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GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Moor Street Station: gwrms3882

Letters from Roger T Smith authorising construction of the specialist Jib Cranes for use in Moor Street Goods Depot

Letters from Roger T Smith (Electrical Engineer for the Great Western Railway from 1905 to 1924) authorising construction of the specialist Jib Cranes for use in Moor Street Goods Depot. During the construction of the Goods Warehouses at Moor Street considerable effort was made to incorporate the latest electrical and mechanical appliances to improve the handling of goods traffic. This equipment increased productivity by being quicker, saving labour and reducing the likelihood of rough handling. Roger T Smith provided information for an article about the labour saving equipment installed at Moor Street, which was published in the Great Western Railway Magazine in May 1917 (moorstreet-gwr-article2). The two letters here are:

Letter to Royce Ltd regarding the underhung Jib Crane to be located in the Upper Level Goods Shed at Moor Street. The crane which had a capacity of one ton was slung under a traversing carriage situated on a beam which could travel the length of the 400 foot long shed. The traversing carriage allowed the jib crane to cross the shed and the crane itself could also fully rotate, allowing it to reach any point in the shed. See 'gwrms1214' for a photograph of this underhung Jib Crane in the Upper Shed at Moor Street.

Letter to Babcock & Wilcox Ltd regarding the walking Jib Crane to be located in the smaller of the two lower Goods Sheds (Shed A) at Moor Street. This crane could move on a rail track which looped around the goods shed and the jib radius of 18 feet allowed it to reach both the rail sidings and the road cartage loading area. The walking jib crane had the advantage of being able to operate in restricted areas and where there was limited headroom. See 'gwrms1219' for a photograph of this Jib Crane in Shed A at Moor Street Goods Depot and 'gwrms1205' for a plan of the lower level sheds.

Robert Ferris

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