Fascinating old adverts for railway equipment

[Jeremy Cumberland]

35 minutes ago, D7063 said:

Good evening 🙂

Tonight a subject close to my heart  - Batteries!

This offering is from Varta, and despite the locomotive appearing in the advert these are batteries for trackside equipment etc.

I must say of the two chemistries featured I haven't heard much about 'Steel Alkaline' cells, Lead Acid, I imagine is still familiar to most people.

 

Nickel-iron (NiFe), I would think. The electrolyte is potassium hydroxide.

[Nearholmer]

Steel tank alkaline batteries were used where great robustness and vibration resistance were needed, IIRC locomotive starter batteries were one application, which may be hinted at by the loco in the graphic. Carriage lighting too possibly? I can’t remember for certain. 

[Grovenor]

Most if not all NIFE batteries were in steel tanks way back but gradually replaced by plastic tanks from the 1970s.

Some more batteries here.

[Nearholmer]

Being Tudor, that one is half-timbered.

[SHMD]

56 minutes ago, D7063 said:

Good evening 🙂

Tonight a subject close to my heart  - Batteries!

This offering is from Varta, and despite the locomotive appearing in the advert these are batteries for trackside equipment etc.

I must say of the two chemistries featured I haven't heard much about 'Steel Alkaline' cells, Lead Acid, I imagine is still familiar to most people.

 

I'm currently in Germany working at an Institute involved in battery research.

Their "ingredients" are based around Nickle-Cobalt-Oxides, amongst others.

Don't ask me any more because I know nowt about chemistry!

 

 

Kev.

 

[Nearholmer]

[D7063]

17 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Fantastic - what a find, I would never have associated NiFe cells with a GWR steam loco before I saw that!

[D7063]

27 minutes ago, SHMD said:

 

I'm currently in Germany working at an Institute involved in battery research.

Their "ingredients" are based around Nickle-Cobalt-Oxides, amongst others.

Don't ask me any more because I know nowt about chemistry!

 

 

Kev.

 

It's a very interesting area to be working in Kev - I won't ask further 😉

[Grovenor]

Telephones anyone?

[Grovenor]

Or block instruments.

[Grovenor]

And more block instruments.

[lmsforever]

Like these old adverts

Edited October 25, 2022 by lmsforever
wrong place for post

[Nearholmer]

Bottom left in the Walters Electrical ad is another type of cell, I think Leclanche, looking like a Kilner jar. They were (are?) used for signalling systems, telegraphy etc, where there is no mains supply and the current demand is both tiny and intermittent. They are recharged chemically, new electrolyte, and although the cell voltage is quite low compared with other cells, they will hold charge almost indefinitely.

 

That Barbershop harmony phone looks fun. If one had sets like that connected on a bus line, the scope for fun/confusion would be immense.

[D7063]

6 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Bottom left in the Walters Electrical ad is another type of cell, I think Leclanche, looking like a Kilner jar. They were (are?) used for signalling systems, telegraphy etc, where there is no mains supply and the current demand is both tiny and intermittent. They are recharged chemically, new electrolyte, and although the cell voltage is quite low compared with other cells, they will hold charge almost indefinitely.

 

That Barbershop harmony phone looks fun. If one had sets like that connected on a bus line, the scope for fun/confusion would be immense.

Ah yes well spotted!

[D7063]

15 hours ago, Grovenor said:

And more block instruments.

These are brilliant Grovenor, I consider myself a 'responsible applicant' so do you think I could send off for the illustrated catalogue as mentioned in the advert?😁

[D7063]

Good evening everyone 🙂

An advert for wheelsets & gears from Taylor Bro's of Trafford Park for you to enjoy - I wonder if they had a rail connection from the famous Trafford Park railway system (was it run by the Manchester Ship Canal Company?)

[SHMD]

I think the Trafford Park network was run by the Manchester Ship Canal.

 

There still is a business, in Trafford Park, that deals with Railway Wheelsets.

I wonder if its the same one or descended?

 

 

Kev.

[Fat Controller]

1 hour ago, SHMD said:

I think the Trafford Park network was run by the Manchester Ship Canal.

 

There still is a business, in Trafford Park, that deals with Railway Wheelsets.

I wonder if its the same one or descended?

 

 

Kev.

The wheel manufacture business went to GEC for a while, but is now part of Lucchini, an Italian firm. Wheel blanks now come by road from Italy, but machining is done in the UK. Into the 1980s, the blanks were brought into the factory via their own siding, but then was transferred to Ashbury  goods yard until the demise of Speedlink.

[MartinRS]

16 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Bottom left in the Walters Electrical ad is another type of cell, I think Leclanche, looking like a Kilner jar. They were (are?) used for signalling systems, telegraphy etc, where there is no mains supply and the current demand is both tiny and intermittent.

 

In the mid 1970s Leclanché cells certainly weren't used any more on what was Sheffield number 2 division, the old GCR area. I remember being shown a room full of the empty glass jars. Large (6 inch tall) primary cells were used instead. Leclanché cells weren't even mentioned on the S&T electrical signalling course at the York training school.

[D7063]

Hello everyone  - the photo in this advert puts me in mind of the Tyne Dock (must be the mention of the ore wagons) - I wonder how many 9F's you'd need to shift the 440 ore wagons up to Consett!

[Grovenor]

On 26/10/2022 at 15:03, D7063 said:

These are brilliant Grovenor, I consider myself a 'responsible applicant' so do you think I could send off for the illustrated catalogue as mentioned in the advert?😁

You could always try but I doubt you will have much luck, but there is still a "Walters Workshops" at that address.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.526175,-0.210335,3a,75y,206.25h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sHs850xbVEqFmGqEWxLYt1w!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DHs850xbVEqFmGqEWxLYt1w%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D201.00119%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

[kevinlms]

On 27/10/2022 at 10:23, MartinRS said:

 

In the mid 1970s Leclanché cells certainly weren't used any more on what was Sheffield number 2 division, the old GCR area. I remember being shown a room full of the empty glass jars. Large (6 inch tall) primary cells were used instead. Leclanché cells weren't even mentioned on the S&T electrical signalling course at the York training school.

I attended a chemist shop in the early 1990s to look at a phone fault. The chemist had long had a cable pair running from his shop to his home address, so he could switch calls to his home after hours. The battery of which had failed and he 'just needed a new battery and it would be good for years to come'.

 

Told him no can do, as they stopped supplying such batteries a number of years ago. Also that the leased pair, wasn't going to available much longer, as they were no longer supported and the phone company was gradually disconnecting them - surprised actually that he still had his, to be honest.

He'd have to get a normal phone line for the home address. Wasn't happy because he'd have to pay for calls separately. Told him that you aren't getting the leased pair for free, either! He rather liked the idea of unmetered calls, business to home, for which his wife made good use of, apparently!

 

Progress!

[D7063]

Hello everyone its time for another advert, tonight we have another battery for the connoisseurs of such things 🙂

There are some really nice lineside details in the photograph of a 'typical track circuit'

 

[Nearholmer]

Had the loco in that photo left the train behind somewhere?

[D7063]

Hello everyone - it's Wild Rolling Stock Equipment tonight with a graphic reminiscent of a 1960's news and current affairs programme?