Conveyance of non-ferrous metals in 1960s and 70s, what type of wagons?

[DavidBird]

Back in "the good old days" the railway carried absolutely everything, indeed it had to under common carrier legislation.

 

Did the carriage of non-ferrous metal continue into 1960s and 70s and even later* and if so what sort of wagons would be used for the metal ingots?

 

I'm intending to model a What If the Leek and Manifold narrow gauge railway had actually served a viable copper mining industry and shipped out copper metal ingots to industrial customers on standard gauge wagons on NG transporter wagons.  Would normal 12T vans have been used? Or would it have been something with a bit more security?

 

* The only one I know of was aluminium ingots from the Fort William Smelter to, amongst other places, Bridgenorth in Shropshire.  Even this traffic is now carried by road, if only there was a rail connection to Bridgenorth....

[Stoke West]

Highfits at Eastleigh full loads with copper ingots for Pirrelli cables . late 60's  RTZ had 4W wagons for zinc ingots between Avonmouth / Bloxwich and another destination on a triangular service . Wagons need access for cranage  so vanfits not suitable later air brake had wider doors for forks to load . West highland used early air brake OAA then OBA probably tubes or bolsters before

[Mol_PMB]

For an alternative angle, from the mid-1960s into the late 1970s, copper ingots from Canada were imported to Manchester in half-height open top containers. Some of them were transferred to Freightliner services from Trafford Park.

Some can be seen here, which also gives an idea what the ingots looked like:

http://sutherland.davenportstation.org.uk/ws-173.html

It might take a lot of transporter wagons to carry a 5-unit FFA+FGA set! But you could consider a narrow-gauge wagon for carrying ISO containers, like the Isle of Man railway used.

[DavidBird]

7 hours ago, Stoke West said:

Highfits at Eastleigh full loads with copper ingots for Pirrelli cables . late 60's  RTZ had 4W wagons for zinc ingots between Avonmouth / Bloxwich and another destination on a triangular service . Wagons need access for cranage  so vanfits not suitable later air brake had wider doors for forks to load . West highland used early air brake OAA then OBA probably tubes or bolsters before

 

7 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

For an alternative angle, from the mid-1960s into the late 1970s, copper ingots from Canada were imported to Manchester in half-height open top containers. Some of them were transferred to Freightliner services from Trafford Park.

Some can be seen here, which also gives an idea what the ingots looked like:

http://sutherland.davenportstation.org.uk/ws-173.html

It might take a lot of transporter wagons to carry a 5-unit FFA+FGA set! But you could consider a narrow-gauge wagon for carrying ISO containers, like the Isle of Man railway used.

 

Thanks very much for your info.

 

So I'd be OK using sheeted loads on fitted 7-plank for a 1960s, with OAAs for slightly later, or PFA with half-height containers for late 80s/90s/early 21st C operations, all capable of being carried on transporter wagons. Alternatively I could use Vanwides (1960s) or VEAs (1970s/80s) and assume forklift loading and COV-AB/VAA type vans for traffic in later eras.

 

It all sounds easy to do, thanks again.

Edited December 1, 2023 by DavidBird
We're now into the 21st Century

[Aire Head]

1 hour ago, DavidBird said:

I'd be OK using sheeted loads on fitted 7-plank

 

HIGHFITs are 5 planks. Fitted 7 planks weren't really a thing. You want a good mix of 5 planks from across the Big Four and BR.

[DavidBird]

1 minute ago, Aire Head said:

 

HIGHFITs are 5 planks. Fitted 7 planks weren't really a thing. You want a good mix of 5 planks from across the Big Four and BR.

 

Thanks very much.  I'm not too well up on pre-TOPS wagon designations, and I only just remember steel 16T wgons in real life...

[Aire Head]

2 minutes ago, DavidBird said:

 

Thanks very much.  I'm not too well up on pre-TOPS wagon designations, and I only just remember steel 16T wgons in real life...

What scale are you working in?

[DavidBird]

1 minute ago, Aire Head said:

What scale are you working in?

4mm/00/009

[Aire Head]

18 minutes ago, DavidBird said:

4mm/00/009

 

A few options then

LMS D1892s can be made using Airfix 5 Plank Wagons (often painted into private owner liveries) although I'd recommend fitting a better chassis. If you need more details I can provide.

 

Parkside has BR and LNER options available and LMS options can be made with some modification. Cambrian models can cover LNER and SR although some modification will be required in order to do this.

 

Bachmann do the LNER and BR steel opens which were also HIGHFITs.