GWR Route: Moreton-in-Marsh to Shipston-on-Stour

Shipston-on-Stour Station: gwrss538a

Close up of image 'gwrss538' showing how the track adjacent to cattle docks was protected by providing hard standing. Larger and more sophisticated cattle docks would have been protected by a concrete floor laid with a fall into the centre where a gully would drain away liquid mess. This close up also shows how the GWR, in common with other railway companies, used tarpaulins to provide protection to goods carried by the ubiquitous open wagon. Open wagons were more versatile in what they could carry which is why they were so common. Whilst vans provided protection from both the elements and theft, many loads carried in open wagons might be too heavy to load or off-load by hand and therefore required an open top to allow cranes to assist in their loading or unloading. Some wagons were fitted with a metal frame that would raise the tarpaulin clear of the wagon as seen above. The metal frame could be folded down to either side thereby allowing the crane to lift the load clear without any fear of obstructing the operation.

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