Bearings BR 30T pigiron: LNER NE Area No 9 cast steel oil axleboxes, 12" x 6" journal

We are looking for replacement bearings and lubricators for a Diagram 1/005 30 ton hot pig iron wagon, built at Shildon in 1956. The journals measure 12” by 6”.

The simple solution would be to find some spares, however I cannot think of any other vehicle with journals of this size. Please however see my questions below.

The second-best solution – which is probably a long shot – would be to find patterns for the original bearings. Using existing parts of the right size as a pattern for new parts could also be a possibility.

I however suspect that the most likely solution will be to find the original drawings. Enquiries were made at the NRM when the wagon was first acquired in 1997, however I understand that the response at the time was that the archive of drawings from Shildon was not indexed and so the relevant drawings (if they still exist) could not be located.

Fifteen years have now passed and I have had a trawl through the NRM’s online list of drawings and papers from railway works and companies. So far as I can see, there is no listing for Shildon Works for the period when the wagon was constructed, however the list of LNER Darlington C&W drawings does mention an undated drawing of a “No 9 cast steel oil axlebox, 12” x 6” journals” and a 1931 drawing of a “Lubricating pad for NE Area No 9 axlebox, 12" x 6" journal”. I am not in an immediate position to go and have a look at the axleboxes on the wagon, however it does strike me that Shildon Works would probably not have designed a completely new axlebox in 1956 if they already had a suitable standard axlebox inherited from the LNER or NER.

I would be grateful if anyone could please let me know whether they are aware of:

• any drawings of the axleboxes and bearings actually fitted to BR Diagram 1/005 30 ton hot pig iron wagons;

• whether Shildon Works in fact used LNER NE Area No 9 cast steel oil axleboxes, 12" x 6" journal, on these wagons;

• whether any LNER NE Area No 9 cast steel oil axleboxes, 12" x 6" journal still exist, either on preserved vehicles or otherwise; and

• whether there is any other archive or museum which may hold additional drawings of LNER NE Area No 9 cast steel oil axleboxes, 12" x 6" journal, particularly the bearings.

Many thanks for your help!

 

Re: Bearings BR 30T pigiron: LNER NE Area No 9 cast steel oil axleboxes, 12" x 6" jou

Is this the wagon?
BR B 744647 Hot Pig Iron Wagon built 1956
Best of luck in your quest.
I have found the NRM Search engine staff at York very helpful in the past when trying to find obscure documents. However it looks like you have already been through there.

Not sure about the question about journals but when the time comes the NYMR does have a division producing Oilers.
Armstrong Oiler: Home

 

Re: Bearings BR 30T pigiron: LNER NE Area No 9 cast steel oil axleboxes, 12" x 6" jou

That is indeed the wagon in question. As it is apparently the last survivor of a type which was never very common, it would be very good to see it back in use. Thanks for the tip about the Armstrong Oiler business at the NYMR: I am confident that sourcing the lubricators will not be a problem, particularly since there appears to be a diagram of an oiler for a No. 9 axlebox in the NRM's collection.

I agree with you about the help provided by the NRM - the online indexing of their drawings is very impressive. I will send off for a copy of the drawing of the No. 9 axlebox in the hope that it will show some details of the bearing.

Otherwise, I will keep my fingers crossed in the hope that there will be other replies to my questions which will help us to find a solution to this problem.

Neil

 

Re: Bearings BR 30T pigiron: LNER NE Area No 9 cast steel oil axleboxes, 12" x 6" jou

Further to Neil's request, we would also be interested to hear any info about how these wagons were used in service, especially in the steam era. Research so far indicates that the diag. 1/005 pig irons were used exclusively at Scunthorpe and were plated "PIG IRON TRAFFIC - EMPTY TO AFS Co, SCUNTHORPE" (plate now missing from our wagon but visible in old photos). Their purpose was to carry hot iron 'pigs' from the blast furnace to the rolling mill, drainage slots and channels allowing the iron to be doused with water after being dropped into the wagon. We are unsure whether trains were formed only from rakes of identical wagons (which gives us a problem with this unique wagon!), or were mixed with, say, plate wagons and bogie bolsters.

We would also be interested to know how far these wagons strayed from Scunthorpe - was the movement from furnace to rolling mill across the country, or only across town?

Any photos showing an odd one in a mixed rake of wagons would be the holy grail!

 

Re: Bearings BR 30T pigiron: LNER NE Area No 9 cast steel oil axleboxes, 12" x 6" jou

Pending the arrival from the NRM of the drawings of the LNER NE Area No. 9 cast steel axleboxes, here is some more information from a quick inspection of the wagon yesterday. The left-hand face of the axleboxes appears to be marked "G8", the right-hand face with the date of manufacture "1956". The top of the axleboxes also has the "G8" marking. A search of the online listing of LNER Darlington C&W drawings held by the NRM has not brought up anything for "G8": can anyone please suggest what this may refer to?