Freight Containers (Irish) OO Gauge- 40ft or 20 ft

[Rob]

Just wondering what the best quality / most realistic Freight Containers (OO Gauge) 40ft or 20ft, that people think are out there?

Given the arrival of the 42ft Flats,  if one wanted to vary the containers carried, what site is best?

Any views are welcome!

[Ian Cooper]

C-Rail make some great containers, well detailed .

https://www.c-rail-intermodal.co.uk/

[DiveController]

I'd concur with C-Rail recommendation. The models seem to be high quality and I have some of the 20ft Bells and a few others. You could mix 20ft Bells with each other or with some nicely weathered CIE 20ft. You've got four to play with in a single IRM pack, and any spares would sit very nicely on any reasonable version of a a 20ft chassis in a mixed freight rake or just sitting in the freight yard by itself) You could throw win a Bell reefer or two and if you wanted to modify your contained just stick a white roof on one or two 40ft. They don't have any of the small B&I as far as I know. Seem to have been a reasonable few of the freighliner red/whote and red/yellow containers in the 70s. For more modern era lots of other containers and tanktainers that I know very little of plus Maersk, P&O which I like personally but I don't know how many of the letters ran on Irish metals. Look (as best you can) at the variety in North Wall c. 1985

 

1990s BELL 40s, BELL 20s, some green things I don't know about

 

Bell Reefers did exist although these are still on 20ft wagons in 1975 (Jonathan Allen, you have to click on this one)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/152343870@N07/39384766805/in/photolist-f952hQ-d3m2Uf-9XBuxn-QvAJjf-5LSdBW-obuMsN-2cd3GX5-29haG6U-231ie2x-G5VjuU-2d9iNey-2aq1u45-22vbbjb-ejZY4s-23V4YiT-eWTy4Y-27DR9hu-bKaoX4/

 

They ran with other things tacked on the back

https://www.flickr.com/photos/152343870@N07/46038978162/in/photolist-f952hQ-d3m2Uf-9XBuxn-QvAJjf-5LSdBW-obuMsN-2cd3GX5-29haG6U-231ie2x-G5VjuU-2d9iNey-2aq1u45-22vbbjb-ejZY4s-23V4YiT-eWTy4Y-27DR9hu-bKaoX4/

including cement BUBBLES, ( I wonder where you could get those)

 

There were 40ft CIE containers too

Surprising date on this one

https://www.flickr.com/photos/be216cd1/5596973923/in/photolist-FhX7gr-bvkQxf-K8Pqrp-qFiR1a-22y7aZU-wS6T4q-seY3tt-9zUet6-bhW8g8-bzkFL5-byKfLq-23nqegE-bhpu6T-bMDgKX-crWkjj-C64tbs-Z7TdbL-C64vNS-D7rkTw-YaYwde-Z7TbNq-Z9oaaY-jvZqmi-C64umy-Y7pLxS-5LN96X-o9pgvG-nUP6Lc-Y7pSB5-jvZjM2-YaYxap-Y7pEv1-dXLa2M-C64rhC-9wzXmp/

 

Edited December 17, 2019 by DiveController

[Mayner]

Bell & B&I containers would have been used primarily for traffic between Ireland, the UK and Europe, with containers from the major shipping lines used for deep sea traffic from further afield. Bell Liner trains carried predominantly Bell containers as Bell was primarily competing with the larger British and European owned lines that served Dublin & Belfast Ports. 

European shipping lines containers such as P&O, NedLloyd, Hapag Lloyd and Maersk would have become more prominent as the railway focused on deep sea container traffic as the Irish manufacturing economy expanded during the Celtic Tiger era of the 1990s.

While European shipping lines  predominated in Ireland, containers owned by  Far Eastern Lines (Evergreen &  Mitsui OSK Lines) regularly appeared on Irish Liner trains.The  alligator logo was a distinctive feature of MOL containers during the 1980s and 1990s https://www.hobbydb.com/marketplaces/hobbydb/subjects/mol-mitsui-o-s-k-lines-shipping-company. Hopefully C-Rail will be tempted to add a MOL container to its range.

There was major consolidation/amalgamations of shipping companies from the 1990s with 10 Container Lines currently accounting for the majority of Worlds container shipments.

Consolidation in Europe was significant with Maersk Line forming the Worlds largest container shipping company having absorbed the majority of lines that served Ireland including Royal P&O NedLloyd, Sealand & Hamburg Süd, P&O having previously amalgamated with NedLloyd in 2007.

Like American box cars 'fallen flag" containers including P&O, Ned Lloyd and Maersk Sealand and the odd Bell container continued to fly their old herald under new ownership.

The make up of deep sea  container trains largely depend on particular traffic flows between a port and railhead, 20' dry and reefer containers are often used for relatively dense traffic such as meat or dairy products for export in pastoral countries such as Ireland and New Zealand, 40' containers consumer imports from the Far East and high value manufactured exports (cigarettes from Dundalk, synthetic fibre from Asahi Killala) or raw material used in the manufacturing process.

A Cork or Limerick-Waterford Bell Liner was likely to convey a higher proportion of 20' containers from food processing plants in Munster compared to a Waterford-Dublin liner which was more likely to be transporting import traffic, like American boxcars there was a likelyhood of containers returning empty in one direction as its not practicable to arrange a backload.

Edited December 17, 2019 by Mayner

[Dave Dawes]

6 hours ago, Ian Cooper said:

C-Rail make some great containers, well detailed .

https://www.c-rail-intermodal.co.uk/

I'm with Ian on this one, kits or rtr , c rail it is 

[Warbonnet]

There’s a reason why we went with CRail compatibility for our flats; they’re the best out there. Nicely detailed, well researched, excellent design and fidelity and they also offer a great range. They really set the wagons off a treat.

[NIRCLASS80]

C Rail containers are really nice and if you have seen any of my videos recently posted I have already some different ones fitted to the wagons. Just a straight swap. I like their Freightliner containers and these were seen fairly frequently on the cross border liners / freight. 

[Rob]

Looking to gather together containers that were common in lreland around 2000 - 2010,  couple of videos / photos from then show a lot of 'Norfolk Line' 40ft containers, but they seem hard to source- any suggestions where l might pick some up?     (OO Gauge)

[DiveController]

@RobThere are some card kits out there and C-Rail intermodal has some undecorated 40ft cubes but I would check with @Arran on this forum to see what he has in mind to do next. They are not my era but are a nice looking container to be sure. There are also some curtain side trucks and tractor-trailer units in that livery that might fit nicely in the freight yard for a bit of interest 

Edited December 22, 2019 by DiveController

[Wexford70]

As DrveController mentioned, has anyone any idea who the green containers belong to? You often see orange ones as well,. A list of  frequently see containers would be most useful. 

Thanks guys.

 

 

[DiveController]

Sorry, I was probably being a bit lazy there but they're probably Evergreen running in the Bell liner, although I don't actually see that on the side like these. They may be an older style of container than this

https://www.c-rail-intermodal.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=97&search=evergreen

Then again, some green containers in Ireland belonged to others, CAI International in this case (NEVU), Galway, date unknown

 

You do see some things not quite up to the company's standard livery like they second 20ft Bell cube on this

and they didn't all have white roofs

 

The 20ft B&I line containers from the 70s had very different styling & logo, not sure why they were alternated on the liner behind B131

And to get slightly off topic, there were even 10ft Uniload cubes, all of these being on 4w flat rather than the 42'

Link to an old thread which has some useful info on containers/Bell etc.

 

Edited December 22, 2019 by DiveController

[NIR]

There were also Pandoro containers* from the P&O Irish Sea operation though I'm not sure they were ever rail-borne.

(* or were they just trailers?)

 

Edited December 22, 2019 by NIR

[DiveController]

On 12/22/2019 at 11:16 AM, NIR said:

There were also Pandoro containers* from the P&O Irish Sea operation though I'm not sure they were ever rail-borne.

(* or were they just trailers?)

 

P and O Roll Off (Pandoro) might have been for road roro but must have been on rails somewhere I would have thought. Personally I love the P&O containers colour scheme.

 B&I liner with the original red on grey B&I livery form the O'Dea collection

http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000307819

The O Dea photos clearly shows the older B&I 'Arrow' logo not the from container that was carried the funnels of the British & Irish Steam Packet ships like MV Leinster

 

Edited December 24, 2019 by DiveController
typo

[MOGUL]

On 12/22/2019 at 3:13 PM, DiveController said:

Sorry, I was probably being a bit lazy there but they're probably Evergreen running in the Bell liner, although I don't actually see that on the side like these. They may be an older style of container than this

https://www.c-rail-intermodal.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=97&search=evergreen

Then again, some green containers in Ireland belonged to others, CAI International in this case (NEVU), Galway, date unknown

 

You do see some things not quite up to the company's standard livery like they second 20ft Bell cube on this

and they didn't all have white roofs

 

The 20ft B&I line containers from the 70s had very different styling & logo, not sure why they were alternated on the liner behind B131

And to get slightly off topic, there were even 10ft Uniload cubes, all of these being on 4w flat rather than the 42'

Link to an old thread which has some useful info on containers/Bell etc.

 

The green containers on the bells were Consent leasing boxes..  I think Bachmann did a version a few years ago using their 13.6m container 

[jhb171achill]

In the photo with B131, what are the yokes in between the 4w container wagons, anyone know?

[Mayner]

43 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

In the photo with B131, what are the yokes in between the 4w container wagons, anyone know?

Open containers/swap bodies.

There is a photo of a southbound B&I Liner with a similar consist  passing Cabra Bank complete with brake van in June 1972 in Irish Railway Pictorial "Rails Around Dublin" Donal Murray ISBN 1 857 80 144X

During the late 60s CIE built a number of different types of swap bodies for use with the newly introduced 4w flat wagons, some of the swap bodies including Keg & Back to Back Fertiliser were wider than the standard ISO 20'X8' container footprint and overhung the sides and ends of the wagon underframe.

The open swap bodies on the Cork-Dublin B&I Liner are likely to have been designed for some short lived traffic, possibly bagged moss peat from Coolnamona  to Dublin Port. Its possible that the train was marshaled with alternate open and box containers to reduce the risk of a (human) shunter being pinched between two open containers during coupling up or un-coupling.

 

[jhb171achill]

9 hours ago, Mayner said:

Open containers/swap bodies.

There is a photo of a southbound B&I Liner with a similar consist  passing Cabra Bank complete with brake van in June 1972 in Irish Railway Pictorial "Rails Around Dublin" Donal Murray ISBN 1 857 80 144X

During the late 60s CIE built a number of different types of swap bodies for use with the newly introduced 4w flat wagons, some of the swap bodies including Keg & Back to Back Fertiliser were wider than the standard ISO 20'X8' container footprint and overhung the sides and ends of the wagon underframe.

The open swap bodies on the Cork-Dublin B&I Liner are likely to have been designed for some short lived traffic, possibly bagged moss peat from Coolnamona  to Dublin Port. Its possible that the train was marshaled with alternate open and box containers to reduce the risk of a (human) shunter being pinched between two open containers during coupling up or un-coupling.

 

Interesting.  
I was unaware of them. Must have been extremely short lived.

[DiveController]

An early B&I container at Limerick along with the funky CIE Bulk Cement trucks that I like the shape of. The latter are white to match the CIE ivory cement bubbles although I only seem to recall them in orange

 

 

The Consent Leasing (CAI)  was a lighter color, thanks for clarifying @MOGUL

https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/The-Humble-Box/TheHumbleBox-Operator/N/NEVU/i-CnhcN4w 

The first photo above at North wall also has 20ft containers from Harrison Line and CAST

https://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/The-Humble-Box/TheHumbleBox-Operator/Container-operators-H/HARU-Harrison-Line/i-cgHMF4z/A

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by DiveController

[Irishswissernie]

This Consent Leasing Container being loaded at Mallow didn't have the large motif on the sides, just a small one in the top right corner.

You can see the whole container in this video plus a further selection of others. Ignore the black thumbnail and just press the play the video icon. From about 4 minutes -40 secs in.

Bachmann did Consent Leasing containers but possibly not the correct prototype.

Ernie

Edited December 26, 2019 by Irishswissernie

[WRENNEIRE]

Great Vid Ernie, the 201 with bogie cements was a first for me  

[Mayner]

Two from the vaults early CIE ISO equipment. 

MK1 20' Keg swap body/Lancashire Flat on 27101-27278 20'-12'wb skeletal flat wagon North Kerry Yard Tralee Aug 78?

These swap bodies were used for keg traffic for approx 10 years from the late 1960s until replaced by 2.0m keg pallets designed for use with the 47'6' bogie flats.

CIE Insulated Container (8') on 27301-27767 22'6" 14' wb skeletal flat wagon North Kerry Yard Tralee.

CIE acquired a small number of Insulated Containers (possibly less than 10) during the late 1960s, the Heuston-Tralee was the last long distance goods service to go over to Liner Train operation in the late 70s. At the time of the visit goods trains were being made up in the North Kerry Yard as Edward Street Yard was being modified for Liner Train operation.

[patrick]

Thanks for posting these photos again John, I believe you put them up previously on the old site. The insulated container is of particular interest to me. They were frequently seen in Tralee in the seventies and I believed they were used to ship product from the Dennys factory in town. Does anyone know of a suitable container to model them? They appear to be 8 foot tall. The photo below shows my version of a keg swap body on a container flat. It was built from styrene and the kegs are short lengths of wooden down glued together and pained silver. The flat is adapted from a Dapol Prestwin chassis. The buffers are from Dart Castings and some styrene rectangles were applied to the solebar to better represent the prototype.

Edited December 27, 2019 by patrick

[Galteemore]

Nice goods shed Patrick. Is there some SLNC DNA in there ?

[patrick]

Ardfert and Abbeydorney on the North Kerry line as well as various sheds on the Mallow Waterford line were the inspirations. I never got around to finishing the roof which is a piece of folded cardboard covered with printed slate downloaded from somewhere online.

1 hour ago, Galteemore said:

 

 

Edited December 27, 2019 by patrick

[Galteemore]

Thanks Patrick -that does look familiar now you mention it! 

[DiveController]

9 hours ago, Mayner said:

Two from the vaults early CIE ISO equipment. 

MK1 20' Keg swap body/Lancashire Flat on 27101-27278 20'-12'wb skeletal flat wagon North Kerry Yard Tralee Aug 78?

These swap bodies were used for keg traffic for approx 10 years from the late 1960s until replaced by 2.0m keg pallets designed for use with the 47'6' bogie flats.

CIE Insulated Container (8') on 27301-27767 22'6" 14' wb skeletal flat wagon North Kerry Yard Tralee.

CIE acquired a small number of Insulated Containers (possibly less than 10) during the late 1960s, the Heuston-Tralee was the last long distance goods service to go over to Liner Train operation in the late 70s. At the time of the visit goods trains were being made up in the North Kerry Yard as Edward Street Yard was being modified for Liner Train operation.

They're not the same bodies from the B&I liner which must have been rare as no-one appears to have photos of one close up, but those Mk1 keg swap bodies were all over the place in the 60s. Personally I like those insulated CIE containers. Their paucity means they'll probably never see the light of day unless by chance they're identical to something else like the Bell 20' reefer. Lovely photos despite their age. Thanks for posting, John. 

 

Incidentally what's a "Lancashire flat"?

Edited December 27, 2019 by DiveController

[flange lubricator]

The picture of the CIE insulated container  is very similar to the early B&I containers .

http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000307819

[DiveController]

Looking online, p.33 of this book has an image of a very early non-ISO B&I container with the company flag and Dublin-Liverpool on the side (not really sure how to show the actual image but you can see a small version on google books)

Edited December 27, 2019 by DiveController

[Mayner]

10 hours ago, DiveController said:

 

 

Incidentally what's a "Lancashire flat"?

Basically "lift off" decks and open containers that were used for lift on lift off unit load traffic between the Lancashire Ports and Ireland before ISO containers were introduced in Ireland and the UK during the late 1960.

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=65122

The original 20 Ton flat wagons and keg containers were introduced before the ISO standard for container lifting points and twistlocks was adapted in the UK & Ireland. The wagons were fitted with fold down stanchions and tie-down's to secure the load.

The containers were originally designed to be stacked using the V shaped framework on the side of the wagon.

 

The "Back to Back" Fertiliser flats/swap bodies introduced in the late 1960s were fitted with ISO twistlocks, body was wider/longer than the wagon chassis and the adjustable bulkhead could potentially pinch a shunter while uncoupling/coupling up. 

The Back to Backs were basically treated as fertiliser wagons running in fixed formation block trains sometimes with bogie wagons or individual wagon loads until replaced by the bogie wagons in the mid-1970s.

The MK1 keg flats and wagons were originally stored out of use in Gort & Roscrea until the early 1980s, the redundant  Back to Back swap bodies and other redundant containers were stored for many years in East Wall Yard near the gantry sidings.

 

[Arran]

HI All

The only pic i have of a B+I 20ft and i would say its 8'6" high.

Regards Arran

 

 

[Irishswissernie]

An enlargment of a photo I took at Tralee station in June 2001. Bagged Lime curtain side 20' IR insignia on side.  Ernie

[flange lubricator]

Another one common in the 1970's 30' Irish Ferryways can be seen in the background here 

 

[Noel]

7 minutes ago, flange lubricator said:

Another one common in the 1970's 30' Irish Ferryways can be seen in the background here 

 

Love those H-Vans. Thousands of them transported goods around Ireland for many decades. Come on IRM you produced stunning modern era wagons, how about some H-Vans and Bulleid open wagons both the core of Irish goods traffic for over 50 years.

 

[popeye]

Nice picture. That's an interesting end on the brown van.

Where was this location?

[minister_for_hardship]

29 minutes ago, popeye said:

Nice picture. That's an interesting end on the brown van.

Where was this location?

Cork.

Site to be occupied by a hotel that looks a bit like the monolith from 2001 A Space Odessey.