Bell containers mixed goods traffic

[Noel]

Short video clip of model CIE mixed goods train formation about 1972

 

Video Clip edited to add some "time machine" effects

Edited August 26, 2017 by Noel
fixed video

[enniscorthyman]

Excellent Noel,I enjoyed that.

[JasonB]

Lovely video Noel nicely done.181 sounds fantastic

[WRENNEIRE]

Love the bells myself Noel

 

 

[Noel]

Excellent Noel,I enjoyed that.

 

Glad you liked it. I've since edited the video to add some 'aged film' effect and some old black and white cine film effect.

 

Lovely video Noel nicely done.181 sounds fantastic

 

Cheers Jason. I'm more than pleased with 'Wheel Tappers' DCC sound running on LokSound chips with new 'Power drive' mode (i.e. similar to ESU's 'Full Throttle' software).

 

Love the bells myself Noel

 

That's a very impressive container rake Dave. I see a mix of 40ft and some 20ft pairs on the clip, and a few refrigerated ones too. What are the container flats (kit, RTR, brass, resin)?

[burnthebox]

Very nice Noel, Oh The Bells, The Bells, magic....!

Paul

[Noel]

Here's a question for JB, or indeed anybody else who might know the answer.

 

In most of the photographs of mixed goods train formations typical of the late 1960s and early 70s, where there the formation consisted of loose coupled vans, open corrugated wagons and a small number of 20ft contains on 2 axle wagons, the containers were always at the end of the train in front of the brake van. Often one or two Bell containers at the back of the train. Why was this?

 

Why were container wagons placed at the end of mixed goods train formations followed immediately by the brake van?

 

I can't tell from the photos if the other wagons were in all cases unfitted loose coupled (un-braked) stock, or fitted stock. I've heard one suggestion that it was because pick up freight formations dropped wagons off at stations along a route from the front of the train, but no authoritative reasons. The container wagons must have had vacuum brakes fitted, but not connected or blocked off?

[Mayner]

Wagon load traffic was usually marshaled in station/yard order behind the locomotive. Its a lot easier and safer for a train crew to switch a single or a short cut of wagons than a whole train into a siding. This practice still continued to a lesser degree on railways that carry wagon load traffic, though traffic tends to be in cuts of wagons carrying a particular traffic than individual wagon loads

 

The Sligo-Limerick goods would have run with wagons for stations on the Burma Road cut in behind the loco and traffic for destinations south of Claremorris including Bell containers for Waterford cut in behind the van.

 

Depending on destination container wagons could also be cut in at the front or middle of a loose coupled goods. Before the Mayo Line went over to Liner operation wagons with ISO container traffic for Claremorris were likely to have been marshaled towards the middle of the train as the "Ballina Goods" departed the North Wall on its way westwards.

[WRENNEIRE]

That's a very impressive container rake Dave. I see a mix of 40ft and some 20ft pairs on the clip, and a few refrigerated ones too. What are the container flats (kit, RTR, brass, resin)?

 

A mix of MIR and SSM ones Noel,

The first 5 with black bogies are MIR and the rest are SSM brass ones

[jhb171achill]

Only seeing this now.

 

It's exactly as Mayner says. While it wasn't absolutely every train which was like that, probably the vast majority were for the reasons stated above.

[Noel]

Only seeing this now.

 

It's exactly as Mayner says. While it wasn't absolutely every train which was like that, probably the vast majority were for the reasons stated above.

 

Thanks John and Jonathan. I was just curious because practically every photo I saw in 'rails through the west' which depicted a mix of 2 axle goods wagons and containers had the containers at the end of the formation. The explanation makes perfect sense.

[jhb171achill]

Containers over this route would only have been in the last few years. This, of course, was primarily what warranted the inclusion of such pics in the book!

[Noel]

Containers over this route would only have been in the last few years. This, of course, was primarily what warranted the inclusion of such pics in the book!

 

Hence the wonderful book inspired me to put something as utterly modern as a Bell containers on the layout