The LNER Encyclopedia

Hi all,
I am of the notion my query falls under this forum as it is not LNER specific.
So the question is... When coal trains arrived at a factory for delivery, where did the coal go? Was it stored in large heaps outside or was it stored undercover? I am planing on having a large scale factory on my layout and so was wondering where the coal would go since I thought a coal train would be an interesting addition to the timetable.

P.S I believe the wagons would be an LNER livery or the factory livery, yes/no????

Thanks to all

Hi
Lots of factories had a siding with a coal drop and would drop the bottom doors. Some had an elevated ramp to keep the coal at ground level.lots of coal merchants used this system. There is a set of coal drops at Beamish museum

52H

If my memory serves me well ... Ideal Standard/Ideal Boilers in Hull used lots of coal & coke & it was stored outside in heaps. My memories are from the 1950s/60s.

I think that it must have been unloaded by hand but labour was fairly cheap in those days.

Ay up 4-4-2!

Your question raises many questions in itself!

As for storage, that would be outside in a bunker beside the boiler house. So it follows that the boiler house would be near the delivery siding.

Method of delivery varied. Many locations in the North of England had coal drops installed. These, contrary to many people's beliefs, were not simply a North Eastern thing. Huddersfield and Sowerby Bridge had large drops installed. The Sowerby Bridge ones are preserved and the Huddersfield's just about hang on to existence off Adler Street. Oh, Sowerby Bridge's were L&Y, Huddersfield's Midland. Indeed, I can also remember clearly drops or "cells" as they were also known, now demolished, at Dewsbury Market Place, Scout Hill (Ravensthorpe) and Mirfield.

As for the liveries, could be allsorts. Railway owned wagons were "pooled" so although Southern wagons would be in a minority, the other "Big 4" companies would be in equal parts. PO wagons could be owned by the firm, a coal merchant or the colliery. So as for livery, "anything goes" so long as it has summat to do with coal! In addition to this, if you are modelling coal drops, then you could have NE Hopper wagons.

Hope this helps.

If you look at this image http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/eaw014469 coal wagons were lowered down the rope hauled incline from the sidings controlled by Ford Works signalbox and they ran onto an elevated hopper on the power house of Hylton paper mill. Esparto grass was discharged down chutes from the sidings and other wagons ran around the mill on an elevated railway. The mill caught fire in 1971 and never reopened.
If you register for free with the excellent Britainfromabove site you can zoom in on their amazing photos.

Thankyou all for that information it was very helpful!!!

If your modelling the North East, Private owner wagons were a lot rarer than on other lines as the NER and its successors had a virtual monopoly of the coal trade and used their own wagons.

At many NE stations right through into the BR era the station master had the "coal sale" at his station. At some places (Beal was one I remember) the coal sale was worth a lot more than the SMs wage for supervising the station.

cambois wrote:At many NE stations right through into the BR era the station master had the "coal sale" at his station. At some places (Beal was one I remember) the coal sale was worth a lot more than the SMs wage for supervising the station.

Correct Cammus, (pronunciation for our Southern bretheren) Norham was the same.

Thanks 52D The best one I heard of was Beal, which supplied coal to the grain dryers at Lowick - so did a huge amount. The practice had died out by the late 70s but was within memory of a lot of the staff. SMs looked carefully at the coal sales when seeking promotion. I am not aware that this happened on other train companies, and I was not aware of it further south on the old NE, certainly having spent time at Darlington and Hull I do not remember it being mentioned. So was it only a Newcastle area activity? or wider NE?

Definitely a widespread practice in Northumberland and possibly Durham, the Station Master who had a few reasonable sized villages and a few businesses around his station made quite a killing. I have a photo of the Long closed Newham station near Chathill that has two NER wooden bodied coal hoppers over the drops.