Ben04uk Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I am modelling a Cornish/Devon theme layout in the 1970's in 4mm guage and have a few sidings in a good yard that I intend to use for loading/unloading 12 Ton BR plywood vent vans. In the absense of a loading bay, can anyone please help tell me how the 12 Ton vent vans would have been loaded in similar good yards? I presume that some form of fork lift would have been used but I can't find any suitable models that are currently produced by Oxford Diecast or Corgi or similar. Can anyone offer any ideas of any suitable models or perhaps another method or vehicle that was used? Many thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I am modelling a Cornish/Devon theme layout in the 1970's in 4mm guage and have a few sidings in a good yard that I intend to use for loading/unloading 12 Ton BR plywood vent vans. In the absense of a loading bay, can anyone please help tell me how the 12 Ton vent vans would have been loaded in similar good yards? I presume that some form of fork lift would have been used but I can't find any suitable models that are currently produced by Oxford Diecast or Corgi or similar. Can anyone offer any ideas of any suitable models or perhaps another method or vehicle that was used? Many thanks Generally, stuff would be hand-balled from van to goods shed or lorry. Sometimes, if quantities of fertiliser, animal foods or similar products were handled on a regular basis, there MIGHT be a forklift, or more usually a mobile conveyor. Even as late as 1980, I was unloading 60kg bags of gypsum from VTG bogie ferry vans by hand at an urban goods depot (Longport, Stoke on Trent)- they came in on unwrapped pallets from Germany, so each sack had to be lifted off the wagon on to a new pallet and 'cling-filmed' before being forwarded by road. At the same time, the depot was also handling 'loose' barrels of Guinness, which also had to be mauled. Palletisation didn't become the norm until later in the 1980s, with the introduction of wagons with full sliding sides and lorries with 'Tautliner' tilts- until then, any pallet that wasn't directly in line with a door had to be moved, which theoretically could be done with a pallet truck, which had to be manouevred in a confined space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyC Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Most normal 12t vans would have probably been hand loaded as Fat Controller says, but BR started building pallet vans from about 1953. The first BR type was the Palvan [dia 211] which had heavy double doors at the left hand end of each side. These were not very successful as when wear developed they became unstable at speed. These were replaced by the 'Vanwide' design [dia 217] where the doors were in the centre as on the standard 12t Van, but much wider. There was also a Palbrick open wagon for carrying palletised bricks [what a surprise ]. Jeremy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Woodcock Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Most normal 12t vans would have probably been hand loaded as Fat Controller says, but BR started building pallet vans from about 1953. The first BR type was the Palvan [dia 211] which had heavy double doors at the left hand end of each side. These were not very successful as when wear developed they became unstable at speed. These were replaced by the 'Vanwide' design [dia 217] where the doors were in the centre as on the standard 12t Van, but much wider. There was also a Palbrick open wagon for carrying palletised bricks [what a surprise ]. Jeremy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Woodcock Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Hello In the 1970s fertilizer was dispatched in 12T vans from ICI Heysham to various locations around the country. This was all handball though as mentioned it may have been put onto pallets or unloaded using an elevator. There is a picture in 'Modelling the BR Blue Era' by among others Pennine MC of this parish of an elevator standing by a rake of empty vans at Beverley. Also animal feed was dispatched in 12T vans from Avonmouth and seed potatoes from NE Scotland to England. Again this was handball. cheers George Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 Most normal 12t vans would have probably been hand loaded as Fat Controller says, but BR started building pallet vans from about 1953. The first BR type was the Palvan [dia 211] which had heavy double doors at the left hand end of each side. These were not very successful as when wear developed they became unstable at speed. These were replaced by the 'Vanwide' design [dia 217] where the doors were in the centre as on the standard 12t Van, but much wider. There was also a Palbrick open wagon for carrying palletised bricks [what a surprise ]. Jeremy Part of the problem with Palvans was due to uneven suspension loading- the wagons would be loaded at one end, where the large door was, but the other end was often empty. Anyone who has had to manouevre a pallet on a pallet truck in a confined space, such as a road or rail vehicle, will know how difficult (and potentially unsafe) it can be. Thus people would only load the easy bit. Later Palvan ideas included curtain sides and sliding doors along the whole side- until someone invented industrial 'cling-film', these latter were often jammed by loads shifting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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