Ruston Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Just reading the book I got for xmas - British Railways Unfitted and Vacuum-braked wagons in colour - and in there is a photo of a Presflo wagon used for carrying slate powder from Wadebridge. So now I'm wondering what on earth slate powder is or was used for, where it was going to and why it was going from Wadebridge when I would have thought that it would come from somewhere in North Wales. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
csvt2004 Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Slate dust would have come from Delabole quarry. Used in the making of gramophone records I believe. Shipped direct from Delabole at first, then when the North Cornwall closed, moved by lorry to Wadebridge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Just reading the book I got for xmas - British Railways Unfitted and Vacuum-braked wagons in colour - and in there is a photo of a Presflo wagon used for carrying slate powder from Wadebridge. So now I'm wondering what on earth slate powder is or was used for, where it was going to and why it was going from Wadebridge when I would have thought that it would come from somewhere in North Wales. There are slate outcrops in several locations around the UK. North Wales is the best known, but there are also exposures near Newport (Pembrokeshire), the afore-mentioned Delabole and also the Cumbrian Lake District, all of which have been commercially exploited. There may be some in Scotland as well, but my studies of geology never took me that far. I hadn't heard about it being used as a 'filler' in plastics before; I did know that it was marketed as 'Dellafiller' or something similar. This traffic has been discussed on this forum in some depth before; other wagons used included Covhops (useful for any West-of-England modeller who can't think of an excuse for one of the Bachmann ones) and Prestwins. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Apparently it's used as a filler in asphalt flooring, bitumen paints, other paints and resins, roofing felts, protective pipe coatings, damp proof courses, Christmas Puddings, insecticides, car underseal, Terrazzo tiles and others. I made one of those up.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted December 26, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 26, 2013 For 4mm modellers, these people are on the case. http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/product/40761/38260Y_Bachmann_Delabole_Slate_Presflo_Wagon_Triple_Pack Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted December 26, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 26, 2013 Apparently it's used as a filler in asphalt flooring, bitumen paints, other paints and resins, roofing felts, protective pipe coatings, damp proof courses, Christmas Puddings, insecticides, car underseal, Terrazzo tiles and others. I made one of those up.... Car underseal? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruston Posted December 26, 2013 Author Share Posted December 26, 2013 Thanks for the replies, everyone. Slate dust would have come from Delabole quarry. Used in the making of gramophone records I believe. Shipped direct from Delabole at first, then when the North Cornwall closed, moved by lorry to Wadebridge. Gramaphone records? The pic in the book was taken in 1980. I thought gramaphone records (the sort made of that stuff that would smash if you dropped them?) went out in the 1940s? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Thanks for the replies, everyone. Gramaphone records? The pic in the book was taken in 1980. I thought gramaphone records (the sort made of that stuff that would smash if you dropped them?) went out in the 1940s? No-one told my mother- when I was given a record player in 1971, my mother asked the shop assistant for a pack of needles to go with it. I'm trying to think of bands (sorry, 'combos') whose records might include ground slate:- The Rolling Stones The Stone Roses Queens of the Stone Age Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold stovepipe Posted December 26, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 26, 2013 Here's a few more for your list: Stone temple pilots Joss Stone Sly & the Family Stone Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Slatde Slater Sisters coat on and walking the dog Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 To be boringly on topic ! The slate powder wagons were ex ICI traffic, a special design of Presflo with twin chambers and therefore twin unloading gear http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/presfloslate Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted December 27, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 27, 2013 To be picky, I believe Delabole slate is not technically slate but a mudstone.Not sure what difference that makes to the discussion though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 To be picky, I believe Delabole slate is not technically slate but a mudstone.Not sure what difference that makes to the discussion though! Slate is mudstone that has been subjected to intense pressure and /or heat; the result is that it cleaves along more-or-less parallel planes, and so can be split (relatively) easily into thin pieces. Unmetamorphised mudstone would not be as accommodating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted December 28, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 28, 2013 In the '50s, my mother had a large pastry-board from Delabole. When I told my schoolteacher that mum's pastry-board was black, I was told not to be silly......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbles2 Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 To be boringly on topic ! The slate powder wagons were ex ICI traffic, a special design of Presflo with twin chambers and therefore twin unloading gear http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/presfloslate Paul I was under the impression that the Kernow/Bachmann models are based on the earlier presflo wagons used for the slate powder in the 60s, am I wrong? Edit... see post 22 http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/75331-kernow-model-rail-centre-cornish-exclusive-wagons-oo-gauge/?hl=%2Bslate+%2Bpowder Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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