First sections cover brief background and how we got to private owner wagons. For information specifically on the 1887 wagon click to go direct to 'The Railway Clearing House Standard Specifications, 1887' section.
The Railways Clearing House - The 'RCH'
Following the opening of the initial trunk routes between major cities many other cities and towns wanted to become connected with the new railways. By 1840 Britains' railways were starting to form an interconnected network; goods and passengers could travel over the tracks of more than one company between origin and destination. The Railways Clearing House (RCH) was formed in 1842 to provide a financial clearing service, apportioning revenue between the companies over which passengers, wagons or loads passed between origin and destination. Thus passengers could book tickets to stations on other railway companys' lines and shippers of goods could be given a rate by the accepting company inclusive of all charges from the companies conveying the load to its destination.
The founding, history and development of the RCH is described more fully below.
The RCHs' role as the publisher of specifications for wagons grew from its existence as a neutral forum for managers and engineers from the member companies to meet and agree common standards. To remove the suggestion of 'bias' towards any one companys' practices such standards were published by the RCH.
Private Owner Wagons and the Early Railways
'Private Owner' is a term used to describe wagons owned or operated by organisations other than the railway companies and have always been a feature of Britains railways. The Stockton and Darlington Railway originally planned to provide simply the railway route, over which trains operated by their owners would be charged tolls, just as with a turnpike road or canal. Bear in mind that at the time there had never been an inter-city railway before and very few public railways (ie. offering a transport service to any person or merchant wishing to use it), so ideas were naturally drawn from road and canal practices.
No doubt the Stephensons and their fellow engineers realised this method would be impractical. Unlike roads and canals where the carts or boats could move aside the trains' heavy wagons could not simply be 'off tracked' to allow another train to pass!
Although quickly accepting that the running or operation of trains needed to be controlled by the railway company the railway owners did retain the idea that the users, in the case of the early railways meaning the collieries, should provide their own wagons. Early wooden framed and bodied railway wagons differed little in construction from the road wagons and mine drams, built by individually by local blacksmiths and carpenters. The need for many thousands of basic mineral wagons for the new railways resulted in a proliferation of wagon builders, each using their own designs, parts, and fittings, often using materials on hand with no fixed or standard for sizes, and thereby strength.
On the early, short and isolated railways these wagons met local needs and as they could not travel far any defect would be spotted and dealt with by the builders. However by 1840 the increasingly connected railways made longer journeys possible, allowing merchants to serve more distant markets than had previously been practical.
The RCH and Wagon Specifications
The formation of the RCH simplified rates and payments for these cross-railway-company shipments for the merchant, but there were no standards in place to ensure the loaded wagon was in a fit state to travel to its destination. By 1850 much of today's 'mainline' railway network was in place and as the interchange of wagons between railway companies increased it was obviously essential to have common standards across the entire network. Through the RCH railway engineers had already begun to address the issues of standardisation in track and rolling stock. It is obvious that couplings and buffers needed to be set at the same height and spacing to be compatible to ensure every wagon could be coupled to any other wagon and to locomotives. Less obvious but even more importantly wheel and track standards are closely inter-related. Track and pointwork standards needed to be agreed between the railway companies so that universal wheel profiles could be defined and ensure the same wheels would run anywhere in the country.
During the same period railway operating methods were evolving and by the 1870s train lengths, weights, speeds and distances travelled had all greatly increased. Possibly fortuitously the building of new wagons had also changed. Many of the well-known 'Railway Carriage and Wagon' companies had been formed, Birmingham RCW 1854, Charles Roberts 1856, Gloucester RCW 1860, Metropolitan (later Met-Cam) 1863, and started mass-production of 'standard' wagons. While most new wagons were now being built using 'standard' parts these were not a common standard between companies, each company using parts to its own design. The choice of timber sizes and metal quality used also still differed between builders. Smaller builders were still turning out wagons with timbers cut from wood on hand with individually forged ironwork, but these builders were steadily turning to wagon repair as their primary business. As a result although the wagons might be becoming more standardised the strength of the designs and materials used in building and repairs could still be questionable.
Some materials and designs had already proved unsatisfactory and the railway companies sought to eliminate these as quickly as possible. However coal and mineral carriage receipts paid the railways' operating costs well into the British Railways era. These basic minerals needed just basic wagons. The simple, tough colliery cauldron wagons of 1830s design were still in use at collieries and coal staithes in the 1950s. While the railway companies generally respected each others' standards there was no guarantee that a privately owned wagon had been built or maintained to any known standard and regularly inspecting every wagon was clearly impractical. But so long as the basic mineral wagons served their owners adequately many saw little reason to invest in wagons to more modern designs or use more expensive materials for the railway companies benefit.
By the 1870s things were coming to a head. A spate of serious accidents had been found to be due to deficiencies in the design, materials, construction or maintenance of private owner wagons. The accident investigations highlighted the lack of structured control of the design, construction and maintenance of railway wagons. Acting on the recommendations of the inspecting officers of Her Majesty's' Railways Inspectorate (the HMRI, which is today the rail safety body within the Office of Rail and Road, ORR) and under threat of legislative action through the Board of Trade the railways began to discuss standards to be applied nationally.
The Railways Clearing House, where railways already met to agree on common practices, was the obvious choice for a neutral organisation to agree, publish and manage these standards. Key to the adoption of the standard wagon specification was the agreement of the railway companies that, once one company had inspected and applied its' registration plate to the wagon as conforming to the requirements, all of the member companies would accept that wagon. Thus following the RCH standards assured the railway companies and wagon builders, owners and operators that the wagon had been built to the RCH specification and would be accepted anywhere on the railway network.
Once the railway companies agreed on this course in 1885 the national Railway Clearing House specifications began to be released, culminating in the publication of first full specifications for a complete mineral wagon, including all component parts titled
The Railway Clearing House Standard Specifications for 8 and 10 Ton Private Owner Wagons, 1887
While the 1887 RCH standard specifications included full details and drawings for 8 and 10 ton mineral wagons the first paragraph of the 1887, and later 1907 and 1923 specifications read:
'Private Owners may build the body of the wagon so as to best suit their own requirements, provided they comply strictly with all the provisions and requirements set forth in the specification.'
Clearly the focus of the specifications was rightly on the strength and construction of the underframe upon which the body was fitted, allowing the owners to design wagons suited for their requirements. The 1887 standard specifications could therefore be applied to any type of railway wagon, though the type most closely associated with the RCH standards is the open mineral wagon, these being being by far the most numerous type. The RCH subsequently issued specific standards and regulations for liquid tank wagons, the next most common type of privately owned wagon.
The following paragraphs of the first page set out the procedures to be applied for the inspection and registration of wagons with the railway companies, including the design of the registration plate to be affixed. Next came the details of the 'provisions and specifications' set out section by section and supported by detailed drawings covering all aspects of the design and costruction requiremenst for a finished wagon to be considered to meet the standard.
The full specifications run to several pages many of which formalise features like the wagon wheel diameter of 3ft1in which were already in general use. Summarising, the principal features of the RCH standard 1887 mineral wagon were :
Internal dimensions of 14ft 6in length and 7ft width. Planks were to be of 2½in thickness, giving measurements over headstocks (bufferbeams) for the 1887 wagon at 14ft 11in and a body width of 7ft 5in. As side doors were normally fitted the hinges and locks for these project beyond the body, as do any hand or grab rails, in those days normally called 'commode handrails' the specifications required that the wagons not exceed an overall width of 8ft.
The sides for 5 plank 8-ton capacity wagons were shown as 3ft height, with designs for side, end and bottom doors, all of which were optional. As already noted the owner was free to fit the body design best suited to their needs, which would include sides suited to carrying the full weight of the load, while preventing overloading. Sides were built up from 6 or later 7 planks for 10 ton capacity coal wagons, while further additional rails were added to increase the enclosed volume for coke wagons. The 1887 specifications laid down maximum allowable heights at the sides 10ft and on the centreline of 11ft 6in, both measured from the rail head.
Turning to the common underframe design, the standard wagon drawings show a wheelbase of 9ft, while the specifications allowed that the wheelbase be 'not less than 7ft 6in and not more than 9ft'. This was no doubt to accommodate wagons like timber bolsters which were often built to a shorter overall length so multiple wagons could support and spreac the weight of support long loads.
Solebars, headstocks and middle bearers were to be of 'sound English Oak' (later amended to White Oak) and not less than 12in by 5in section. The diagonal stiffening members were to be not less that 12in by 3 1/2in section.
Wrought ironwork was to be produced from 'best ordinary marked bar quality' Bessemer or Siemens steel, while drawgear was to be forged from 'best cable iron'.
'Through drawgear' where both drawbars extend into an iron box known as the 'drawbar cradle' fitted in the centre of the wagon was required. This provided a through connection of iron between the two drawhooks and relieved the wagons' wood underframe members of haulage loads, thereby preventing headstocks from being torn off due to over-vigorous train handling.
Coupling chains were to be of 1 3/8in diameter section and the use of pins or shackles to attach the coupling was forbidden, eliminating a hidden part which could wear unseen and leading to the familiar 3-link coupling chain.
Alongside the drawgear 18in sprung buffers were to be provided, set at the already standard 5ft 8 1/2in centres and 3ft 5in from the railhead. Usually the drawings show a leaf spring mounted behind the headstocks and bearing against the buffer spindles. Alternatively several designs of 'self contained' buffers were approved, these often being fitted to dumb-buffered wagons being 'rebuilt' with the existing (shortened) solebars and headstock timbers being re-used.
The guard or W irons which provide the guides for the axleboxes were to be forged from iron, made to dimensions shown on the drawings and fixed in the approved manner.
Grease lubricated axleboxes were to be cast iron with brass bearing surfaces for axles with 8in by 3 3/4in journals at 6ft 6in centres, these axles to be made from Bessemer or Siemens steel. This giving rise to the spacing of the solebars at 6ft 3in between backs to mount the guard irons and place the springs over the journal centres.
Finally to stop the wagon 'double' brakes were specified, meaning a minimum of 2 cast iron brake blocks which could be applied by use of a hand lever with a guard and pin to secure the brakes on, hence the term 'pinning down' brakes. Safety loops were to be fitted to prevent the brake gear from falling onto the track in the event of any breakage.
Those seeking a detailed discussion of the provisions are recommended to refer to 'Private Owner Wagons from the Ince Waggon & Ironworks Co. by A J Watts and published by the HMRS, the Historical Model Railway Society. This book illustrates a large number the approved parts with RCH drawings and includes many 'approved' designs, particularly for buffers for conversion or rebuilding of dumb or dead buffered wagons.
The Railways Clearing House
The Railways Clearing House (RCH) was formed in 1842 by nine of Britain's railway companies to provide a common body for the apportionment of costs and revenue for journeys and shipments travelling over more than one company's tracks. The clearing arrangements also allowed for the use of goods wagons from the originating company to be used throughout a journey, eliminating the costly and time consuming practices of trans-loading goods and rebooking passengers at junction stations. The establishment of the RCH led to the widespread availability of through ticketing arrangements and setting of goods carriage rates from origin to destination across multiple railway companies. A customer now booked their journey or shipment with one company and paid one invoice, payments to the other companies involved with the journey being apportioned through the RCH, usually on a mileage basis.
Clearing operations began on January 2nd 1842 with the RCH offices at 111 Drummond Street, a building owned by the London and Birmingham Railway opposite Euston station. The founding member companies represented at the first meeting of the RCH on April 26th were the London & Birmingham, Midland Counties, Birmingham & Derby, North Midland, Manchester & Leeds, Leeds & Selby, Hull & Selby, York & North Midland and Great North of England. The meeting agreed on operating and cost apportionment methods to fund the RCH's services.
The RCH was quickly seen to be an effective organisation and by the end of 1845 more companies from the Midlands and Northern England had joined. By 1851 the major Scottish railway companies had joined and the RCH scheme covered almost 56% of the British railway mileage.
Many of the names above will be unfamiliar as these are the predecessor companies to the better known London & North Western, North Eastern and Midland railways. Britain's railway network was still growing at this period and some railways declined to join, at least initially, for various reasons. For example the Liverpool & Manchester Railway saw no need to be a member of the RCH as it was still physically isolated from the rest of the network! Most of the railways in the South of England are also missing, notably the Great Western whose broad gauge tracks remained an obstacle to through traffic.
The RCH relocated in 1849 to purpose-built offices in Seymour Street and in 1850 the RCH was given a legal status of its' own by the parliamentary Railway Clearing Act of 25th June 1850. This legally separated the RCH and the member railway companies, defining the role of the RCH and reducing the appearance of the RCH as a railway cartel, particularly since competing routes were being created and rates were often based on the length of the earliest route. The RCH was further established as an independent corporate body in 1897, continuing as the arbiter and distributor of receipts between the railway companies until nationalisation.
Although established to provide a mutual financial service to the railway companies the RCH also provided a useful neutral forum for railway managers and engineers to meet, discuss and agree common standards and practices. This covered both practical matters, like the setting a standard height and spacing for couplings and buffers so all trains would couple together irrespective of builder or owner to the adoption of Greenwich Mean Time as standard 'Railway Time' across the country. Later the RCH steadily progressed common working practices and common charges, the well-known 'RCH Schemes' which allowed private wagons owners to pay a one-off annual 'commuted charge' to cover shunting and empty wagon haulage charges. The RCH also arranged 'common user' agreements for railway company wagons, setting the terms of use for loading of 'foreign' wagons (a wagon from another company) initially for a load to one of its' 'home' company stations and later the national pooling of general purpose open merchandise wagons and box vans.
Nationalisation and Privatisation
Britain's four major railway companies, plus a few (but not all) of the remaining independent railways were combined into the nationalised British Railways from the 1st of January 1948. The relevant statuary powers of the Railways Clearing House were effectively transferred to the British Transport Commission, however operation of the RCH was continued through the clearing up of the nationalisation process. The property, rights, powers and liabilities of the RCH were not formally transferred to the BTC until the 24th of May 1954 and the RCH was wound up as an independent organisation on April 8th 1955. However the BTC maintained the title Railway Clearing House for many of the former RCH functions with respect to rate setting, dispute arbitration, standards, maps and publications until the 31st of March 1963.
And there the story might well have ended... Until the return to the private sector under the Railways Act of 1993.
Britain's railways are again operated by several companies and the role of the RCH is today reflected in several bodies. Closest to the origins of the RCH is the the Rail Settlement Plan division formed by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) to arrange and apportion open (valid for any operator) ticket receipts between operators covering the tickets' valid routes.
References and Bibliography
At a recent lecture a researcher in military history said 'Always look for the references consulted.' followed by 'if it just says wikipedia move on'. While wikipedia has supplied some information, such as dates, we are lucky to have many more sources, including publications which contain summaries of the 1887 specification and facsimile copies of the 1907 and 1923 RCH mineral wagon specifications.
A great start for a list of publications on private owner wagons and index to owners in these publications is at Private Owner Wagons Index on the Lightmoor Press website
The most useful sources for general historical information being
Private Owner Wagons from the Ince Waggon & Ironworks – A J Watts, HMRS – Much more detailed description of the 1887 and later wagons, plus lots of RCH-authorised component drawings.
Private Owner Wagons - Peter Matthews - 1907 & 1923 mineral wagon drawings, descriptions and an outline of the changes from 1887 to 1907 to 1923.
British Goods Wagons From 1887 to the Present Day (circa 1970) - Essery, Rowland & Steel - copy of the 1907 RCH mineral wagon specifications
Private Owner Wagons (Oakwood) - Bill Hudson
Private Owner Wagons Volume 2 (OPC) - Bill Hudson - Copy of 1923 RCH mineral wagon specifications.
Petroleum Rail Tank Wagons of Britain - R Tourret - RCH specifications, drawings and regulations for tank and hazardous product wagons.
Professor Adrian Johnstone (University of London) has a good range of scanned RCH drawings and copy of Railway Mechanical Engineering contemporary with the RCH 1923 specification on his website British Railway Wagons - The Railway Clearing House Wagons.