Three wagon multi-pack, NER 4T Chaldron
Pack N: The Throckley Coal Company – Formed in 1867, the Throckley Coal Company owned a number of pits to the west of Newcastle, on the north bank of the River Tyne, and were linked to Staiths situated at Leamington by two separate railway branches. Throckley’s fleet of Chaldrons were in use right up to 1947, when they were scrapped by burning, and the company was one of the few that fitted their ex-NER P1 Chaldrons with additional ‘greedy boards’.
Three P1 style Chaldrons, two fitted with additional ‘Greedy Boards’, circa 1946, numbered:
- 133
- 104
- 108
Each pack produced has been themed by colliery, and each waggon depicted is based on photographic evidence and reference to colliery records to confirm lettering styles. Some packs contain just one style of waggon, while others contain mixed styles where research has shown that they operated in conjunction with each other.
Specification List:
- Die-cast metal chassis with plastic body. Weight of 9g unloaded.
- Operates over minimum radius curves (371mm, 1st radius set-track)
- Five different body designs, covering a time period from 1840 to 1978.
- Three styles of wheel design; split spoke, star spoke and wave spoke, to a blackened 00 gauge RP25-88 profile.
- Three styles of braking arrangement and brake handles, with different block types and the more complicated Londonderry clasp type brake.
- Three arrangements of ‘bang-boards’.
- Additional, removable ‘greedy boards’ (horizontal board extensions to the body) to the Shildon Works built Chaldron, giving an increased coal loading.
- Scale width wire handrails, metal pin jaw coupling and wire/etch handbrake levers.
- Eroded metal/plastic detail parts, including grab handles, door securing pins, chassis chain points and safety chains in metal.
- Wagons connected via an all new link fine chain with Neodymium magnetic heads, connected at the wagon via prototypical cotter pin coupling.
- Two extra NEM fitted magnetic couplings supplied with wagon packs to allow for fitting to locomotives and/or additional rolling stock.
- Artwork features authentic colliery markings and numbers, accurate to time period modelled and based on actual photographic evidence where possible.
- Additional research assistance provided by Beamish Living Museum, Bowes Railway and the North Eastern Railway Association.
