Freight Train Formations

[Ray H]

My Wynsloe Road thread shows that my proposed layout build revolves around a junction station where freight trains from the "branch" will arrive and be split into distinct parts and each part worked forward by and as a portion of other trains depending on the destination of the portion.

 

Presumably the initial train was pre-marshalled so that having split the branch train on arrival at the junction the resultant portions didn't need any reformation and were added to their onward train as they were.

 

What I'm not sure of is the procedure when it came to uplifting stock at the junction bound for the branch that had arrived on potentially numerous trains. Would the stock be marshalled appropriately at the junction - there's no pilot so the train engine would need to do it - before departure or were the wagons simply gathered up and then sifted out when the train got to the van/wagon's intended destination?

[The Stationmaster]

It varied from place to place  Ray - a lot of it depending on time available (or not available).  Thus your branch portions could either be put off 'rough'  (i.e all mixed up as regards destination station order) or they could be put off already segregated into station order (=pre-marshalled).  If the branch portions came off 'numerous' trains it would probably be rough - but will it necessarily come off more than a couple of trains?

 

The time element would work in this sort of way - 

1. Would there have been enough time in the originating yard, and/or when portions were attached, to properly segregate the branch traffic into the right station order?

2. Is there enough time available in the branch freight trip engine and crew to do their own segregation before they set off down the branch?

3. Is traffic for the branch put off from more than one through train - in which case it will probably be rough to some extent so it might need to be segregated.

4. Which way round are the intermediate sidings etc on the branch - could their orientation give you a reason to partially segregate before going down the branch and doing the rest at the terminus ready for the return working.

5. Or is there sufficient time in the branch trip's working to allow it to deal with intermediate stations without segregating them at the junction (or is the traffic so light it wouldn't be worth the bother)?

 

All you need to do is either copy the prototype you have in mind or simply address the factors I've listed and pick which you think best suit the way you want to run your railway - and simply use them as 'reasons' to explain why you are doing it in a particular way.

[Ray H]

Mike

 

Presumably there was the chance of traffic to/from Oxford & (as I understand it) Yarnton as well as anything via Claydon NE Junction either to/from Aylesbury and Wycombe routes although I'm not in possession of a WTT for the area so don't know whether there were that many freights. I really must make a trip to York Museum to see if I can get access to historical freight WTTs that I'm told they hold.

 

At the other end (via the main line) I'd presume everything went as far as Bletchley and was possibly re-marshalled there.

 

I presume traffic from intermediate stations on the branch could either be added to the correct portion of the train when picked up or tacked on the front and sorted when the train arrived at the junction.

 

Seems like the world's my oyster and I have a blank canvas because whilst one specific method may be preferred, there were many practical reasons why it may not have been possible to have always used it.

 

As an aside I've just flicked through Bill Simpson's book and there didn't seem to be that much in the way of exchange facilities looking at the Verney Junction track plan so perhaps loads were routed between the south & west to/from Bletchley, something I specifically don't want to sign up to as that would remove much of the operational interest potential.

 

Thanks.

[The Stationmaster]

Ray,

 

As far as I know Yarnton seems to have been an interchange only for certain categories of traffic and alas the Oxford 1947 WTT I've got might not help as it won't include certain LMS trains if they ran to Rewley Road or Yarnton.

 

Interchange probably took place at Verney Junction at one time but I suspect it was most likely general goods and would have ceased fairly early due to grouping arrangements and traffic pooling which had quite an influence on some freight flows in the post-Group period.  Mind you some exchange facilities were rather limited - the old arrangement at Oxford prior to the wartime connection between the LMS and GWR lines consisted of a double-ended siding know as 'the Exchange' where an RCH Numbertaker was based to record all wagons exchanged; so two sidings at Verney Jcn was positively abundant in comparison!

 

Been waiting 2 hours for you pop up here with an answer what took you so long !!!!!

Dinnertime