The LNER Encyclopedia

im after a snippet of infomation regarding the wooden 20 ton hoppers as used by the LNER and also eventually the NCB
what year where these waggons superceded by the steel type hoppers and where there any different liverys for them .
this is for a model rail project where i am aiming to model bilton and harrogate gasworks sidings but it is dependent on period of about 15 years from 1945 onwards

Well, in Northumberland the wooden-bodied hoppers lasted virtually up to the demise of steam in 1967. They were certainly still quite common in the 1950s (probably due to sheer demand for coal wagons for the export of coal from NE ports - even iron ore hoppers would get pressed into service) but by the 1960s photos of them in trains seem to be less so. As you said, they remained in NCB internal use up to the 1970s - possibly the 1980s.

Photo evidence in BR use tends to suggest early BR wagon grey and/or unpainted wood. These wagons suffered alot of abuse so dirty grey with alot of patching would be common!

Colin Mountfords book The Bowes Railway has a chapter on wagons, plenty of info and pics for the modeller. A few examples still survive on the Bowes railway in Springwell and at Marley Hill. Right until the demise of the pits they carried NCB - BOWES on the sides, they were in later times painted red oxide with white lettering for the hopper and black for the bogies but I have seen them in Grey / Black.
The book states that in 1952 the changeover from wood to steel commenced.
This book pops up on Flea Bay now and again.
I have some video somewhere of a 14 ton wagon being pulled out of the Westoe washer with 1.000.000 tons painted on the side, the output of the pit. It still had millions of tones of reserves but was a victim of politcal doctrine, nothing now remains of this once "super" pit apart from a memorial.
B.S.L has it about right, at least for this part of the world.
http://www.davidheyscollection.com/page48.htm

I think some of the Bowes hoppers are actually at Beamish....IIRC the colour is "Red Oxide" with white lettering, Black for the wheels etc. I'm sure that there are some pics about here somewhere. Not at all sure when the steel hoppers came in, but there was a very long overlap period. So I think you could have both.

Does anyone have a good close-up of the running gear of the 20 ton hoppers that had w-irons out side the frames?

Here

lner-models-t1624s15.html

and here

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic. ... lit=hopper

We were at Beamish yesterday and I photographed a few of these. I have some of the end brake etches to add to mine so I concentrated on that one, but I though they all might be useful. I took a few shots of other stock as well which I'll post as I get time.

These had been handily parked just under the footbridge you cross to access the station area.

Down towards the end of the yard there was another example with conventional brakes and some interior differences as well as one with three side doors (loco coal?).

Nice pictures. Never seen a side door version before !!??

There used to be one at the North Norfolk which I photographed in pre digital days. It went some time ago and I'm wondering if this is it. It looks a bit home made to me but I may be wrong.

Probably a Colliery conversion. NER did have Loco version but its two doors with a central X bracing straps between doors

Has anyone photos/drawings of how the monkey tails worked?

Next time I go I will try to photograph the one up on the coal drop, although I don't think it's a P7. From memory they're just a straight shoot bolt which engages in a steel loop on the underside of the drop panel in the floor. This is hinged to a beam which runs along the centre line of the wagon.

There are P7's at NYMR Goathland sitting on the Coal drop , you can/could access underneath them

mick b wrote:There are P7's at NYMR Goathland sitting on the Coal drop , you can/could access underneath them

Indeed you still could last summer...
Now where did I file those images