Merchandise Trains

[lather]

Reading through old WTTs, I often come across references to services being "merchandise trains", but can't find any definition of what one of these would be. In most of the WTTs I have from the 1960s and 1970s, it seems like they can run at 60mph, but there's no clues as to what kind of wagons would be in the trains. Can anyone help enlighten me on that?

[keefer]

Possibly a Company block train? I've seen these in '70s WTTs (headed as COY).

In other words a train-load for a single company to a destination - often of fairly modern, uniform wagons and often running under a class 6 headcode?

[Fat Controller]

Would ' Merchandise' be used to differentiate them from 'mineral' or mixed workings which conveyed vehicles with a lower maximum speed? The wagons would mainly be 12t Ventilated vans or 13t opens, fitted with vacuum brakes; until the end of the 1960s, I believe these could run at 60 mph maximum. Such trains would be Class 4 under the older nomenclature, later Class 6, whilst a lowly mineral would be Class 7 or 8.

[The Stationmaster]

15 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

Would ' Merchandise' be used to differentiate them from 'mineral' or mixed workings which conveyed vehicles with a lower maximum speed? The wagons would mainly be 12t Ventilated vans or 13t opens, fitted with vacuum brakes; until the end of the 1960s, I believe these could run at 60 mph maximum. Such trains would be Class 4 under the older nomenclature, later Class 6, whilst a lowly mineral would be Class 7 or 8.

I think you're right Brian - basically an updated word to describe what had once been 'goods'.

[lather]

21 hours ago, keefer said:

Possibly a Company block train? I've seen these in '70s WTTs (headed as COY).

In other words a train-load for a single company to a destination - often of fairly modern, uniform wagons and often running under a class 6 headcode?

 

Definitely not company block ("COY") trains, as they also appear as such in the same WTTs.

 

I did wonder if they were the old "XP"-branded wagons, as they would be able to run as a Class 6 train (in the later categories).

[The Johnster]

In the later classifications, in force when I worked as a guard at Canton in the 70s, a Class 4 freight (as opposed to express parcels, all bogie vehicles and probably carrying mail traffic) was able to run at 90mph and was either Freightliner or Cartics, disc air braked and with similar bogies.  A Class 6 could be a parcels, and depending on the vehicles limited to 45mph running with 10' wheelbase XP goods wagons/vans, or a fully fitted express freight train running at up to 60mph.  These were usually but not exclusively block trains, and much of the vacuum fitted 45mph NCL depot to depot network was Class 6 traffic.  MGR traffic, at 55mph, was Class 6 and so were air braked oil trains.  Vacuum braked 'B' class tanks were class 6 as well; probably the most inclusive of train classes at this time.

 

Class 7 was a part fitted express freight timed to run at 45 mph but if the stock was allowed, bogie bolsters for example, 60mph could be permitted, the top permitted speed of the brake van (Queen Marys were permitted 75mph, and could still be seen on Warship hauled Class6 express freights consisting of 75mph Southern PLVs and CCTs on the LSWR main line).

 

Class 8 was a part fitted ordinary freight train, timed to run at 35 mph but most consisted of 45mph capable vehicles.  Again, you could run up to 60 mph if the stock allowed it (interesting on the Gloucester road with Great Bridge steel billets from Cardiff Tidal), but timings were devised with stopping distances appropriate to 35mph.

 

Class 9 was an unfitted freight train, and by the 70s more or less exclusively mineral or local trip workings.  Instanter couplings were set to the 'long' loose coupled position and speed was a maximum 25mph whatever vehicles you had.  The leading wagon's instanter in the long position was used to couple to the loco.

 

One normally associated brake vans with Class 7 or higher work, but some Class 6 trains used them for jobs where propelling was required.  We had one at Canton, the 'Calvert Bricks', Hymek until the 37s took over and picked up traffic at Lawrence Hill, including a van.  This ran at 50mph with 'Tube' wagons in a circuit; and we were relieved at Swindon, by Oxford men IIRC.  This means that even in the BR blue period you can model a train with a brake van showing no side lights and a single tail lamp, but it must be a piped through bauxite liveried one, and if you really want to make the point you can fit the vacuum gauge and setter in the van.  Brake pipe painted white not red as van is not actually fitted.