A couple of private owner coal wagons

[MikeWilliams]

This is the first of some pictures I have scanned from a book dated 1895 and which may be of interest to modellers.

This is the chain drag at Edge Hill Gridirons, which will be explained later, but the wagons interest me of course and both would make nice models.  Nearest the camera is Wm Rigby & Co. of Stoke on Trent, registered with the North Staffordshire Railway.  Four planks with V angled board edges, it has internal diagonal strapping like Gloucester wagons.  The V hangers are also of the shapes used by Gloucester, but I can't read the huge cast iron builders plate which is not of the usual Gloucester style.  The five planks on the end are of three different widths and go right down to the headstocks , covering the end of the floor, unlike the other wagon seen.  The sides and ends will have iron capping strips and some builders used countersunk bolts for these but on the end the bolt heads are silhouetted, so these are raised.  It has brakes one side of course, with wooden blocks and it has an end door at the far end.  The brake lever is straight which is slightly unusual when V hangers are fitted, and is held to the shaft with a square which is probably forced on (Blacksmith's weld?) as there is no split pin or nut used.  It has grease axleboxes with rounded bottoms.  It was usual at that time for the first link of the coupling to be held in this way, before the gedge became common which  allowed the top link to be threaded into place on the hook.

The other wagon is more modern because it has sprung buffers!  If modellers feel unable to paint the shaded script of the Rigby wagon maybe this would be easier – separate cast iron plates screwed to the top plank with no other visible lettering at all.  Though I guess there must have been a load and tare description somewhere.  Also four planks, the edges of these are rounded (there must be a term for it?) like tongued and grooved boarding often has today.  The brakes are on the other side and it also has grease axleboxes with rounded bottoms.  It has an end door and notice how the door doesn't line up with the side sheeting, a good excuse for poor modelling!  The far end is raised, but with a flat top unlike the nearer wagon.  The far wagon has larger spring bearers with pins through the centre whereas Rigby has smaller, plain bearers.  The ends of the headstocks are interesting, shaped like an LNWR wagon, though it is not one of theirs.  Unfortunately I have been unable to read the words on the cast iron plates, but the centre one is a four digit number and the one on the right looks like "H.?LOCXCOLL".

More later if anyone is interested ...

[Doddy]

Mike,

Another Diamond! I never knew about these Chain Drags before now.

Many thanks for an interesting post.

D

[MikeWilliams]

Here is another Rigby wagon at the same spot – the chain drag.  This is a very modern wagon for 1895, having a steel underframe and note how that changes the spring hangers (bearers) and the end stanchions, both of which are also now made of steel.  It has six planks with beveled edges, an end door and inside diagonal strapping.  The buffers are a type I normally associate with 1907 standards and it has Ellis pattern grease axleboxes.  Brakes still one side only, but with iron blocks this time.  The small handle dangling below the solebar just to the right of the left hand wheel, operates the doors in the floor and there would be an identical handle the other side too.  And there are very small bent strips screwed to the lower face of the solebar above the springs.  These act as bump stops and, if a spring were to break, it would be a soft(ish) landing and allow the wagon to continue.  The plate on the side to the left of the door reads "Load 10 tons" and there is a registration plate in the centre of the solebar, but I can't see a builders plate.

A few words about the chain drag.  The grid irons were what we might now call a hump shunting yard and these chains were not retarders, but emergency stops.  Normal retardation was done by men running along beside the wagons with break sticks!  The hook was fixed to a carrier in a pit between the rails which was lowered by hand when a wagon approached.  If it was not lowered (e.g. a runaway) it engaged with the axle and dragging the chain out of the pit brought the wagon(s) to a standstill.  I bet some owners of garden railways would be tempted to install one of these when certain individuals were running!  In fact maybe it would be useful in the Candy household when testing new engines?

Mike

[John Candy]

In fact maybe it would be useful in the Candy household when testing new engines?

Even to just stop wagons moving in the wind .... I have had them get up quite a speed when caught by a strong gust.... or hold vehicles with roller bearings (which seem to be gaining a following) which roll along without any provocation, other than a slightly uneven track.

John

[Jon Nazareth]

Mike
I think that the term you are looking for re a rounded edge is called a 'Pencil Bead'.
I like the dumb buffered wagon.

Jon

[MikeWilliams]

Thank you Jon.

I've looked a bit further into Rigby and it seems they were a large firm who owned a Manning Wardle class H 0-4-0ST "INVINCIBLE".

Mike