Corrugated Clay Shed.

[Paul_C]

There used to be an old green corrugated shed close to Sittingbourne station on the down line. I believe it was demolished around 2006 but has anyone got an idea as to when it was built? It was part of Bowater and was used for offloading slurry that was then pumped through to the mill.

 

Paul.

[Paul H Vigor]

2 hours ago, Paul_C said:

There used to be an old green corrugated shed close to Sittingbourne station on the down line. I believe it was demolished around 2006 but has anyone got an idea as to when it was built? It was part of Bowater and was used for offloading slurry that was then pumped through to the mill.

 

Paul.

RMweb is your friend! Just found this:

 

"Fat Controller

Members

 16.8k

Posted January 22, 2010

  On 22/01/2010 at 18:55, 60B said:

Wonderful work, Brian. The round logs works in my favour as I intend on producing a junction where "Strahklin" joins a mainline where some exchange sidings are provided for wood traffic. I wasn't aware of the use of China Clay or chalk in paper production so thanks for that guys.

Have a look under 'Silver Bullets'on this forum- these are the tanks used to take slurry to Irvine (which manufactures newsprint and magazine paper). They ran originally from Burngullow in Cornwall, but now run from Antwerp, carrying clay imported from Brazil. Slurry traffic like this has run since the mid 1960s, when BR introduced a block train service from Cornwall to Bowaters' mill at Sittingbourne- Triang-Hornby issued a Bowaters' tank at the time, which had some resemblance to the prototype.

Almost all paper is coated to a certain degree, as otherwise the ink 'bleeds' across the surface- the only non-coated paper I can think of is tissue paper."

 

Suggests a shed build date of the mid-1960s?

Edited December 3, 2022 by Paul H Vigor
to add information

[SouthernBlue80s]

I remember that and used to travel past it regularly in the 70s and 80s. But I didn't  know what it was for. Thanks for the info.

Steve

[Halvarras]

'Modern Locomotives Illustrated' No. 198 on the Electro-diesels (Classes 73/74) has a b&w photo of GSYP E6006 reversing 4-wheel slurry tanks into this building. Date not given but the clean condition of the wagons and 'Clayfreighter' headboard on the ED suggests this was the inaugural working, which was 23rd February 1967. It had left Cornwall behind Class 47 D1670 'Mammoth'. The caption states that the Class 73/0s (E6001-6) were regularly used on this traffic.

 

How new does the building look? Not very - there is quite a lot of discoloration on the corrugated sheets above the entrance even in 1967, TBH it doesn't look that different from the above view from the empty car park. In the mag photo the siding to the left of the building holds at least eight tanks, I assume there was nine as the consist was eighteen wagons (numbered 1011-28; two more 1029/30 were added later) and E6006 was propelling the other nine into the shed.

 

The Triang-Hornby model was catalogue number R668.

[Paul_C]

Hi Halvarras,

 

Thanks for your reply. Have you got a copy of that photo please, if so any chance of scanning it and attaching it to a PM please? I've got the full rake of tanks now (20) and they are all weathered and renumbered, I've just got to fit the new wheels and couplings.

 

The info regarding the class 73s is interesting as well, I'll look into that further.

 

Paul.