JimG
Western Thunderer
As a teenager in the 1950s, I worked the school summer holidays as a coal trimmer in the distillery in the town. We tipped 16T minerals on hydraulic ramps into pits under the rails where the coal was lifted by bucket chain to feed the power station boiler hoppers. The wagon inside bottoms were bright steel after the coal was dropped although how long they stayed that way until starting to get a rusty sheen would be debatable.
Another feature of any 16T mineral that went through us was a row of dents in the floor above the axle at the opposite end from the door. We had a long pole which was laid on the raised axle which was then thumped on the floor to remove the last vestiges of coal stuck in corners, especially if the coal was wet.
We occasionally would get a larger, longer mineral wagon where the wheelbase was too long and it couldn't be tipped. So the wagon was parked with the side doors over the pits and we had to hand shovel the whole load out of the wagon. Stained with blood sweat and tears would probably be appropriate.
Jim.
