tywyn gwynedd sea defences
the loads are moved by road then transfered on to the companys coaster then offshore of tywyn transfered to the tipping barges, then brought into shore and tipped at high tide then at low tide moved by excavator.
http://www.sillanpaa.com/ 
Thorpey

---

When I was in Australia I was gob smacked by their ability to move loads... Being used to 2000- 3600T Trains (considered large here in UK) nothing prepared me for 10,000 to 16,000T coal trains every 20 mins or so thru Maitland on their way to Newcastle for export by sea!
The pic below is a 10,000T train doing a stead 70KPH approaching Maitland. In Norway, China and Africa there are 20,000T trains in regular service I believe.
🔗Personal-Album-856-Image-47915[linkphoto]Personal-Album-856-Image-47915[/linkphoto][/link]

---

That's some load Ian. How on earth do they get moving without slipping?

---

Put simply the traction system is designed such that wheels creep rather than spin on start up ... in effect wheel spin is controlled on each individual traction motor. When the motor starts to surge (slip) the traction system detects the overspeed or power surge and cuts the power on that wheel until it balances with the speed on the others. Some systems balance power across all the wheels simultaneously.
This type of system in the UK enabled the Class 59s (fitted with Super series Wheel Creep) built for Foster Yeoman to haul the 4615T test train on half inch of wall paper paste from standing on Savernake Banks 1 in 115 gradient reverse curves... I know as I was fortunate to get a day out to see it. The wheels slipping in small rotations.

The Class 60 traction system is also very good and because of this has haulage characteristics that still cannot be beaten hence why we see these great locos coming back to service to do what 66s can't. The traction motors used are of the SEPEX type, ie the armature coil and the field coil are separately supplied with electricity, because of this each motor can be controlled independently thus if wheelslip occurs on No 1 motor then the load to that motor can be reduced until the wheelslip ceases without reducing the load to the other 5 motors. The traction motors are all monitored by the inboard computer

---

I put this sequence up a while ago but they fit nicely in this topic. This is thought to be one of the earliest forms of containerised transport if not the earliest. The Little Eaton and Denby Gangroad used horse drawn wagons onto each of which was placed a wooden container of carefully stacked Lump Coal, these containers were then lifted straight into the barges on the Derby Canal for onward shipment. Would be nice to see some pics of the Welsh Tramways/Railways etc
🔗Little-Eaton-and-Denby-Gangway-Tramway-User-Album-Image-015[linkphoto]Little-Eaton-and-Denby-Gangway-Tramway-User-Album-Image-015[/linkphoto][/link]
🔗Little-Eaton-and-Denby-Gangway-Tramway-User-Album-Image-007[linkphoto]Little-Eaton-and-Denby-Gangway-Tramway-User-Album-Image-007[/linkphoto][/link]
🔗Little-Eaton-and-Denby-Gangway-Tramway-User-Album-Image-008[linkphoto]Little-Eaton-and-Denby-Gangway-Tramway-User-Album-Image-008[/linkphoto][/link]

---

Just a couple from the sinking of Astley Green Colliery ca. 1908-12 - seeing the horses and the canal made me remember these shots.

🔗Astley-Green-Coal-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-48001[linkphoto]Astley-Green-Coal-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-48001[/linkphoto][/link]

🔗Astley-Green-Coal-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-48002[linkphoto]Astley-Green-Coal-Mine-Archive-Album-Image-48002[/linkphoto][/link]

Cheers

Grahami

---

Fabulous set of pictures... the Album ones are great.
got any of Welsh Tramways (old ones, horsedrawn)?

---

Grahami & Iclok
These are first class thanks very much

---

Just another general nice view of canal transport. This is the now sadly demolished BullBridge Aquaduct on the Cromford Canal that crossed the A610 & the MR Mainline.
🔗Personal-Album-856-Image-48058[linkphoto]Personal-Album-856-Image-48058[/linkphoto][/link]

---

A mention of Butterley Engineering, same place as the thread?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullbridge_Aqueduct 

Yep same place and how nice it must have looked with the Nth Midland Rly running below. Nice link.

---

Croydon Merstham and Godstone Iron Railway. The line where a famous wager was made on the weight of wagons capable of being hauled by a horse on a tramroad.

🔗Croydon-Merstham-and-Godstone-Iron-Railway-Tramway-Archive-Album-Image-003[linkphoto]Croydon-Merstham-and-Godstone-Iron-Railway-Tramway-Archive-Album-Image-003[/linkphoto][/link]

Some of the stone for the Strand Bridge (Waterloo Bridge) would have passed along this line from the underground quarry at Merstham.

Wonderful, any trace of the bridge or is that a silly question?

---

The bridge has gone but the southern approach embankment is a scheduled ancient monument.

Lovely proportioned bridge that... shame its gone, did it last into the 20th Century or was it an early casualty?

---

I think the Haytor Granite Tramway takes abit of beating... sadly no pics exist of it working so you'll have to put up with my scrawlings!!! :lol:

🔗Personal-Album-856-Image-48065[linkphoto]Personal-Album-856-Image-48065[/linkphoto][/link]

---

Lovely proportioned bridge that... shame its gone, did it last into the 20th Century or was it an early casualty?

The painting was published in 1823.

The bridge is mentioned in the Butterley Furnace Ledgers: entries for 1803 - "Ashlar stone for Smitham Bottom arch in lieu of bricks"

I'm almost sure it went during the 19th century - a 19th century chapel was built on the site. There is one surviving bridge further south carrying Dean Lane over the now filled tramway cutting.

Much to see in general on the route?

---

Not as much as there was 40 years ago sadly. A section of full depth double track cutting, a few sleeper blocks if you know where to look (used in a garden gateway, not in situ), the weighbridge cottage at Merstham, the Dean Lane Bridge, the embankment in Coulsdon, a few vague earthworks traces between Coulsdon and Croydon, and a bit of reconstructed track (2 plates) in a park in Purley. The two main Brighton lines and the M23 have destroyed most of what ran south of Coulsdon, although this is where much of what liitle survives can still be found.

What a shame if only they had thought it thru back then, I must admit having thoroughly looked at the LE&DG in Derbyshire I'm amazed at how much of that has survived...

Did any other Tramways in SE survive as traceable routes...? There must have been a few surely for stone extraction! I've seen the great underground stuff in your pics but is there generally much on surface?

---