Grouping-Era Exceptional Loads

[Michael Hodgson]

11 hours ago, DCB said:

If you need an excuse to run a big crocodile or similar run it empty returning to its home region as a not out of gauge load on an ordinary un fitted freight or have a heavy but within gauge load,  otherwise wait for Bachmann or DCC concepts to come up with 00 scale automorons who can take down ground signals and other inconvenient bits and bobs to let your outsize load ease through at walking speed.

Most exceptional or out of gauge loads don't require signals to be dismantled etc.   Sometimes the load may have to be shifted laterally to clear particular obstructions.   This tends to apply to long loads where the overhang on the outside of a curve (or underhang on the inside of a curve) means it would hit something.  They may require trains to be stopped on adjacent lines which could otherwise be fouled, or may be able to pass another train, sometimes even another out of gauge train on another line.  Or they may simply be subject to route restrictions only (requiring not to be diverted).  Weight distribution is another potential issue which can necessitate barrier wagons so as not to overstress underline bridges and viaducts.

[The Stationmaster]

4 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

Or you can opt for something that probably is ( just ) within the loading gauge : - 

 

Strathdearn : 23/8/74

Within Loading gauge (probably) but still inevitably an Exceptional Load and therefore treated in planning and publishing (by Notice) terms as an Exceptional Load.  Empty wagons of this wort weren't exactly like sending off an empty mineral wagon and some of them still involved various route constrains and restrictions hence that information had to be published.

 

Grouping era jobs would in some resecs be affeced by Running Powers and thus the ot riginating company could well work over the destination, or an intermediate company's lines for some distance.  However as each company was responsible for the transit conditions on its territory there would asamin imum be a changeover of Loading Inspectors at  a suitable boundary point and no doubt crews and motive power/brakevan might also be exchanged if this was more convenient - in  many respects it no doubt depended how far the load was to travel over the next company's infrastructure.

 

 

Incidentally as far as the GWR was concerned  most of its wagon types capable of conveying Exceptional Loads (which would also therefore include O/O/G loads) were restricted in respect of the Class of train in which they might be conveyed and also in respect of the distance they were allowed to run without examination (which could be as low as only 25 miles for some wagon types).

[hmrspaul]

On 27/03/2023 at 22:07, AlfaZagato said:

OK, thank you.   Trying to justify Bygone Wagons' big Crocodiles.   I've always been a GWR fan, but my power right now is broadly LMS.

Specially constructed wagons, such as Crocodiles wouldn't necessarily be being used for exceptional loads. May I suggest that one use of GW Crocs was shipping buoys, from Chepstow. Several photos of these in the Russell GW wagon books. Plenty of ports in the LMS area would need buoys. 

 

Paul

Edited March 30, 2023 by hmrspaul