Iron ore train without brake van 1950s West Hartlepool

[Rail-Online]

Hi,

 

At about 3 minutes into this interesting home movie there is a train of about 15 16T Iron ore opens with no brake van but a brake lamp hanging off the rear wagons' coupling.  Does anyone know if this was common in the area and indeed where the working was from/to? I think the loco is a J27, tender first.  There is also a Jubilee in the film- cannot be common at that location!

 

 

Cheers Tony

[RANGERS]

Thats a lovely piece, very nostalgic for many I'm sure.

 

Is the ore train on a running line? Looks as though it could be running through the yard. The lamp swinging from the draw hook has been seen before, seems to have been a fairly routine practice but can't say whether the rules allowed it.

Edited September 26, 2017 by RANGERS

[Rail-Online]

Looks like from the comments (by the children shown) it was taken around 1961 (with some post '67 shots right at the end).

 

Tony

[TheSignalEngineer]

There were several moves around Hartlepool listed in the Sectional Appendix where freight vehicles could be worked without a brake van.

[eastglosmog]

Given where it was taken, possibly coming from Hartlepool docks and going to South Durham Steel works in West Hartlepool?

[great central]

If I remember correctly, probably no more than 10 years old at the time, a trip working from the exchange sidings to Babbington pit near Nottingham although worked by a mainline loco, most likely a 4F, didn't have a brake van because someone braver than I decided to hitch a ride on the hanging 3 link....

[russ p]

It looks like as stated above its come from the docks.

Provided trains stuck to the goods lines they could run without a van, the same arrangement operated on the goods lines between tees yard and the grangetown area

[The Johnster]

Operating without brake vans in local areas was done under the authority of the Sectional Appendix (to the Rules and Regulations), which specified the conditions under which it could occur, the routes, restrictions, number of wagons etc.  The hanging of a tail lamp on the rear of such workings was usual, and the lamp (the BR standard version anyway) handle was shaped to fit over the drawhook and be held firmly in postition.  Propelling movements, right or wrong road, were catered for in the same way.  

 

Even at the very beginning of railways, when they were horse powered tramroads and plateways, it was necessary to know that a train had arrived with all it's wagons or chauldrons at it's destination, and pieces of rag, old buckets, the driver's hat, or whatever was handy would be attached to the rear of the last wagon to indicate this.  'Proper' railways of course needed proper lamps, but I can recall old newspapers and sacks being used on some South Wales NCB systems in the 1970s.

[LMS2968]

From the 1950 (black) BR Rule Book:

 

153. (a) A freight train must not be run on any running line beyond station limits without a brake van in rear, unless authorised by the Operating Superintendent.

 

(b) Where a freight train is authorised to run without a brake van in rear, a brake van, or other suitable vehicle, for the use of the man in charge of such train, must be attached—when it can be conveniently done—as near to the rear of the train as practicable. Where no such vehicle is available the man may ride on the engine. A tail signal must be carried on the last vehicle.

[The Stationmaster]

As Johnster says there were certain places where the Sectional Appendix gave authority to run freight trains without a brakevan over specified sections of route.  It was normal to give authority for no more than a certain number of vehicles and in some instances on the Western the authority was listed only to particular types of vehicle/traffics.  Most of the WR ones I have any data on were between adjacent signalboxes but some were over longer distances withe most amusing being authority to convey a single tank car of fuel between Paddington and Portobello Jcn over the Down Carriage Line, thence via various lines between Potrtobello Jcn/Ladbroke Grove  and Old Oak Common East.

 

I am aware that on the ER there was a lot of working of freights without brakevans in the Healey Mills area and that continued well into the dieselised era,

 

Incidentally at one time it was permitted to work a single wagon of stores or coal between any two adjacent signalboxes or stations provided they were less than one mile apart although I was told in one place that the 'mile' came with quitea few nods and winks.

[russ p]

Class 9s on the goods at South bank were permitted to run without a van until the end of such workings about 1990

[TheSignalEngineer]

Table H1 of the Sectional Appendix was the authorising document on the NER in 1960. This is an extract showing some moves at West Hartlepool.

 

 

The full document is available here

 

http://files.limitofshunt.org.uk/sectional-appendices/br-ner/northern-section-1960.pdf