National Coal Board 12 ton Tippler
Coal Wagon no 2
The
precise origin of this wagon is uncertain, although it is clearly a hybrid
of various bits. The 10'0" wheelbase steel underframe is from a 12 ton
van, as revealed by the set of four stanchion brackets on each solebar.
No ownership marks have been discovered but it is most probably of either
GWR or Southern Railway design using RCH fittings, though three buffers
are LNER. The date of building is sometime between about 1935 and 1950.
Originally constructed with handbrakes only, it bears evidence of vacuum
brake fitting carried out by British Railway: collars welded to the buffer
stocks and coupling pockets, vacuum cylinder actuating arm, vacuum hose
fittings and remains of a tiebar between the axleguards. At some time after
its withdrawal from BR service the van body has been stripped off and a
timber body of nine planks has been constructed with steel stanchions and
corner plates. It was not equipped with any doors, so was clearly intended
for rotary/side tippling of internal coal traffic at a colliery. Metal
bumpers are fitted on the corners at one side only to prevent damage of
the body when tipped, perhaps suggesting that the wagon was never reversed
in use and always tipped to the same side. It is not yet confirmed where
this wagon worked but it was possibly converted at the NCB Sideway wagon
shops and carried a typical late NCB livery of yellow body with large black
lettering. So while it looks like a traditional wooden wagon above the
frame, and employs similar construction techniques, it is somewhat higher
and longer than a typical coal wagon. The chassis has not been strengthened,
yet the volume of the body is capable of carrying something like 20 tons
of small coal, so extreme overloading could have occurred unless it was
in fact intended for less dense traffic such as coke. Similar wagons were
preserved at the Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum prior to its closure,
but this one was restored by Marcroft Engineering at their wagon works
in Stoke-on-Trent. Restored to a pre-war local livery of Florence Colliery,
it is a fine example of the signwriter's art with elaborate black shading
of its bold white lettering and Staffordshire Knot. It was exhibited at
the National Garden Festival in 1986 and eventually donated to Foxfield,
arriving in October 2000. Unfortunately after some time stored in Marcroft's
sidings the livery suffered at the hands of vandals and 15 years of weather,
but in 2001 the Florence livery was repainted on one side, and the other
side will eventually carry authentic NCB livery.
For a picture of the Florence Coal & Iron Co Ltd livery that inspired the restoration of the NCB tippler wagon, please see the page on our RCH 1923 mineral wagons.
Below: NCB 12 ton tippler wagon as delivered to Foxfield
