Compound2632

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyridon_Samaras

Sorry, yes, I misinterpreted what @Andy Hayter said. [Embedded link to catalogue image of Midland Railway Study Centre item 12808.]

Ah, so that's what the Minions were saying!

Why not, it being designed for the job? Of course the bridge is locked in place as the wagon is moved onto it, the lock being released to make the measurement, just the same as for a road vehicle weighbridge. The loatter were more common, every railway goods yard having one. Midland Railway Study Centre item 29057: Midland Railway Form No: M.F.36½ 'Return of Traffic Passed over Weighing Machine'. Lists seventeen wagons from Wirksworth to various destinations apparently weighed on the Midland weighbridge at Little Eaton. Date: 23 August 1920.

I believe mineral wagons my have been; either that or tubs were weighed between pithead and wagon. Weight was important at every stage from the collier's pay to the customer's delivery. There was a case of fraud involving a tank wagon, I forget the detail, but weighbridge records were key to exposure.

No surprise there, post-Great War. The colliery itself opened in 1906. John Arkell, Private Owner Wagons of the South-East (Lighmoor Press, 2016) reproduces the photo in question, p. 12*, and says, p. 77, 'It is probable that the wagons were for internal use only (or over the East Kent [Light Railway]) as the SE&CR and the Southern did not offer carriage rates in PO wagons.' So, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but not a generally useful wagon. *Pace Arkell, who simply says after 1915, the photo has to be after March 1917, as the Midland wagon has its number painted on the bodyside under the letter M.

Date dependent. It seems to me that there was a move to placing the number at the LH end, possibly around the Great War or maybe a bit earlier. Possibly written into the RCH specification at some point? When the MR C&W Committee note the instruction to start painting open wagon numbers on the body, in Feb 1917, they said at the RH end; this was amended the following month to the LH end. A J.P. Richards model: [Embedded link to Science Museum Group website.]

As far as the timber components are concerned, you have to consider that after the second world war it was increasingly difficult to obtain sufficient quantities of good quality timber, especially large pieces of oak for frame components - e.g. solebars 12" x 5" x 16 ft long. Roughly speaking, one man could clear an 8-ton wagon in a working day. As to demurrage, it was Hobson's choice. If you're late releasing a wagon not your own, whether the railway company's or the colliery's or factor's, then demurrage; if you leave your own wagon standing in the yard, then siding rent.

The firm are victims of the way our school terms are arranged just as much as parents are - six weeks of demand they don't have the capacity to meet and gross under-usage most of the rest of the year, except half-term holidays, which at least are not the same week everywhere, giving maybe two week blocks of higher demand. So they've capital lying idle and a high proportion of casual staff.

One would need to look at timetables but i think the NBR train from Edinburgh was the night Scotch express, and similarly the G&SWR train. It's not obvious from the make-up of the latter (over which there seems to be some confusion) - no obvious Lancashire portion. But there had evidently been some re-marshalling going on, along with transfer of game. It sounds to me as though there was an Edinburgh/Glasgow - Manchester/Liverpool train in the making, which would be worked through by Midland engines all the way, 1808 Class 4-4-0s being used south of Hellifield. Around 1900, 1818-20 were at Newton Heath and 1817/22 at Lower Darwen and there were another seven on Skipton's allocation, i.e. at Hellifield. (The Midland engine No. 192 run into was a 2203 Class 4-4-0, built in April 1894, and allocated to Carlisle.) Compare this accident at Bolton in 1891: https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BoT_Bolton1891.pdf This Midland train is described as running in connection with at train from Carlisle, to Liverpool one infers, and may not include any MSJS carriages - i.e any through carriages from Scotland - since the the MSJS did not have any brake composites or brake thirds - though Midland vehicles might be used. I think Ahrons says that at this period, the Midland was working virtually the whole of the express passenger services on the L&Y in Lancashire - a bit of an exaggeration since Manchester - Liverpool and Manchester - Preston etc. was firmly in L&Y hands.

And as usual providing insufficient resource to make something good in principle actually work in practice.

And these are ones owned rather than hired by the E&WYUR - upright rather than slanting initials. Good spot!

Yet the inside frames makes such an enormous visual difference - making 'Prince' look like a large Bury type: [Embedded link to Wikpedia, by kitmasterbloke - https://www.flickr.com/photos/58415659@N00/52623122577/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=134153157] Whereas 'Firefly' looks like a proper modern engine.

Three converted ex-LNWR diagram 17A goods brake vans.

There was an accident at Carlisle Citadel in 1894, when the up Scotch express from St Enoch ran into the rear of a Midland engine that was attached to the rear of the Liverpool & Manchester portion of a North British train. This was made up of a bogie composite carriage for Liverpool and six-wheel composite for Manchester, four fish trucks, a game van, and brake van. It is not stated but I expect the two passenger carriages were MSJS. However, the fish vans appear to have been North British. 'There was some fish to take out of the game van, and some game to go with the London portion.' https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BoT_Carlisle1894.pdf There was another 1890s accident, which I can't just now track down, to what was described as a Midland Scotch express but was mostly fish trucks, including, as I recall, vehicles from the NBR, CR, and NER as well as MR.