NER/NCB hopper discharge.

[Sylvian Tennant]

Hello everyone.

 

Quick question and this may sound a bit daft. But how did they discharge coal from the old NEar/NCB coal hoppers into the drop. 

 

What I'm actually asking is was there a machanism in the doors which would open them or was it done by hand with people going under the wagons, which to be doesn't ring particular safe or effective. 

 

Thank you

[doilum]

The large 20ton NER hoppers had a lever at one end of the wagon that operated a release mechanism. I suspect that the bottom doors of the 7 plank wagons were secured by a pin that had to be knocked out with a pole.

Health and safety required individuals to stay alert and pay attention to potential risks.

[MarcD]

Simple answer is each door had a monkey tail catch which once released allowed the door to swing open under its own weight and that of the coal/mineral inside. Once empty the door was grabbed using a hook on a stick and the latch closed. The lever on the ends is a brake lever and is a throwback from the Stockton and Darlington and only found on NER central division mineral wagon.

Marc

[Flying Pig]

If you look at photos of the wagons you can see the wiggly 'monkey tails' under the solebar that operated the release catches.  The operator didn't have to actually go under the wagon, but 'teeming' was still a fairly hazardous job, especially as wagons were commonly moved around by gravity on the staithes.  Later steel hoppers used the same system, but with proper handles painted white which are more easily visible in photos, so the method remained in use as long as they and similar NCB wagons were used to ship coal - into the 1980s in a few places.

 

Ordinary coal wagons with bottom doors used the same mechanism to open them.

[hmrspaul]

The monkey tail can be seen on the right of this https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/lnermineral/e5fccac8d

 

Paul

[Sylvian Tennant]

Spot on, thank you.