Goods raffic on CIE

[patrick]

I am looking for some information about fertilizer traffic on CIE in order to better represent it on my layout. Spring was always a busy season but was there traffic year round? Apart from the 4 wheel flats and bogie wagons what other wagons were used for this traffic, opens with tarps, covered vans? Also Oil traffic. Where did the traffic originate? I am aware of Shell in Alaxender Road but were there more depots there and what facilities were in Cork? Thanks. Patrick.

[Broithe]

Cork granules are available in various grades, they might need a blow-over for that nice, dark colour that we all prefer...

 

[patrick]

http://www.aandhmodels.co.uk/28111-peat-sods-10g-32474-p.asp

 

Here is another option.

[Broithe]

Sod is a funny word - I brought one back through Holyhead, during the 'security' times, wrapped in newspaper. I got stopped and the bag was being emptied out, I was managing to explain everything as it appeared - until the nice English customs chap pulled the wrapped item out - What's in here? - I could only think of 'sod' and it is just not a polite word on this side, so I hesitated, he became immediately suspicious and carefully unwrapped it, breaking off a bit of the brown, fibrous matter and sniffing it - I think he could smell promotion, his mates standing behind him were well aware of what it was, but were just laughing amongst themselves at him. I managed to explain satisfactorily and was released....

 

He never noticed the Holy Water.

[Mayner]

Still amazed by that photo of the turf train. What a superb piece of adaptability & as already commented, a model of such would perforce need an explanatory label.

My aging, but much treasured copy of S Maxwell Hajducki's Railway Atlas of Ireland shows two Bord na Mona systems in north Mayo - Oweninny [1958] & Bangor Erris [1964]. Had the line to Belmullet been built, then perhaps this resource might have been tapped earlier & provided a reason to keep the line open into the 1950s. Sadly, can find no turf railways anywhere near Arigna & with a half decent coal supply the locals would perhaps not need the turf anyway?

In 7mm scale, Alphagraphix do a range of etched brass 6 wheel coaches, plus there are their cardboard kits [with chassis available too]. This has certainly become a possible project for me, as the stock wouldn't be too difficult to construct, though a proper weathering job might take some effort and as to a turf load, I wonder what could be used in this scale? Certain types of rabbit food perhaps? Am sure the fertile mind out there will soon come up with suggestions!

 

The BNM systems in North Mayo were built to serve Bellacorrick power station on the Oweninny system rather than local needs. Bangor Erris is a feeder system with road transfer to Bellacorick. A broad gauge line might have survived long enough to bring in the construction material for the power station and link to the National Grid. It would have made sense to convert Bangor Erris -Bellacorrick to narrow gauge and abandon the broad gauge line.

 

Most people in areas where peat is plentiful including most of the Central Plain and Mountainous areas had access to and harvested their own peat. Attempts to control an individuals right to cut turf for their own personal use in the name of conservation while Bord na Mona stip mines the commercial bogs is a major issue in many areas

[jhb171achill]

BnM announced only the other day that they intend to cease all turf harvesting within a few years and convert to purely Eco-friendly power production.

 

This, of course, means that ALL their railways have numbered days!

[roxyguy]

These are a good cheap 3 wheel coach, which are not too far away . .

[Junctionmad]

Once again I marvel at the ingenuity of the railway men on this island over the years. Pity it didn't carry over in to the new millennium! Mk3s anyone? Could have been boarded up, roof peeled off and used for sugar beet!

 

err... thats if anybody is still growing it ...

[minister_for_hardship]

These are a good cheap 3 wheel coach, which are not too far away . .

 

 

How does it not fall over..? Is it a Listowel & Ballyb jobbie?

Edited October 8, 2015 by minister_for_hardship

[Broithe]

How does it not fall over..? Is it a Listowel & Ballyb jobbie?

 

"Will passengers please all sit on the platform side of the coach, thank you".

[roxyguy]

How does it not fall over..? Is it a Listowel & Ballyb jobbie?

 

Sorry, sorry, 3 axle coach:o

[jhb171achill]

A thing like that, suitably "botched" and made look scrappy and worn, patched up and roughly repaired with whatever old planks were lying about, would be ideal. Don't forget a wooden bodied brake van at the end.

[WaYSidE]

im tyrd,

 

[WRENNEIRE]

Ah, W5004 Ventilated van, Dunlop

Worth £15 once upon a time

However because some mistakes were made in the factory and a few of these escaped the value jumped up to £50

Called the "D Reversed" Dunlop

[jhb171achill]

To go back to the original question, the fertiliser was in bags in the bogie wagons....white plastic sacks, as I recall.

[Irishswissernie]

White or green , the green may possibl;y have been loose covers over the white for added weather protection

judging by the green bits hanging out of the bottom of the doors.

Ernie

Edited March 6, 2019 by Irishswissernie
Edited twice coarse me komputa kant spell

[jhb171achill]

You're absolutely right, Ernie, I had forgotten about that.

They'd load a pallet full of fert bags, and sometimes this entire pallet was coat with some sort of strong cellophane-type cover. That's the stuff you see.

The weathering details in your pic will be very useful to those who model these wagons.

Incidentally, that "48 TONNES" on the side of them was a late addition. It was not in them when new, or for a long time afterwards.

And NO CIE roundel on the side - normal for IE (later) days, though you'd still see a few CIE logos to the end. None ever carried IE logos.

If we wanted to be REALLY pedantic, and rivet-counting, it might be observed that the "48 TONNES" bit I see best matched with no logo. If you have that wording, and a logo, the latter is going to be old and workstained.

When new, all markings were, as on ALL brown CIE wagons, white. But they didn't stay that way, any more than white markings did on grey wagons!

[jhb171achill]

5 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

You're absolutely right, Ernie, I had forgotten about that.

They'd load a pallet full of fert bags, and sometimes this entire pallet was coat with some sort of strong cellophane-type cover. That's the stuff you see.

The weathering details in your pic will be very useful to those who model these wagons.

Incidentally, that "48 TONNES" on the side of them was a late addition. It was not in them when new, or for a long time afterwards.

And NO CIE roundel on the side - normal for IE (later) days, though you'd still see a few CIE logos to the end. None ever carried IE logos.

If we wanted to be REALLY pedantic, and rivet-counting, it might be observed that the "48 TONNES" bit Is best matched with a wagon with no logo. If you do have that wording, and a logo, the latter is going to be old and workstained.

When new, all markings were, as on ALL brown CIE wagons, white. But they didn't stay that way, any more than white markings did on grey wagons!

 

[Mayner]

Fertiliser wagon loading may have been increased to 48 Tonnes when IFI started to supply fertiliser in bulk 500 or 1000kg bags. 

https://www.bulkbagco.co.nz/bulk-bags 

The wagon in the second photo may be carrying this type of bag.

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, Mayner said:

Fertiliser wagon loading may have been increased to 48 Tonnes when IFI started to supply fertiliser in bulk 500 or 1000kg bags. 

https://www.bulkbagco.co.nz/bulk-bags 

The wagon in the second photo may be carrying this type of bag.

Good thinking.....

[Mike 84C]

Having lots of experience of the fertilizer traffic on this side of the Irish Sea, the polythene cover would be shrink wrapping which was applied to (A) keep the bags clean, also weather proof for outside storage and (B) hold the bags in stacks on the pallets. Because when the bags were being moved on  belts, rollers and  auto palletizers in the factories they got sprayed with a silicon lubricant. This meant that when the pallets of bags were moved any distance they promptly fell off the pallets. dont ask how I know but I have hauled 1000's of tons of fertilizer. In later years the bags were also glued together but thats another story!  I cannot remember the bulk bags having any kind of shrink wrapping, the product was contained by an inner liner that the outer, think big builders bag, contained which took all the lifting strains. Here endeth!!!!!!!!!!