THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN

AND

JOURNAL OF THE COAL AND IRON TRADES.

Vol. CXVI.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 1918.

No. 3009.

COAL AND SHIPPING.

XXVII.—Transport from Collieries to Ports.

The inland transport of coal is an important and
interesting subject, but its reference in this series is
confined more particularly to transport for shipment.
At the outset it will be well to mention figures, which
will serve to remind one of the part taken by the
railways in the distribution of coal from the collieries.
During the year 1913, which is taken as an indication
of normal conditions, the output of coal in the United
Kingdom amounted to about 287 million tons, of which
quantity about 77 million tons were conveyed to the
ports for export, and, in addition, about 21 million
tons were transported for shipment, as bunkers, in
oversea vessels. These figures do not include coast-
wise shipments, amounting to some 23 million tons, or
bunkers for coastal vessels, which totalled about 2|
million tons. It thus appears that about 123| million
tons of the total coal production in 1913 were con-
veyed from the collieries to the shipping ports, apart
from the deliveries for Admiralty requirements, which
alone amounted to a considerable tonnage.

To give an idea of the tonnage of coal which is
railborne, it may be mentioned that seven of the
main line railways, largely concerned with coal
traffic, alone carried over 156 million tons in 1913,
this tonnage, of course, including the distribution for
inland use as well as for shipment. One result of
war conditions has been to increase the demand on the

railways for coal transport, because, although the
output of the collieries has decreased, the shortage and
diversion of shipping have necessitated the transfer
of a large proportion of coastwise coal shipping to
the railways for transport inland. For example, the
coal supplied as cargo and bunkers for coastwise ship-
ments was about 10 million tons less in 1917 than in
1913, and the railways have been relieved of the
haulage of this coal to the ports, but a considerably
longer haulage has been necessary to distribute it
inland; also, the inland requirements have been
greater than in 1913, notwithstanding the reduced
coal production. This extra transport has not been
entirely borne by the railways, as the canals have
been utilised to some extent, and motor traffic by road
has also come to their aid. In 1917 the Controller
of Coal Mines organised the distribution of coal for
inland use in order to save rail transport. This
organisation limits as far as possible the conveyance
of coal to defined areas, and supplies from the several
coal fields are largely confined to a limited radius
therefrom. The result of this important system of
distribution has been to reduce the railway haulage
of coal by something like 700 million ton miles per
annum.

Railway Wagons.

Considerable dissatisfaction and criticism have been
expressed, from time to time, with regard to railway
regulations in connection with goods and mineral
traffic, which, of course, applies largely to coal. The
complaints have been concerned not only with rates,
but also with delays in return transit, wagon hire,
etc. As to wagons, in South Wales, for example, most
of the coal is transported in colliery-owned wagons,
whereas on the north-east coast coal from the
Northumberland and Durham fields is almost entirely
dealt with in wagons owned by the railway companies.
The following note regarding the number of wagons
used will be of interest. In South Wales there are about
130,000 coal wagons in use, all of which are owned
privately — by colliery, etc., companies — whilst the
North Eastern Railway Company own no less than
60,000 wagons for coal traffic on their system. That
company, in fact, is the largest wagon-owning railway
company in the United Kingdom, and is concerned
with the largest tonnage of coal. The bulk of the
coal transport is, however, in privately owned wagons.

The objection to privately owned or colliery wagons
is the length of time they are idle, due to returning
empty, and this applies particularly to long-distance
traffic. Railway ownership of wagons enables greater
control to be effected, and makes it possible to reduce
empty traffic. To accomplish this latter object, and
to relieve wagon shortage and railway congestion, the
Board of Trade made an Order in March 1917—the
control of the railways having been taken over by
the Railway Executive Committee—whereby private
or colliery owned returned empty wagons could be
requisitioned for use. There are difficulties with
regard to the pooling of wagons, such as other interests
in the ownership—for example, the wagon repairing
and finance companies. Differences in the types and
sizes and construction of wagons also constitute an
obstacle.

Concerning the question of railway rates for coal
traffic in the United Kingdom, the traffic is not based
solely on distance, but on direction and on special
circumstances, whereas in Germany, for example,
where State control of the railways has prevailed,
distance has been the deciding factor of the schedule
rate for transport.

I By F. J. WARDEN-STEVENS,
?	M.I.M.E., A.M.I.E.E., &c.

There is considerable variation in the type and
capacity of coal wagons used on the railways in the
United Kingdom. For example, for the inland trade
the side-door type is mostly used, and of 8, 10 or
12 tons capacity, whereas for transport for shipment
end-door wagons are more general, to facilitate dis-
charge by means of tips, the capacity of wagons
serving the ports varying from about 10 tons to about
30 tons. Efforts have been made towards the adoption
of high-capacity wagons, more particularly to obtain
a larger net tonnage capacity of sidings, and greater
economy in rail transport on account of reduced tare
in relation to total load. There are difficulties, how-
ever, in the adoption of high-capacity wagons; for
example, the loading screens at many of the collieries
are not suited for the dimensions of such wagons.
Referring again to the North Eastern Railway, that
company’s coal wagons include about 45,000 with a
capacity of 8 to 10 tons, 12,000 varying between about
12 to 20 tons capacity, and 3,000 are of higher capacity.'
The wagons used at the north-east coast ports are
largely of the bottom-door hopper type, as the method of
shipment at those ports differs from most other ports,
owing to the higher levels of shipment available—from
staiths, and not from low-level quays. Gravity dis-
charge is thus possible through hopper chutes, or by

Fig. 1.—Concentration and Distribution Sidings for Coal Traffic.



means of conveyors, instead of the coal wagons having
to be elevated before discharge, as is the case at most
ports in the United Kingdom.

The conditions concerning coal wagons in South
Wales may be briefly stated as follows: the collieries
provide the wagons, as already noted, and excess
demands are mostly met by hiring from other owners,
the railway companies having the power (by Act of
Parliament) to refuse to hire. Siding rental is charged
on wagons standing for a greater length of time than
three days, and charges are made for sorting wagons
in order to mix coal for shipment. The charge for
mixing is limited to five wagon loads if it is not
necessary to assemble the empties to their original
trains, but the mixing of coal, if complicated, can
be refused, or else is liable to an extra charge. There
are also charges for wharfage and for weighing at the
docks.

Ports of Coal Shipment and Railway Services.

The principal coal-shipping centres may be referred
to as the Bristol Channel, North-East Coast, Humber,
Clyde and Forth, whilst the Mersey should also be
included on account of bunker, rather than cargo,
shipments. To indicate the relative importance of
these coal shipping centres so far as concerns tonnage
dealt with, the figures for the year 1913 will again
apply. In that year the exports of coal from the
Bristol Channel amounted to nearly 30 million tons;
from the north-east coast over 23 million tons; from
the Humber nearly 9 million tons; from the Forth
over 8 J million tons; and from the Clyde over
2 million tons.

South Wales (Bristol Channel).

From the point of view of shipping facilities, the
South Wales and Monmouthshire coal fields are very
favourably situated, and only necessitate a short rail
haulage to the Bristol Channel ports. The most promi-
nent of these coal ports are Cardiff, Barry, Penarth,
Newport, Swansea and Port Talbot, of which Newport
and Swansea are furthest apart, but are only
separated by about 70 miles of coast line. The

transport of coal for shipment from some 700 collieries
is well provided for by several railway systems, in-
cluding the Taff Vale, Barry, Cardiff, Brecon and
Merthyr, Rhymney, Rhondda, Alexandra and Port
Talbot railways, in addition to which are the extensive
connections or branch lines of the Great Western
Railway, as well as the local lines of the Midland and
London and North Western railways. In fact, coal
provides about nine-tenths of the railway traffic of
South Wales.

The development of the South Wales coal fields is
largely due to the extension of the railway service
to the ports, as the transport was formerly confined
almost entirely to canals, aided by narrow-gauge,
short-distance railway tracks. To the Taff Vale Rail-
way Company is due the credit for having first taken in
hand the increase of coal traffic from the South Wales
collieries, and the Great Western Railway has been
largely responsible for the extensive facilities now
available. The Great Western main line traverses the
Severn Tunnel and serves all the coal-shipping ports
of South Wales, from Newport to Swansea and on
to Llanelly, the branch lines extending through the
Monmouthshire, Glamorgan, and Carmarthenshire
colliery districts. The London and North Western
Railway, passing through the South Wales coal fields,
extends from Abergavenny to Merthyr and on to
Swansea, and taps the Monmouthshire collieries. The
Midland line from Birmingham passes through Brecon
and extends to Swansea.

The shipments from the four principal coal ports
of the Bristol Channel during the year 1913 were:
Cardiff, 16,054,752 tons; Newport, 3,840,132 tons;
Swansea, 3,022,900 tons; and Port Talbot, 1,652,511

tons, the coal traffic on the Taff Vale . Railway alone
during 1913 amounting to 19,392,267 tons. The prin-
cipal South Wales coal shipping port is, of course,
Cardiff, which port, for the purpose of statistics,
embraces also Barry and Penarth. At the Bute Docks
(Cardiff) alone there are some 150 miles of wagon
siding tracks, which are connected with the Taff Vale,
Cardiff, Rhymney, Great Western, London and North
Western, and Midland railways. At Barry Docks,
about nine miles distant from Cardiff, facilities are
available for the shipment of about 13 million tons
per annum, and there are about 100 miles of siding
tracks. The collieries of the Rhondda Valley are
served by the Barry Railway, and there are connec-
tions with the Taff Vale, Rhymney, Brecon and
Merthyr, Great Western, London and North Western
and Glamorgan railways. Penarth is only about one
mile from Bute Docks, and shipments are effected
there via the Taff Vale Railway, by which company
the docks are controlled. The Rhymney Railway also
has direct connection with Penarth. Newport pro-
vides particularly for shipments of Monthmouthshire
coal, the traffic being dealt with by the Alexandra
Railway, and there are also connections with the
Brecon and Merthyr, Rhymney, Taff Vale, and
London and North Western lines. Swansea serves
specially for shipments of anthracite coal, and is of
historical interest in connection with coal, as it was
the first port from which South Wales coal was
shipped—somewhere about the year 1798. The rail-
ways now chiefly concerned with coal shipments at
Swansea are the Great Western, London and North
Western, Midland and Rhondda and Swansea Bay.
About a third of the shipments at Swansea are dealt
with by the equipments of the Great Western Railway
Company, the service sidings providing for about 3,500
wagons, whilst the return (empty) sidings accommodate
1,200 wagons. It may be added that this company
have distribution sidings between Swansea and Neath
for handling their coal traffic. Port Talbot Docks
have been developed considerably to provide for coal
shipments; about 30 miles of wagon sidings are avail-