Prototype PhilH's Industrial Railway Photos

[PhilH]

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Two adverts from the 'net, dated 1963. There was also the firm of Pittsteel Ltd. operating from the same address. Maybe E.L.Pitt/Pittrail did more than just lift redundant railway lines and sell the materials, in addition carrying out some new trackwork contracts themselves. If they were not recovering enough undamaged chairs in the lifting operations to go with the rail they would obviously need to provide their own new chairs.

The Brackley yard was taken over by R.Fenwick & Co.Ltd. on 1st March 1965, so it was actually Fenwicks who arranged the loan of WD883 to Hams Hall.
There's an account of this movement on the website derbysulzers.com, and apparently the move took place under its own power over BR on February 16/17th 1966. The Buckingham to Banbury line, which had closed to all traffic in December 1963, was reopened temporarily and the loco ran from Brackley to Verney Junction, then on to Bletchley where it stayed overnight. The following day it travelled via Nuneaton - Stockingford - Whitacre Junction & Coleshill to reach Hams Hall.

 

[PhilH]

A particularly rural scene for a standard gauge industrial railway - Storefield Ironstone Quarry, Northamptonshire.


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Rather unusual (perhaps ?) track construction - flat bottom rail spiked on the inside but with cast half chairs (for want of a better description) on the outside secured by two coach screws These 'chairs' are also used on the inside of the check rails. The point beyond is a true three-way rather than the more usual tandem and the two nearest frogs appear to be cast in one piece (would have been worth a close-up photo ).

The scene is at Dowlow Quarry south of Buxton alongside the former LNWR Buxton to Ashbourne line, which is behind the wooden fence on the right. This was part of the original route of the Cromford & High Peak Railway. On the left is the quarry loco shed, a curious construction with a concrete side wall up to window level, a brick panel beyond the unusually large window (for a loco shed), then wooden construction above. The slate roof still has the ventilator for the steam locos, the last of which was scrapped in 1959. Build a model like that and nobody would believe it was based on a prototype ! At the time of the visit in July 1967 the locked shed contained two Ruston & Hornsby 88DS 4wDs. Beyond the shed is the quarry office, and beyond that, nearer the track, is the weighbridge cabin. At that date the quarry was still using a remaining section of its internal 2'-3" gauge system.

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The same scene 10 years later in August 1977. The track has been relaid with bullhead rail without the three-way point. The loco shed has lost its roof top ventilator and contained one of the Ruston 88DS locos, now reduced to spare with the other being scrapped. The two working locos were stabled outside. Beyond the shed the office has lost its porch and there's a new weighbridge cabin sited further from the track than the old one.




The probable reason for the track relaying - bigger and heavier locomotives. This is Ruston & Hornsby No.461959 of 1961, a Class 200DE diesel electric 200hp and nearly 40 tons in weight, obtained secondhand in 1971. The name HEATHCOTE is from a small village about 5 miles South of Dowlow and this is the third loco at Dowlow to carry that name. The first was an 0‑4‑0ST obtained from the contractor building the LNWR line, which passed close to the village of Heathcote.

Internal rail traffic at the quarry finished in the early 1990s and with it the use of industrial locomotives. Outgoing rail traffic is now loaded by a front end loading shovel in sidings at the end of the BR line with the wagons positioned by main line locomotives.

 

[PhilH]

The main purpose of visiting industrial locations was to see and photograph the locomotives, but occasionally the camera was pointed at other things, particularly rolling stock. The following are mainly internal user wagons with a few main line private owner, and all are standard gauge.

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I.C.I. Ltd., Harpurhill, Buxton - an unusual short wheelbase end door wagon. It would appear that the axles are connected by a metal frame, so possibly the entire body including the timber frame was intended to tip, somehow ? The photo was taken 63 years ago (from my pram ! ) when I was possibly less concerned with the details of how things actually worked, but from what I vaguely recall was the only item of rolling stock on a then derelict site. The quarry itself was closed in the early 1950s, although part of the plant remained in use until 1960, and its the location of the infamous 'blue lagoon', very picturesque to look at but fatal if you dip your toe in it (slight exaggeration !). Apparently the local council periodically put black dye in it to deter any would be swimmers.

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Bowne & Shaw Ltd., Wirksworth Quarry - A 3 plank private owner wagon with just faint traces of the lettering.

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S. Taylor Frith & Co. Ltd., Holderness Limeworks, Dove Holes - 3 internal use wagons, a very lime encrusted 6 plank wooden wagon flanked by two hopper wagons. The left hopper wagon has the just discernible 'BRYMBO' in large letters while the right has 'BRYMBO STEEL.......' in slightly smaller letters, both no doubt formerly used for iron ore traffic to Brymbo Steelworks from one of their ironstone quarries.

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Works photograph of another type of Brymbo iron ore hopper. The oval plate on the solebar to the left of the 'V' iron would be the makers plate, but I'm not sure which as several builders used oval works plates. The plate to the right would be the GWR registration plate. The small italic lettering in the lower second from the left panel reads 'empty to Hook Norton Quarry'

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Minera Limeworks - Minera Lime Co. Ltd. private owner wagon.

tbc

 

[simond]

Phil, your “blue lagoon” comment reminded me of Lonar meteorite crater in India. It’s bigger, but much less well known, than the Arizona crater.

It is not in a desert, so has partially filled with water The water is an opaque green colour, and has a pH of 11 or so.

despite which, things live in/on it.

Lonar Lake - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Sorry for the diversion!
Simon

 

[PhilH]

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An American style dump car at Lamport Ironstone Quarries, near Northampton. These were used to bring ore either directly loaded from the quarry or from the interchange with the 3ft. gauge Scaldwell Tramway to the calcine clamps alongside the ex LNWR Northampton to Market Harborough line. Calcining was carried out at several ironstone quarries in which the ore was mixed with coal and burnt to reduce the moisture content and some impurities, in effect increasing the iron content of the ore. This process was started at Lamport in 1933 when these dump cars were supplied by the Midland Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd. After calcining the ore was loaded into main line wagons for despatch. Several other ironstone quarries used this type of wagon for the same purpose and the locomotives had central buffer/couplers to deal with these wagons in addition to the normal side buffers.

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C.E.G.B., Ironbridge Power Station - Tip wagons used for ash disposal. The wagon brakes don't appear to be applied, instead a 'sprag' (steel bar) has been inserted between the spokes of the furthest wheel and the frame tiebar with a wooden chair key in front of the nearest wheel for good measure ! Note the different wheels on the nearest wagon.

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Roads Reconstruction (1934) Ltd. - Hudson tip wagons at Hapsford. These were used on the 2 mile line between Whatley Quarry and Hapsford in Somerset. The line was originally 2ft. gauge and converted to Standard in 1943, with these wagons carrying stone loaded by an 100RB face shovel at the quarry to the processing plant at Hapsford. At Hapsford the crushed stone was loaded into main line wagons for dispatch via the nearby GWR Frome to Radstock line. In 1964 a new processing plant was opened at the quarry loading directly into BR wagons, so when photographed in 1966 these tip wagons were redundant.

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Tip wagons at Blackburn Meadows Sewage Works, Sheffield. These wagons were originally used for disposal of sludge cake from the works to the waste tip at Thrybergh in trains of 32-34 wagons hauled by a BR locomotive. Disposal of this material via the mainline railway began in 1892 to a tip at Kilnhurst, with trains of wooden wagons hauled by Great Central and later LNER locomotives. By 1948 the Kilnhurst Tip was filled to capacity and the trains were diverted to a new tip at Thryburgh. Over the years complaints were received about leakage of material from the wooden wagons, in some instances on to station platforms, and by the 1950s it was becoming increasingly difficult to find men willing to do the work of emptying the wagons at the tip. So between 1957 and 1963 a total of 76 new steel tip wagons were acquired in four batches from Robert Hudson (Leeds) Ltd. and Charles Roberts & Co. Ltd. of Wakefield. Nos. 35 and 69 pictured were built by Charles Roberts & Co. Ltd. The extended sides, bringing them up to the same height as the ends, were intended to eliminate any spillage on the main line. The trains over the main line ceased in 1969 with the full commissioning of an incineration plant at the sewage works, and thereafter the wagons were only used within the works to carry the sludge cake from the press house to the incinerator. The ash from the incinerator was then disposed of to the tip by road transport.

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I.C.I. Ltd. bogie hopper wagon in the BR exchange sidings at Northwich.

 

[PhilH]

On to NCB internal user wagons.

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A snowplough converted from a hopper wagon at the NCB Scottish South Area's Waterside Railway at Dalmellington, Ayrshire.

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In the line next to the plough are two wagons marked for ballast; a six wheeled chassis probably from one of the coaches used for the miner's trains until the early 1950's; a two plank wagon and a couple of 6/7 plank end door wagons.

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Also at Waterside 7 plank wagon No. 469, an end door wagon but with the end door permanently fixed shut. The wagons were emptied at the coal preparation plant in a tippler.

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Five plank end door wagon No.32 at NCB Scottish South Area's Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, Midlothian. Note the disc wheels.

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A van at NCB Scottish North Area's Kinneil Colliery, Bo'ness, West Lothian. I don't know what purpose it served (apart from a buffer stop !).
It has disc wheels on one axle and open spoked wheels on the other, and brakes on one side only. Presumably of ex main line origin ?

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A rake of 16 ton mineral wagons at the NCB Scottish South Area's Barony Colliery, Auchinleck, Ayrshire. The wagon at the far end next to the loco is a slope sided type.

tbc

 

[AJC]

Lovely - the van certainly seems to be a fixture: missing axle keeps, brakes on, rail chair under one wheel and a bit of wood under the other. It's an LNER diagram 015, like this one in use as a store at Soham:

LNER and constituents vans, includes Fruit, Fish, Meat

Paul Bartlett's Photographs

PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com

The mineral wagon with the bottle-shaped buffers and disc wheels is intriguing and pretty elderly, but I couldn't say more than that. The Hapsford Hudson tippers in close up are very useful (I have a couple to build to go with a Roads Reconstruction Sentinel). I don't suppose you can recall or have a note what colour they were painted under the dust at all?

Thank you as ever.

Adam

 

[PhilH]

Lovely - the van certainly seems to be a fixture: missing axle keeps, brakes on, rail chair under one wheel and a bit of wood under the other. It's an LNER diagram 015, like this one in use as a store at Soham:

LNER and constituents vans, includes Fruit, Fish, Meat

Paul Bartlett's Photographs

PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com

The mineral wagon with the bottle-shaped buffers and disc wheels is intriguing and pretty elderly, but I couldn't say more than that. The Hapsford Hudson tippers in close up are very useful (I have a couple to build to go with a Roads Reconstruction Sentinel). I don't suppose you can recall or have a note what colour they were painted under the dust at all?

Thank you as ever.

Adam

Adam,
Thanks for the van info. Sorry but I didn't take note of the colour of the tip wagons, but looking at the dust free areas on the ends it looks very dark, possibly dark grey or black ?

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One of the Sentinels was still working - No.1 S 9374, along with diesels 1 & 2 (in tandem) and 3. I noted the livery of the steam loco as medium green, red buffer beams, black underframe and lining.

 

[46240]

Good evening PhilH,

With respect to your van photo and the mixed disc/spoke wheels, there are a number of photos in Dave Larkin's wagon books showing mixed wheelsets on both vans and opens/minerals well into BR days.

This activity seems to apply to both unfitted and fitted wagons.

Cheers, Nigel.

 

[PhilH]

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Two different types of timber hopper wagon at the N.C.B. Northumberland Area's Burradon Colliery in 1970.

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Engineers Department 4 plank open wagon No.6 at the N.C.B.'s Backworth Locomotive Shed.

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An 11T hopper wagon with end mounted brake lever acting on only one axle and a steel hopper from the Harton system at Derwenthaugh in the N.C.B.'s North Durham Area. In the Durham Areas the N.C.B. wagons were usually marked with the colliery or unit name on the sides but sometimes got displaced from their home system.

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Well loaded steel and timber hopper wagons in the sidings leading to the Staithes at Jarrow on the N.C.B.'s Bowes Railway in 1966. Wagon No.1282 is one of a number purchased secondhand from the North Eastern Railway. All the wagons had end steps and handrails for the "set riders" who rode on the end wagon to which the rope was attached on the inclines. The rectangular steel plates bolted to the sides of the timber wagons are "batter plates" used by men at the staithes to hit with sledgehammers to dislodge any coal stuck inside when the wagon was emptied.

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A 10T hopper wagon flanked by two 4 plank wagons at Shop Pit Loco Shed on the N.C.B.'s Bowes Railway. The four plank wagons were from a total of 14 used to transport loco coal to the various loco sheds on the railway. Wagon No.1424 partly off the photo to the right has been preserved on the remaining section of the Bowes Railway.

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The Bowes Railway cable reel wagon at Springwell Workshops on one of the first open days of the preserved railway in 1976. This was used to carry the cable reel for periodically replacing the steel haulage cables on the rope worked inclines. The wagon next to it is carrying the rollers which supported the ropes on the inclines.

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15T hopper wagons on the N.C.B.'s Lambton Railway at Lambton Coke Works in 1966. These were an enlarged version of a traditional design used by the North Eastern Railway. The three link chain painted in the centre of the fifth plank denotes they can work over BR lines. They stand on a raised track supported by a retaining wall built from old railway sleepers. The item leaning against the wall to the right of centre is a displaced hopper wagon door.

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Lambton Railway hopper wagon No.1848 at Burnmoor in 1976, by which time its nearly lost most of its lettering. Still visible are the 'BRNE' and 'NCB2' formerly contained within the end links of the painted chain.

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3 varieties of hopper wagon at Hesledon at the summit of the inclines down to Seaham Harbour on the N.C.B. South Durham Area's South Hetton System in 1970. The first wagon is one of the rebuilds by the N.C.B. of old steel hopper wagons with new timber bodies.

tbc

 

[Lyndhurstman]

Interesting wagons, Phil. That cable reel wagon is interesting, with it V hanger packed out from the solebar, and the W irons linked by a tiebar. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers

Jan

 

[Andrew Young]

Thanks for sharing Phil, really enjoyed seeing all those internal user NCB hopper wagons. Such an eclectic mix of ex-mainline and home rebuilds presumably. A great deal more varied than the 16T and 21T hopper rakes one often sees on layouts.

 

[PhilH]

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A timber hopper wagon in the wagon repair yard at Maltby Main Colliery in the N.C.B. South Yorkshire Area. It bears faint traces of the large St.Andrews Cross on the side and beyond are a couple of 7 plank end door wagons, the first with two planks painted white the second with the more usual just one.

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Not the intended main subject of this photo taken at the N.C.B. North Yorkshire Area's, St. Johns Colliery, Normanton, but it does show a line of 'white bander' internal user wagons apparently recently painted. Wagon numbers are either preceded by SJ for St. Johns or PH for Park Hill Colliery, the latter being connected to St. Johns by a 2½ mile long internal NCB line.

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What happens if you lay a siding too close to the edge of a rather unstable cliff ! The scene is at the N.C.B. North Western Area's Haig Colliery, Whitehaven. Part of a 'V' tip wagon just in the picture at left and the rest are steel or timber hoppers of various types. Most just carry the wagon number with no other branding or indication of ownership. I think this was probably the cripples siding.

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A timber hopper wagon isolated near the top of the Howgill Incline by a cliff fall which permanently severed the connection between the Haig/Ladysmith System and Whitehaven Harbour. It was presumably later cut up on the spot.




Steel 'V' tip wagons at Haig Colliery.

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Photographed at the N.C.B. North Western Area's Harrington Coal Preparation Plant at Lowca these are two British Steel timber hopper wagons, No.2471 still lettered for the Workington Iron & Steel Co. and No.2434 with British Steel lettering.

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Hopper wagon No.2069, still with the W.I.& S. Co. lettering.
Harrington was connected directly to the Moss Bay Steel Works at Workington by the Lowca Light Railway worked by British Steel locomotives, latterly by two Yorkshire Engine Co. 0-4-0 diesels working in tandem. Harrington Colliery was closed in 1968 but the coal preparation plant remained in use for processing coal from Solway Colliery at Workington. When the photos were taken in 1971 coal was brought south to Harrington by BR along the Cumbrian Coast Line and after processing loaded into British Steel wagons for transit back north to the steel works via the Lowca Light Railway which ran on top of the cliffs above the coast line. This traffic finished in 1973 with the closure of Solway Colliery, and with it the Harrington C.P. Plant and the Lowca Light Railway.

tbc