Liquid Chlorine

[38degrees]

Hi to all from Barry in Spain, 29 degrees at the moment in the shade and rising.
Question, Liquid Chlorine Tank wagons, what company would they be running under, BP, Shell, Esso, ICI or none of these anyone know, also what area would they have been on the Southern Railway , Look forward to any replies, Thank you,

[Bigmet]

You need to define your period a little more closely. If by the reference to 'Southern Railway' it is the 1923 - 47 span of time then the dominant UK chemical business is ICI, which was created by merger in 1926. ICI 'Mond Division' Liquid Chlorine Rail Tanks were both built and operated in this period (the 'Brunner-Mond' business may well have had rail tanks prior to ICI's formation, but my ignorance in this matter is boundless). I believe that a division of British Petroleum, and the well known 'Murgatroyd' (thanks to the Triang model) may well have operated such vehicles, but know nothing specific about period and location of operation of these.

Where they went, was there much call for them to go on the Southern? Chlorine is manufactured from salt as found in the enormous Triassic deposits in Cheshire, which has contributed to the concentration of chemical industries in the industrialised North-West of England. You will need to research potential users of bulk chlorine on the Southern (or create a fictional one!) to understand what the traffic in this commodity may have been.

[CasperGriswoldBacon]

You may have already googled this (I was bored) but apparently paper mills were a user of chlorine. The link below shows a picture of a paper factory in New Hythe, kent having deliveries of chlorine by rail. (Scroll down) Seeing it opened in the 1920's it was probably connected up to the rail link during the southern's time. Presumably paper mills weren't that uncommon in the South.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index ... ho/page/2/

[RuffnutThorston]

You need to define your period a little more closely. If by the reference to 'Southern Railway' it is the 1923 - 47 span of time then the dominant UK chemical business is ICI, which was created by merger in 1926. ICI 'Mond Division' Liquid Chlorine Rail Tanks were both built and operated in this period (the 'Brunner-Mond' business may well have had rail tanks prior to ICI's formation, but my ignorance in this matter is boundless). I believe that a division of British Petroleum, and the well known 'Murgatroyd' (thanks to the Triang model) may well have operated such vehicles, but know nothing specific about period and location of operation of these.

Where they went, was there much call for them to go on the Southern? Chlorine is manufactured from salt as found in the enormous Triassic deposits in Cheshire, which has contributed to the concentration of chemical industries in the industrialised North-West of England. You will need to research potential users of bulk chlorine on the Southern (or create a fictional one!) to understand what the traffic in this commodity may have been.

The Mond Division of ICI was based on the Brunner-Mond Company, which was based mainly in Northwich, Cheshire.

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/ICI

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Brunner,_Mond_and_Co

The Winnington works was served from the Cheshire Lines Committee line from Chester Northgate to Manchester Central, between Greenbank and Northwich stations. It was also served by the River Weaver Navigation (Small coasters, narrow boats, and barges/ flats.).

Winnington, and the adjacent Wallerscote, works largely produced Soda Ash, but glass cullet was also made, and supplied to the United Glass Co., etc., at St.Helen’s.

There were also works at Castner Kellner, at Runcorn (L&NW Railway, Weaver Navigation, and Manchester Ship Canal), a producer of Chlorine, Wigg Works (Manchester Ship Canal and Railway), also Runcorn, Widnes and at Lostock Gralam (Mainly Soda Ash again) between Northwich and Middlewich on the Trent and Mersey Canal, and the CLC Railway.

Murgatroyds was based at Elworth and Sandbach, near Middlewich, Cheshire, and produced Chlorine, and other chemicals. It became part of Brunner Mond, and therefore ICI.

The Trent and Mersey Canal, as well as the Railways, served this area.

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Murgatroy ... emical_Co.

“Mid 1950s: a number of 4-wheeled and small bogie tankers were built for Murgatroyds to carry liquid chlorine.”

[Bigmet]

That usefully fills in some detail! Next, any more offers on potential routes and user destinations on the Southern.

[Bufferstop]

Definitely a paper works in Kent, there's a large paper mill outside of Maidstone. It recycles waste paper and rag into newsprint! So they will be using chlorine to bleach the pulp.

[CasperGriswoldBacon]

Other industries I could find as possible were power stations. Chlorine was used in the cooling systems and as they were all rail linked for coal etc,, that should cover quite a bit of the southern network.. Couldn't find any evidence though. Generic chemical factories is a big one but again not much evidence of what, who or where. Chlorine sidings are mentioned at Fawley as there was chemical factories as well as the refinery, but couldn't find a reference to it in southern days . The other thing is Bromine. You need chlorine to make Bromine and this was produced in Hayle from the late 30's, The bromine would then go to the refineries for leaded petrol to stop ^knocking" so could well have been some bromine/chlorine traffic between Hayle and Fawley on southern rails: EDIT. actually the chlorine for Hayle came from up north apparently so scrap that idea.

[6C]

Bowaters Paper at Sittingbourne in Kent - if that helps - complete with standard and narrow gauge railway systems...

[38degrees]

Well Thank you all, that sure got a bit of response, now have 6 of the Triang Murgatroyd bogie Tankers, although waiting for some still to arrive. Re the last comment Bowaters at Sittingbourne, they had their own Slurry Tank wagons I believe 18, modelled by Hornby in a very light Blue R668. The comments certainly gave some interesting facts including the explosion at Silvertown which was heard in Maidstone from where I am from

[Lysander]

The bogie tanker is one of the few Triang models worth detailing as it is quite an accurate representation of the original. Cambrian do suitable bogie replacement kits for it. I have been tempted to do one but as the prototype was well post-1948 there was little point.

Tony