse off the 4x4 if the wagon got anything like a normal loose shunt, let alone a rough shunt. So to overcome that problem - and the resultant claims for damage to the product - it was decreed that it should be loaded in Shocvans.

 

I often wondered if the tinplate would be suitable for modelling but alas never got the chance to pick-up any, er, 'oddments'.

Last things first- most of the tinplate was too thick for modelling, though it did provide a nice 'rustable' floor for mineral wagons.....

I remember the banded tinplate at the various SCOW warehouses around Llanelli and Swansea- I recollect some of the Signode banding spring loose and catching me, in the days when I still had to wear short trousers. Sometimes, probably on stuff intended for export, a sort of waxed paper (a bit like that used on craft knife blades until recently) was used.

The majority of the forklifts used were WD surplus- the ones at Burry Works were still in RN blue.

Brandings on the vans used for tinplate traffic were normally 'Empty to Ebbw Vale' or 'Empty to Llandeilo Junction'- this being the yard adjacent to Trostre. Destinations for tinplate traffic included Carlisle, Worcester, Wisbech, Westhoughton, Aintree and Sutton-in-Ashfield, which covers a fair bit of the UK.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

... made into self-contained stillages ...

Well you learn something new every day. To me 'stillage' refers to wastes remaining in a commercial process distillation vessel after the product fractions have evaporated, which made that phrase rather puzzling at first reading.

[craigwelsh]

I've got two pictures of a pannier in 1963 with 6 opens, 3 on the back which are BR shock opens with the sheet bar and have 'empty to' branding although too far away to read. All the wagons are carrying that most fragile of cargo...the humble pit prop! Clearly whatever opens could be sourced were being used that day! Nice train to model though as the other wagons are LNER steel open, LNER wood open, BR wood open with sheet bar up and a not in common use toad.

 

The GWR vans didn't have the springs covered at first so an old photo of them really shows how they worked.

 

For what wasn't the most common type of wagon compared to some things we haven't had they are well modelled. I think the Bachmann one is GWR, Parkside and Red Panda do the BR vans and Parkside also does an open type. Certainly worth modelling the bit of underframe you get poking out beyond the body on these too, something that generally needs fixing on the kits..

[37079]

Bachmann actually do both the GWR (all-planked) and BR (corrugated end) planked versions of a Shocvan, although they are on the same chassis. I don't have one of the latter so I can't check what the roof profile looks like, but certainly the ex-GWR van is a nice moulding - maybe the detail is a bit heavy relief-wise.

[Il Grifone]

K's used to do an LMS open wagon, if you can find one. eBay?

 

They were definitely not common wagons.

[Fat Controller]

Well you learn something new every day. To me 'stillage' refers to wastes remaining in a commercial process distillation vessel after the product fractions have evaporated, which made that phrase rather puzzling at first reading.

In manufacturing, and transport, 'stillages' used to (and possibly still does) refer to pallets (normally metal)with corners built up so that they could be stacked on top of one another without the weight being carried by the contents. They normally have sides of either weld-mesh or pressed steel. The main users were the automotive industry. The advantage over ordinary pallets was that one didn't have to be so careful about getting the load flat and even- particularily useful when they were used for things like service-exchanged clutches. I recollect hearing the term in the mid 1960s, when my father was doing a lot of work for SCOW, converting old tinplate mills into warehousing. It would be almost a decade later when I heard the term 'pallet' used first, outside of a blues which mentioned 'a pallet on your floor'

Returning to Shoc-vans:- I have seen some labelled 'Empty to Fishguard'. Any suggestions as to what traffic these might be for?

['CHARD]

Shocs to Fishguard - for working back up the line to the munitions compound at Trecwn perhaps?

 

On the subject of stillages, this is still (!) common parlance in the bits of the manufacturing/ rail industry I've been involved with, people at all the Main Works and depots using the term.

[Fat Controller]

Shocs to Fishguard - for working back up the line to the munitions compound at Trecwn perhaps?

 

On the subject of stillages, this is still (!) common parlance in the bits of the manufacturing/ rail industry I've been involved with, people at all the Main Works and depots using the term.

I'd wondered about Trecwn, but I suspect they'd have been branded for there, as the railway tended to be quite precise about these things, to the extent of branding stock 'empty to ROF xxxxx' (ROF- Royal Ordnance Factory. I have an inkling (it's my age..) that there may have been imported egg traffic from Ireland.

[Pennine MC]

 

On the subject of stillages, this is still (!) common parlance in the bits of the manufacturing/ rail industry I've been involved with, people at all the Main Works and depots using the term.

 

This is what I've always understood the term to mean, probably there are other varieties:

 

http://images.google...=N&hl=en&tab=wi

 

 

Returning to Shoc-vans:- I have seen some labelled 'Empty to Fishguard'. Any suggestions as to what traffic these might be for?

 

Largely fanciful this, but whiskey off the Irish boat?

 

Forgot to add earlier, Shocvans were definitely used for Bass beer traffic

[Jenny Emily]

When my Father worked at Metal Box in Westhoughton, I seem to recall that shocvans were used to run between their plant in Carlisle and the plant at Westhoughton carrying tinplate. This would have been late 1970s/early 1980s.

[Bernard Lamb]

In manufacturing, and transport, 'stillages' used to (and possibly still does) refer to pallets (normally metal)with corners built up so that they could be stacked on top of one another without the weight being carried by the contents. They normally have sides of either weld-mesh or pressed steel. The main users were the automotive industry. The advantage over ordinary pallets was that one didn't have to be so careful about getting the load flat and even

 

 

There was a firm, who's name escapes me, who manufactured the feet. These were bought by the major users who made up stillages from steel section to suit their specific requirements. The advantage of buying feet and making up CKD kits was that you could send a container load overseas and get the stillages welded up and hand painted in the location where they were to be used. Saved a heck of a transport bill through not having to ship air. The feet could become damaged and care was needed when stacking stillages with a FLT. Most stillages had a notice giving the maximum stacking height. This was expressed in number of stillages and varied depending on the foot print of the stillage. They could have mesh or sheet sides as The Fat Controller states but could also be open. Automotive small parts tended to use clad stillages whilst bigger items, exhaust pipes for example, would be stored in the open type. These would usually be larger than the cage type, double Chep or Euro pal size. Same depth but twice the width that is. When a stillage becomes a trolley is a mute point.

Bernard

['CHARD]

 

This is what I've always understood the term to mean, probably there are other varieties:

 

http://images.google...=N&hl=en&tab=wi

 

 

Yep, those are they - in G-shop (others are available) we used to keep seat cushions from IC70s in those as they moved around the refurb system. Good spot

[Pennine MC]

... we used to keep seat cushions from IC70s in those as they moved around the refurb system.

 

A bit like this maybe - possibly to/from York carriage works? A1 Models make something similar, I have a packet tucked away from my 'looking for non-hackneyed wagon loads' period

 

 

 

 

[DavidBelcher]

Definitely slate traffic - I've a postcard at home showing about 3 or 4 shock-absorbing opens at Minffordd goods yard in the late 50s/early 60s awaiting loading.

 

David

[Legend]

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys. Now it is clear! I had gone off in a tangent assuming it was something to do with the chassis and preventing shocks from transmitting themselves down the train. I've heard of locos being pulled backward when goods trains come to a halt and the couplings stretch as the rear is on a downhill section. Thought it might have had something to do with that! Actually the reality is much more simple- protecting goods by the body having a shock absorber. Why didn't I think of that duh!

 

Only thing now is , if I've got it right , the Bachmann models can't be strictly accurate as was pointed out the body should be shorter than the chassis. So are they just repaints of standard models?

[Fat Controller]

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys. Now it is clear! I had gone off in a tangent assuming it was something to do with the chassis and preventing shocks from transmitting themselves down the train. I've heard of locos being pulled backward when goods trains come to a halt and the couplings stretch as the rear is on a downhill section. Thought it might have had something to do with that! Actually the reality is much more simple- protecting goods by the body having a shock absorber. Why didn't I think of that duh!

 

Only thing now is , if I've got it right , the Bachmann models can't be strictly accurate as was pointed out the body should be shorter than the chassis. So are they just repaints of standard models?

The body is certainly shorter than the chassis (by about 2mm on each end) on the various examples I have.