Swansea Vale Works, Llansamlet

[Adam]

This is prompted by a chance find yesterday of some pictures of the now preserved Swansea Vale no. 1 (the last steam Sentinel built). Various things intrigued me about these. First, the colour of the loco, but second, the works and the wagons shown in the pictures. I don't know anything about Llansamlet works at all so if anyone has any information I would be interested to hear about it. 

 

In the meantime, here are the links to the pictures concerned. The Sentinel rather speaks for itself, but the wagon behind it is interesting:

 

http://www.philt.org.uk/Misc/Brian/i-6F8JrPV

 

The wagon behind the loco in interesting. It's clearly a 16 ton mineral of some description owned by Imperial Smelting. The odd feature is the square-shanked hydraulic buffer. I've never seen the like on anything other than the BR-built single bolsters and, possibly, a batch of brake vans.

 

http://www.philt.org.uk/Misc/Brian/i-BN957BQ

 

This picture suggests that the side doors have, possibly, been plated up and plate front axleboxes (unusual for a 16 tonner) fitted. The suggestion is that this was in use as a tippler?

 

Adam

Edited June 13, 2014 by Adam

[Arthur]

I saw those photos on your Sentinel thread Adam, a great find, they're fascinating.

 

I don't know about the Swansea operation but Imperial Smelting also had a works at Avonmouth which smelted zinc and lead. It originally had, essentially, a small blast furnace (much smaller then iron smelting furnaces). In 1968 the works had an ISF furnace installed, don't know much about the process. It closed in 2003.

 

Bit of Pathe footage here of Harold Wilson visiting the new plant.

 

http://streaming.britishpathe.com/hls-vod/flash/00000000/00085000/00085881.mp4.m3u8

 

Perhaps the Swansea works smelted Tin for the South Wales tin plating trade?

 

Edit; Swansea also smelted Zinc, there were a number of zinc smelting plants there apparently. Imperial, the last, closed in 1971

Edited June 13, 2014 by Arthur

[Adam]

Pass, Arthur. I knew about Avonmouth and saw it smoking away, years ago, not that it was an especially well-photographed location. I suppose it was a bit out of the way and an enclosed site so reasonably hard to get into? A google search offers the suggestion of a 'spelter' works which is zinc. Interesting bit of film there, thanks.

Adam

[Fat Controller]

I saw those photos on your Sentinel thread Adam, a great find, they're fascinating.

 

I don't know about the Swansea operation but Imperial Smelting also had a works at Avonmouth which smelted zinc and lead. It originally had, essentially, a small blast furnace (much smaller then iron smelting furnaces). In 1968 the works had an ISF furnace installed, don't know much about the process. It closed in 2003.

 

Bit of Pathe footage here of Harold Wilson visiting the new plant.

 

http://streaming.britishpathe.com/hls-vod/flash/00000000/00085000/00085881.mp4.m3u8

 

Perhaps the Swansea works smelted Tin for the South Wales tin plating trade?

 

Edit; Swansea also smelted Zinc, there were a number of zinc smelting plants there apparently. Imperial, the last, closed in 1971

All part of the grand non-ferrous heritage of that bit of South Wales.

Llansamlet was the last zinc spelter left; at one time, there was another nearer the river Tawe, which used the Roman trick of a covered trench up the side of Kilvey Hill to get enough draught for the furnaces. When they put a more modern chimney on, during the 1920s, someone bought the old one. People thought he was twp (Welsh for 'daft'), until they found out how much he made from the  zinc, lead and silver that had condensed on the lid of the flue over the years... 

There was a zinc-refining plant at Burry Port, next to the harbour; in latter years, it produced zinc oxide for ointments etc; one of my second-cousins worked there until he retired. The site had been an old copperworks, with a high wall all around- this came in useful when some of the prototypes for the D-Day 'Funnies' were developed there.

I think the last vestiges of the non-ferrous metal industry that remains is the INCO nickel refinery, a couple of miles north of Llansamlet.

Llansamlet sent bars of semi-refined zinc to Avonmouth on some purpose-built wagons leased from BRT-Procor; funnily enough, some appeared in a photo of Healey Mills on here yesterday. Both Avonmouth and Llansamlet produced sulphuric acid as a by-product. That from Llansamlet was largely used in the various pickling (steel, not onions) lines; that from Avonmouth went to a terminal at Stratford Market, as well as being sent to Swansea Burrows when Llansamlet closed.

[Adam]

You mean this thread? there was a thread on these wagons somewhere. Another one of those interesting things that would be fun to make as a one off that only hunted in rakes...

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/86750-evocotive-railway-remains-what-derelect-or-abandoned-structure-stirs-your-emotions/?p=1478863

Adam

[Fat Controller]

You mean this thread? there was a thread on these wagons somewhere. Another one of those interesting things that would be fun to make as a one off that only hunted in rakes...

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/86750-evocotive-railway-remains-what-derelect-or-abandoned-structure-stirs-your-emotions/?p=1478863

Adam

That's the ones; there was a BR-built prototype, based on a 21t Minfit chassis, then a production batch, built at Horbury by Charles Roberts. There are some white spoked handwheels visible- these tightened the ends to secure the loads. I think the semi-refined blocks were a different size to the refined ones. The wagons worked a triangular diagram; semi-refined blocks from Llansamlet to Avonmouth, then refined blocks to Bloxwich, and finally empty to Llansamlet.

Though the plant was near the Great Western main line, it was served by a branch off the former Midland line at Upper Bank, so that traffic in and out (I wonder if those 16-tonners ran to Swansea Docks?) went via Swansea Burrows Yard.

One positive aspect of the demise of these various smelters and spelters is that Kilvey Hill is now green; when I remember it as a child, it was covered by straggly grass, with no trees or bushes.

[ailg8048]

Both 9622 (and Rosyth) are now at the the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway. Rosyth has just been returned to service following overhaul - 9622 will started on soon.

[Adam]

Having re-posted the links on the 16 tonners thread (http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/36891-16t-minerals/?p=1481225), I've had a reply from Mark Saunders, who writes:

 

 

 

I believe these are the Imperial Smelting fleet of Zinc Oxide wagons 1001A to 1115A which were converted from iron ore tipplers, later becoming ICI Soda Ash POO's two of which now are part of the Great Central "Windcutter" set having come via Rover at Longbridge!

Mark Saunders

 

He are the offending vehicles, as preserved:

 

http://www.palbrick.com/gc/2797xx/DSCF2915.JPG

 

http://www.palbrick.com/gc/2797xx/DSCF2911.JPG

 

There are several unusual features to these, including uprated journals and springs and their 'afterlife' seems to have been very interesting indeed (details from Bob Wallace's Wagon research Yahoo Group and Mark).

 

Adam

[decauville1126]

With apologies to the original poster for a slight drift, but if anyone has any pics of Imperial Smelting's 1ft 8in gauge internal narrow gauge system at Llamsamlet showing their Lister locos then please pm me. I am a member of the 'usual' societies (IRS, ILS, NGRS) and have scoured the lists of images from those and other societies.

[Adam]

With apologies to the original poster for a slight drift, but if anyone has any pics of Imperial Smelting's 1ft 8in gauge internal narrow gauge system at Llamsamlet showing their Lister locos then please pm me. I am a member of the 'usual' societies (IRS, ILS, NGRS) and have scoured the lists of images from those and other societies.

 

No apology necessary, I'd be delighted to see them myself! The only picture I'm aware of of ISC's narrow gauge system at Avonmouth is this one:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/12a_kingmoor_klickr/6942435092/in/set-72157626666084955

 

Anything more about any aspect of activity at Llanshamlet would be of interest.

 

Adam

[philwaglab]

The acid used at Ebbw Vale pickle line came from Six Pit Junction ISC or National Smeltig,in small blue tank wagons which in 1970 looked as if they had seen a lot of service.The numbers on the tanks were in the 500 series and once empty were returned back to Six Pit.Avonmouth sent acid to Bedwas Coke Ovens Trethomas by rail and also ECLP at Drinnick Mill

[philwaglab]

Anyone know if the coke to ISC at Six Pit came in coke hoppers or 16 ton minerals ?