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B1509 Steam tip wagon, overtype, full size, Type FGR, serial number 9247, boiler test number 8273, metal / timber, made by Aveling & Porter Limited, Invicta Works, Rochester, Kent, England, 1920, used by Municipality of Rockdale, New South Wales, Australia. Click to enlarge.

Aveling & Porter steam tip wagon

This steam wagon was made in England and used by Rockdale Council, in southern Sydney, as part of the equipment for making and repairing roads in the 1920s. It was a great improvement on the horsedrawn vehicles then in use as it could haul approximately four times the load. It was used to cart various materials including rock, blue metal and blocks of sandstone curbing for road building and surfacing within the municipality.

From the late nineteenth century to the first decade of the …

Summary

Object No.

B1509

Object Statement

Steam tip wagon, overtype, full size, Type FGR, serial number 9247, boiler test number 8273, metal / timber, made by Aveling & Porter Limited, Invicta Works, Rochester, Kent, England, 1920, used by Municipality of Rockdale, New South Wales, Australia

Physical Description

The steam wagon is an example of an overtype steam wagon in that it has a traction engine locomotive-type boiler with the cylinders and valve gear mounted on top of the boiler. The boiler is a Belpaire locomotive type which operated at a maximum steam pressure of 200 p.s.i. It is fitted with Aveling patent safety-valves and mountings. The engine features compound cylinders and slide valves controlled by Stephenson-Howe link motion. The link motion and the drive to the road wheels is taken through countershaft gearing to a long roller chain which drives the rear axle via a differential gear. The rear wheels are perforated and staked (steel strips diagonally riveted on to act as "tyres". The steam wagon has two road speeds with gears to reduce the top speed from 6.3 m.p.h. to 5 m.p.h. The two-way tipping mechanism is hydraulically operated and is controlled by a three-way cock on the output side of the standard Aveling feedwater pump.

The steam wagon was ordered from the manufacturers without a body, which was subsequently constructed in Australia. The tip tray is spotted gum finished in dark grey and was probably lined with steel to enable rock and gravel to be carried. The canopy over the cab extends over the cylinders almost to the chimney, and paint-impregnated canvas was applied to the roof of the canopy to protect it against the weather. The wagon is finished in green and black.

Specifications

Type : FGR
Cylinder: Compound (slide valve type)
Cylinder bore: 3.75 in. (95 mm) and 6.125 in. (155 mm)
Cylinder stroke: 6 in. (152 mm)
Boiler: Belpair type, locomotive
Boiler barrel: 1 ft 9.75 in. (552 mm) diameter
Boiler heating surface: 52 sq. ft. (15.8m²)
Boiler grate area: 2.73 sq. ft. (0.83m²)
Rev. per minute of crankshaft : 300 (31.5 radian per second)
B.H.P.: 20½
Weight empty: 6 tons (6.5 tonnes)
Weight loaded: 9 tons (9.9 tonnes)
Tipper body length : 10 ft (3048 mm)
Tipper body width: 7 ft (2133 mm)
Tipper body depth: 1 ft 6 in. (457 mm)
Flywheel diameter: 2 ft (609 mm)
Working Pressure: 200 lbs per sq. in. (1378 kPa)
Front wheels: 2 ft 9 in. diam. by 6 in. wide (838 mm x 152 mm)
Rear wheels: 3 ft 3 in. diam. by 12 in. wide (990 mm x 304 mm)
Road speeds: 2.18 mph & 5 mph (3.5 km/h & 8 km/h)
Wheelbase: 13 ft 6 in. (4114 mm)
Overall Length: 19 ft 9½ in. (6032 mm)
Overall width: 6 ft 8 in. (2032 mm)

The export directions stencilled on the wagon comprised:
'A P N / H 1303 / SYDNEY / 7494'.

Additional information added 2011

Steam for the wagon is generated in a locomotive-type Belpair boiler with grate area of 2.73 square feet and heating surface of 52 square feet. The boiler is fitted with Aveling patent safety-vales and mountings and the engine features compound cylinders of 3.75 and 6.125 inch bore by 6-inch strokes, with slide valves controlled by Stephenson-Howe link motion. The engine originally operated at 300 rpm and 200 psi.

The drive from the engine to the road-wheels is taken through countershaft gearing to a long roller chain which drives the rear axle via a differential gear. The diameter of the rear axle shaft is 4.5 inches and steering is by chain. Braking is on the rear wheels only and is of the screw-down, external contracting type on the live axle.

The fore-carriage is suspended on transverse leaf springs while the rear end has semi elliptic springs. These are shackled to pins which are free to slide in slotted brackets when deflected by the load. The road wheels are of perforated plate with iron tyres, the rear ones being straked for greater adhesion.

Aveling & Porter steam wagons were capable of two road speeds, 6.3 mph. and 2.18 mph. However, the Museum's wagon was ordered with special reduction gears to reduce the top speed to 5 mph. Channel framing along the sides of the wagon carries all the gear, radius rods and water tank. The two-way tipping mechanism is hydraulically operated and controlled by a three-way cock on the output side of the standard Aveling feedwater pump.

The tray, cab and canopy are of timber. The tray is double-hinged on the sides and the rear flap is hinged at the top. The canopy over the cab extends over the cylinders almost to the chimney and has two small holes to drain rainwater. A covering of paint-impregnated canvas protects the timber roof from weather. The wagon was originally fitted with kerosene lamps attached to brackets on either side of the smokebox door while a particularly quaint feature is the foot-operated warning bell located beneath the driver's footrest.

Marks

On the exterior of the steam wagon is 'AVELING & PORTER' on the front and 'MUNICIPALITY / OF / ROCKDALE' painted in white on both sides.

Dimensions

Height

2200 mm

Width

2000 mm

Depth

6100 mm

Source

Credit Line

Gift of Mr W Duguid, 1962

Acquisition Date

20 March 1963

Cite this Object

Harvard

Aveling & Porter steam tip wagon 2023, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 26 March 2023, <https://ma.as/207968>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/207968 |title=Aveling & Porter steam tip wagon |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=26 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}