Re-used timber from railway waggon (photo)

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Peter Burgess
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

12 years ago

I was always told these timbers were once parts of the frames of railway waggons. It was only recently that I wondered exactly what they were. Can someone confirm please? I suspect they are the end timbers - where buffers and coupling were once fitted. Can anyone point to an archive photo of a waggon workshop where we can see one "in situ", so to speak?

Photograph:

🔗Upper-Silica-Silica-Mine-User-Album-Image-80351[linkphoto]Upper-Silica-Silica-Mine-User-Album-Image-80351[/linkphoto][/link]

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Morlock
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Newbie

12 years ago

Nearly at bottom of page.

http://www.pmmmg.org/Pikes.htm

simonrail
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

Looks like the end timber from a wagon to me as well, the two circular holes for the buffer shanks to go through and the rectangular one in the centre for the coupling. With the strapping around the end to prevent the wood from splitting looks old, possibly a contractor's wagon from building the line or repairing the tunnel.
I was once involved in restoring a NER brake van which had similar end beams and that was dated 1895.

Yes, I'll have it - what is it?

simonrail
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/wagon/lswr_open_wagon.html

Picture of a standard gauge wagon with wooden underframe.

Yes, I'll have it - what is it?

Peter Burgess
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

12 years ago

Yes, that looks like I envisaged. There are a lot of these in the mine, and this one is in a better condition than many. I suppose they might have been a job lot from a breaker, as I would have expected old sleepers normally to be easier to come by.

Ty Gwyn
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

The Timber shown in the photo,is has been explained, the end timber of a truck chassis,the longer truck timbers were also available,these Coal Trucks were being scrapped in the 50`s,and these timbers were freely available.

When my Father got involved with Smallmines in 1952,the cog that held the framework of the shute going up the side of the mountain,was built from these Oak Sole Bars,as they were called,and we had Gate posts on the farm made from them,i bet they are still there today.

Graigfawr
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

Buffer beam from a wagon or van underframe; the strappings shrunk onto the ends are not standard Railway Clearing House design and possibly hint at rough service such as contractors' wagons as mentioned upthread.

@ Tygwyn: solebars are different components to buffer beams but its ten years since I was involved in rebuilding a wagon to original RCH specifications and the old memory cells aren't wot they used to be I'm afraid so I can't precisely recall what they are, sorry. 😞 What with the size of the oak timbers and the use of mortise and tennon joints (albeit with a lot of steel fitings) result in makingthe timber underframe of a railway vehicle being akin to making a Tudor house! 😉

Peter Burgess
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

12 years ago

Thank you everyone. As always on this forum, ask a simple question and get an enormous amount of very interesting information back. :thumbsup:

Ty Gwyn
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

Graigfawr,
What i know as Solebars,are the timbers running the length of the truck,joining the 2 buffer bars,16/18ft ers.

Old coal drams also had oak timbered chassis,except the buffers were in the 2 runners.

These timbers were proper seasoned heart of oak,when you cut them you knew it,no chainsaws then,just a bowsaw or old crosscut,they were a blue/grey inside .

hcd563
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

#10

Headstock is the term we use for this timbers, I think the term buffer beam is mainly used when fitted to locomotives

Martin

Graigfawr
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

12 years ago

#11

@Tygwyn - thanks for reminding me. All the oak timbers were enormously heavy - especially to someone like me far more used to handling softwoods!

@ hcd563 - thanks for the correction 😞 😞 As I said, its been a while and the ol' memory cells ain't wot they used to be...

Peter Burgess
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

12 years ago

#12

There are some more in this structure. Not the verticals, I don't think, but a few of the horizontal members at floor level are visible.
🔗Upper-Silica-Silica-Mine-User-Album-Image-66497[linkphoto]Upper-Silica-Silica-Mine-User-Album-Image-66497[/linkphoto][/link]