LMS Route: Stratford Midland Junction - The Shakespeare Route

E&WJR and SMJ - Locomotives and Rolling Stock: smjsa59

A Stratford Midland Junction 4-plank open wagon carrying goods packed in barrels. Broadly speaking there were four ways of shipping materials: solid objects placed in wooden or wicker boxes or sacks and some items such as nails were shipped in small wooden barrels; liquids travelled in sealed containers, tins, barrels and drums; light but bulky material such as wool, jute and cotton is formed into bales and materials which do not need protection from rough handling so these were shipped in bulk. Not all 'barrels' were barrel shaped. Tobacco was shipped in straight sided 'hogsheads', technically these were however barrels as they are mode up of strips of (rather pale) wood held together with metal hoops.

back