Guinness Kegs Cages and Container

[MAL]

I just received my first IRM wagons. A pair of Guinness Kegs, a pair of Fertilizer Wagons and three Magnesite Wagons.

The Kegs sit on a 42' flat which I think is the same flat car as for container loading.

Did they ever mixed container and kegs on a single car?

I ask because my JNR container flats carrying 4 or 5  12' container look similar. These carry often 12' and 20' container mixed on one car.

Has Irish Rail contaier shorter than 20'?

--> I just saw the 10ft Uniload cubes.

Did Irish Rail ever mix kegs cages and a 20' container or 10ft Uniload cubes?

Also did a flat ever run with less than 5 kegs cages?

 

Thanks to you for your patience with my questions.

And hopefully this had not been a topic here - other wise I'll blame my self for a poor research.

Edited December 14, 2022 by MAL
Amended the 10ft Uniload cubes

[murphaph]

Yes flats often ran without the full complement of 5 cages or with one or two cages empty or whatever. Yes, there are photos circulating showing a 20' container sharing a flat with the keg cages. I don't know how common this was but it did happen. If it happened with 20' containers it almost certainly would have happened with the uniload 10' ones. 

[MAL]

Thanks!

Are there any affordable Uniload Cubes in 1/76 ?

[murphaph]

I am unaware of anyone selling them, at present. I would be surprised if IRM doesn't release them at some stage though as they were quite prolific for a good 20+ years on the network. Transfers are available from Studio Scale Models to make your own. You could probably cut a c-rail 20' in half add a bit of plasticard and make it look like two 10' containers. The unpainted c-rail containers don't cost much, maybe like €6. Arran will ship them worldwide as far as I know. You could take the opportunity to pick up a few painted "typically Irish" containers of the era like the Bell Lines and B&I ones at the same time.

[MAL]

Maybe I could use the JNR 12' if they were in 1/76 but Japan H0 is 1/80 running on 16.5mm to represent a compromise of the 1067mm prototypical gauge.

In my JNR collection there are alot of them that are not needed as car loads because they got replaced by 12' Tanktainer.

I need to check how it looks like. The difference 1/80 versus 1/87 is more than obvious and looks awful.

But the 1/76 vs. 1/80 without a 00 container in direct contact might be feasible. I'll report the result.

But not before I have got some 1/76 containers.

Edited December 14, 2022 by MAL
Amended JNR 12' container

[MAL]

I placed the 1/80 JNR 12' with 2 keg cages on the IRM flat.

Then I made a comparison image of 3 H0 related scale loads.

The rear side is aligned to be flush.

By the lack of an 00 container I took the keg cage which I assume to be as wide as a container.

Conclusion: Direct contact of JNR 1/80 and 00 1/76 should be avoided. Mixing with distance might be a workaround but not really good. At least the mounting lugs do not meet the container corners, not even nearly.

It will need at least 2 or 3 pint of Guinness to accept, I think.