North British Jubilee wagon brakes

[Jammy2305]

Hello!

 

I'm currently working on a pair of NB Jubilee wagons by Oxford Rail, namely repainting to the correct shade of grey, re-spacing the end stanchions and shortening the buffer shanks. I've also decided to remove one set of brakes to model these as having single sided braking. 

 

 

However, I have hit a snag...

 

Somewhat erroneously, and without thinking, on the second wagon I've removed the set of brakes on the opposite side to the first. This leads to ask the following questions:

 

1) Would the brake gear have always been on the same side.

 

2) Is there a correct side for the brakes on these wagons? (I.e which end should the end door be when looking at the braked side).

 

Many thanks

 

James

Edited March 10, 2022 by jamesC37LG
Typo

[sir douglas]

the Jubilees all had single brakes both sides, there was a slightly smaller sized wagon which is often mistaken for Jubilee which have only 1 shoe, ive just looked through 2 books ive currently got which dont have any photos of single shoe wagons apart from the much earlier 8 ton with the sloped sides

[Jammy2305]

2 hours ago, sir douglas said:

the Jubilees all had single brakes both sides, there was a slightly smaller sized wagon which is often mistaken for Jubilee which have only 1 shoe, ive just looked through 2 books ive currently got which dont have any photos of single shoe wagons apart from the much earlier 8 ton with the sloped sides

 

Even during the pre-1900 period?

 

I was simply following this: https://highlandmiscellany.com/2016/12/18/improving-the-oxford-rail-north-british-jubilee-wagon/

 

(The NBR is far from my area of expertise I must confess).

Edited March 10, 2022 by jamesC37LG
Typo

[CKPR]

Looking in John Hooper's NBR wagon book, the upper photograph on p46 of 55605, described as an '8 ton wood frame wagon' built by Pickerings in 1896 seems to show one sided brakes (with brake at the end with the end door). However, it's obviously a works photograph and the reflections on the axles suggest that the floor hasn't yet been fitted. In which case, the apparent absence of the brakes on the other side might reflect expediency in order to get the photograph taken ( it might well be unlettered on the other side!). 

Edited March 11, 2022 by CKPR

[Graham R]

After studying GWM Sewell's "NBR Wagons - Some Design Aspects" and Peter Tatlow's "LNER wagons Volume 3", I gather that there were two designs of 8T mineral wagons in Jubilee years: the first, to NB diagram 1, drawing 154W in the year of Victoria's Golden Jubilee, had dumb buffers, a length of 14'6" on a 7'6" wheelbase, and non-adjustable, single-shoe, single side brakes; the second, to NB diagram 26, LNE SSE diagram 16B, drawing 222W in the year of the Diamond Jubilee, had sprung buffers, a length of 15'0" on an 8'6" wheelbase, and adjustable single-shoe brakes on both sides working independently. Both designs had one end door and side drop doors (3'4" on diagram 1, 3'11" on diagram 16B) below a continuous top plank.

 

The diagram 1 wagons were fitted with adjustable brakes in 1895, still on one side only. "Adjustable" meant that, instead of an L-shape brake lever with fulcrum at the same scroll iron as the spring with a shoe on the short leg of the L bearing directly on the wheel, the L had a separate fulcrum below the side door. The brake shoe was suspended at its top by a hanger from the spring scroll iron and a short rod from its mid-point linked it to the short leg of the L, with adjustment holes to take up wear. I think the illustration on page 44 of the Hooper book shows a wagon in this state (this is not the same photo as posted above). Many of these wagons were upgraded with sprung buffers.

 

The diagram 26  wagons were given modified chassis in 1902 (the buffer springs were moved) and were uprated to 10T without further modifications in 1908.

 

Many Jubilee wagons were reconstructed in 1916 as 10T wagons, re-using ironwork such as  wheels, axles, springs and W irons, but requiring different (No. 5) axleboxes due to reduced clearances from their longer, narrower bodies. Drawing 1051W shows that external diagonal strapping was added from the base of the centre doors to the top rail at each end.  They had shorter buffer sockets and buffer-beams packed out with wood and iron to compensate. The reconstructed wagons had two-shoe brake gear on both sides working independently.

 

The author of "Highland Miscellany" mentioned by James37LG is of course the son of the author of LNER Wagons Vol 3 ... one would expect he'd be pulled up pretty sharpish if he didn't get the details right. The Tatlow book has many very helpful photos of both designs in NB and LNE days but all have brakes on both sides so they do not answer the question of whether the brake handle pointed towards the end doors on the single sided wagons. The Sewell book does not have a drawing of the diagram 1 wagon, but it does have a drawing of an earlier wagon design with one-side one-shoe non-adjustable brakes, and the braked wheel is next the end door, the brake handle pointing to the other end.

 

regards

Graham

[Jammy2305]

3 hours ago, Graham R said:

After studying GWM Sewell's "NBR Wagons - Some Design Aspects" and Peter Tatlow's "LNER wagons Volume 3", I gather that there were two designs of 8T mineral wagons in Jubilee years: the first, to NB diagram 1, drawing 154W in the year of Victoria's Golden Jubilee, had dumb buffers, a length of 14'6" on a 7'6" wheelbase, and non-adjustable, single-shoe, single side brakes; the second, to NB diagram 26, LNE SSE diagram 16B, drawing 222W in the year of the Diamond Jubilee, had sprung buffers, a length of 15'0" on an 8'6" wheelbase, and adjustable single-shoe brakes on both sides working independently. Both designs had one end door and side drop doors (3'4" on diagram 1, 3'11" on diagram 16B) below a continuous top plank.

 

The diagram 1 wagons were fitted with adjustable brakes in 1895, still on one side only. "Adjustable" meant that, instead of an L-shape brake lever with fulcrum at the same scroll iron as the spring with a shoe on the short leg of the L bearing directly on the wheel, the L had a separate fulcrum below the side door. The brake shoe was suspended at its top by a hanger from the spring scroll iron and a short rod from its mid-point linked it to the short leg of the L, with adjustment holes to take up wear. I think the illustration on page 44 of the Hooper book shows a wagon in this state (this is not the same photo as posted above). Many of these wagons were upgraded with sprung buffers.

 

The diagram 26  wagons were given modified chassis in 1902 (the buffer springs were moved) and were uprated to 10T without further modifications in 1908.

 

Many Jubilee wagons were reconstructed in 1916 as 10T wagons, re-using ironwork such as  wheels, axles, springs and W irons, but requiring different (No. 5) axleboxes due to reduced clearances from their longer, narrower bodies. Drawing 1051W shows that external diagonal strapping was added from the base of the centre doors to the top rail at each end.  They had shorter buffer sockets and buffer-beams packed out with wood and iron to compensate. The reconstructed wagons had two-shoe brake gear on both sides working independently.

 

The author of "Highland Miscellany" mentioned by James37LG is of course the son of the author of LNER Wagons Vol 3 ... one would expect he'd be pulled up pretty sharpish if he didn't get the details right. The Tatlow book has many very helpful photos of both designs in NB and LNE days but all have brakes on both sides so they do not answer the question of whether the brake handle pointed towards the end doors on the single sided wagons. The Sewell book does not have a drawing of the diagram 1 wagon, but it does have a drawing of an earlier wagon design with one-side one-shoe non-adjustable brakes, and the braked wheel is next the end door, the brake handle pointing to the other end.

 

regards

Graham

 

A very thorough analysis! Thank you!