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16t minerals


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Memory's going..... so not sure if I've posted this before.

I was reminded of it by a comment in the pet hates thread bemoaning the lack of interior shots of wagons; from my point of view, the exterior looked the same as the interior.

So, here it is, 24 081 and a class 25 pass Port Sunlight Sidings on the down (now the up) towards Birkenhead Docks on 20th March 1978.

post-6748-0-84864300-1375304041.jpg

(wagons in sidings awaiting collection by the Ellesmere Port trip)

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Some lovely shots in there, gentlemen. The background of the first two shots give an indication of how much traffic even one major gasworks might handle; all soon to be lost with the advent of North Sea gas.

 The colour shot not only shows the seldom-shown interiors of mineral wagons, showing that generally, they're rusty, not black, but also shows both varieties of Prestwins. Thanks for posting

Brian

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  • 3 weeks later...

A couple of questions for 16T aficionados:

 

 

1) How common were pressed door variants and how widespread in BR use (1960s and 70s)?

2) Did you get fitted minerals mixed in with unfitted rakes, again in BR use (1960s and 70s)- ie Bauxite vac braked wagons running with brakes isolated or would they only have run in fully vac braked rakes or as part of a fitted head?

 

Cheers

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A couple of questions for 16T aficionados:

 

 

1) How common were pressed door variants and how widespread in BR use (1960s and 70s)?

2) Did you get fitted minerals mixed in with unfitted rakes, again in BR use (1960s and 70s)- ie Bauxite vac braked wagons running with brakes isolated or would they only have run in fully vac braked rakes or as part of a fitted head?

 

Cheers

I can only really speak for South Wales for the period in question. Rivetted minerals (Dia 109 and others) were pretty rare by the period in question, as they'd rotted away; likewise, pressed-steel doors had almost disappeared. If they'd rusted away, they'd be replaced by a 'normal' (welded or rivetted) door, as these could be repaired/fabricated locally. The pressed steel ones required specialist presses, which by then were fully engaged building motor vehicle bodies.

At the colliery end of things, vac-fitted and unfitted minerals would be mixed together indiscriminately. Even if there were a group of them at the loco end, they'd most likely still have the bags hanging, as NCB shunters didn't do pipes.. However, it's likely (especially towards the end of the 1970s) that wagons for destinations on the Southern would be fitted ones, and so those would probably be used as fitted heads for the journey on from the first remarshalling point. The wagons would probably pass through at least three yards; those from our local pit (Cynheidre) would stop at Llandeilo Junction, for the shipping and domestic flows to be split, and then again at Margam, before even leaving Wales.

The only consistent effort to form fitted heads of 16-tonners that I remember was not on coal, but on stone trains from Peak Forest and Westbury. Before fitted tipplers were avalable in quantity, trains of unfitted tipplers would have a half-dozen or so fitted 16-tonners at either end. The Derbyshire ones had '3/4' painted in white in very large characters on the sides to indicate to the people on the loading plant that the wagon couldn't take a full tippler load. The Westbury ones didn't seem to be so marked, though from photos, it was obvious that they weren't as heavilly loaded- the load would be up to the top of the main side doors.

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I can only really speak for South Wales for the period in question. Rivetted minerals (Dia 109 and others) were pretty rare by the period in question, as they'd rotted away; likewise, pressed-steel doors had almost disappeared. If they'd rusted away, they'd be replaced by a 'normal' (welded or rivetted) door, as these could be repaired/fabricated locally. The pressed steel ones required specialist presses, which by then were fully engaged building motor vehicle bodies.

At the colliery end of things, vac-fitted and unfitted minerals would be mixed together indiscriminately. Even if there were a group of them at the loco end, they'd most likely still have the bags hanging, as NCB shunters didn't do pipes.. However, it's likely (especially towards the end of the 1970s) that wagons for destinations on the Southern would be fitted ones, and so those would probably be used as fitted heads for the journey on from the first remarshalling point. The wagons would probably pass through at least three yards; those from our local pit (Cynheidre) would stop at Llandeilo Junction, for the shipping and domestic flows to be split, and then again at Margam, before even leaving Wales.

The only consistent effort to form fitted heads of 16-tonners that I remember was not on coal, but on stone trains from Peak Forest and Westbury. Before fitted tipplers were avalable in quantity, trains of unfitted tipplers would have a half-dozen or so fitted 16-tonners at either end. The Derbyshire ones had '3/4' painted in white in very large characters on the sides to indicate to the people on the loading plant that the wagon couldn't take a full tippler load. The Westbury ones didn't seem to be so marked, though from photos, it was obvious that they weren't as heavilly loaded- the load would be up to the top of the main side doors.

 You're a star sir, much obliged for your insight

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...more hot 16T action caught on film...any idea what the black patches are for on the end of one of these little blighters?

 

 

Duncan

There was some discussion on that point some pages ago. The thinking is that it is for shunters graffiti, i.e. which train/siding to send it too.

Nice film though.

I love the seemingly wasteful practice of the guy in the tower having to take the ticker tape and feed it into the point machine. I would have thought that the shunters keyed instructions would have been able to go straight to that printer and auto feed into the point machine. But I guess that the technology was brand new and no-one had figured out how to do that and the guy in the tower would have been out of a job.

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...more hot 16T action caught on film...any idea what the black patches are for on the end of one of these little blighters?

 

 

Chalk board substitutes. Simples...

I wonder If Mr (Dowty) Franks has seen that clip yet?

 Got them hoppers sorted?

P

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Yes I have.... Dowty made a load of this hydraulic stuff for the railways, unfortunately the railway decided to go over to the 'wheel clamp' type of retarders and pneumatic buffers so Dowty eventually pulled out of the railway market. Dowty are now part of the Smiths group. I believe they were also big in the mining industry with hydraulic pit props etc. Another industry lost through intransigence. My nephew now works for Dowty on the project development side. Incidentally as Porcy knows, me dad was assistant works manager at Dowtys in the 50s and saw the development of the hydraulic buffer.

 

Dave.

Hoppers? what hoppers? what have I missed????

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Hoppers? what hoppers? what have I missed????

Sorry Dave. That remark was meant for "Axlebox". If you get to Scaleforum you'll see what I mean. That puts a little bit of pressure on Duncan to get them finished.

 

P

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Sorry Dave. That remark was meant for "Axlebox". If you get to Scaleforum you'll see what I mean. That puts a little bit of pressure on Duncan to get them finished.

 

P

 

Phew, I thought for a minute I'd signed up for something I'd completely forgotten about, its happening a lot these days as well.

 

All the best,

Dave

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Phew, I thought for a minute I'd signed up for something I'd completely forgotten about, its happening a lot these days as well.

 

 

 

Well there is the matter of that £50.00 I lent you... remember??? :jester:

 

P

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Well there is the matter of that £50.00 I lent you... remember??? :jester:

 

P

 

Erm, I had a feeling it was more than that, then again, I didn't think it was yourself.... :scratchhead:

 

Dave.

Anyway, shouldn't mock the afflicted

Edited by davefrk
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NOT a 16 tonner in sight...however if you skip to the end (calling in half way through to savour the railway waste land scene - with all its associated crud)...you'll be delighted at the assortment of railway wagons.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pny-YBFeilM

 

Thanks to Porcy for digging this one out...no wonder nowt ever leaves his work bench :O ...but all power to his ability to come up with gems like this.

 

Should we be starting a new thread...'NOT 16t mineral'...or is it about time we became a 'special interest' group...just a thought.

 

Cheers

Duncan

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