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LMSS Masthead

Fostering Interest in Research & Modelling of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway

LMS Directors' Visit to Birmingham and Derby

Tuesday and Wednesday October FOURTH AND FIFTH 1938

DERBY

CARRIAGE AND WAGON WORKS.

CENTRAL STORES 1
300 TONES CARLINE PRESS
VIEW DOWN UNDEFRAME WELDING BAY
BODY SHOP 1
BODY SHOP 2
CENTRAL STORES 2

These Works occupy an area of 128 acres, of which 36 acres are covered with Shops and Offices.

The present staff is…4,734 including females…305

The annual consumption of electricity is 7,5000,000 units, the horse power installed is 11,500 and there are 740 motors and 4,200 lamps.

Water used per annum…62,271,770 gallons.

Gas used per annum…54,145,500 Cu.ft.

GENERAL OFFICES.

These Offices were enlarged in 1929 to accommodate the C.& W. Headquarters and Works Staff, but since the removal of Headquarters to Euston the Offices have become the Chief Locomotive and C.& W. Drawing Offices, including the Photographic Section.

All designs and working drawings for locomotives, carriages, wagons and containers are prepared in these Offices.

GENERAL STORES.

This building was, until recently, a Timber Drying Shed but has been converted into a General Stores Warehouse for the whole Factory and is now in full operation.

It is fitted with suitable storage bins for the various classes of material dealt with and stages for the unloading and loading of wagons.

SAWMILL.

The plant in this Shop is in the front rank of Railway Sawmills and includes special layouts for the machining of carriage and wagon timbers and the conversion of timber into scantling from the log.

Empire grown timbers are used almost exclusively.

In addition, the shop is the most suitable for the preparation of the body parts for the new all-steel carriages, and extensive new plant has recently been installed to deal with this work.

The new machines, i.e. Heavy and Light Presses, Press Brake and Guillotines, can be seen in operation producing the special types of pillars and carlines, etc. for steel carriage framing.

AMBULANCE ROOM.

The ambulance room is in charge at a Sister and this room is much used and appreciated by the staff and has recently been enlarged.

WAGON BUILDING SHOP.

In this Shop 50 l2-ton Mineral and 60 l2-ton Open Merchandise, and 20-ton Goods Brakes are being erected per week of 43 hours, on the unit assembly principle, full use being made of jigs, pneumatic nut tightening machines, mechanical, electrical and air screw-driving machines, and other labour saving devices.

CARRIAGE BUILDING SHOP.

The principles of erection of a carriage are similar to those used on wagon building, and the present output is 8 new carriages per week of 43 hours.

An Automatic Welding Head will be seen in this Shop, welding panelling together in order to form same into one whole piece from door to door. By this method the utmost advantage can be taken of the steel panels from a strength point of view, and the welding also serves the purpose of doing away with joints, which on all steel panelled cars are a source of trouble owing to the movement of the wooden bodies.

The roofs are also welded into one whole piece and we are the first builders in this country to erect in this way.

The machinery for preparing the steel panelling has been brought alongside the job with the effect of saving a considerable amount of carting.

A new layout has been put down for the erection of all steel carriages. Special jigs have been constructed for the assembly of the parts which are welded together by Spot Welding Machines and Arc Welding.

Spot Welding Machines of a special design have been introduced far this work, and special cranes and runways have been provided to facilitate the conveyance of the carriage sides and roof, after being assembled in the jigs, to the carriage assembly points.

CARRIAGE FINISHING SHOP.

In this shop the cabinet work for the interior of carriages is assembled before erection, also various classes of joinery work for other Departments, including manufacture and repair of Station and Office furniture.

CARRIAGE REPAIR SHOP.

This Shop is used mainly for carriage repairs but the new carriages pass through certain stages to have the cabinet work fixed inside.

POLISHING AND TRIMMING SHOP (WOMEN)

Use is made of female labour for machining trimmings, cushions, etc., also for polishing cabinet work, including the spraying of cellulose lacquer.

TRIMMING SHOP.

The upholstery of carriage seats and backs is carried out in this Shop on progressive lines.

CARRIAGE PAINT AND VARNISH SHOPS.

New and repaired carriages are painted in these Shops.

CARRIAGE AND SPECIAL WAGON LIFTING and STEEL UNDERFRAME AND SPECIAL WAGON BUILDING SHOP.

Complete running repair operations are carried out here on the "belt" system.

In the Frame Bay, Steel Underframes and Bogie Frames are constructed on the unit assembly principle.

The introduction of electric welding has necessitated a rearrangement in this shop, and all carriage underframes and bogies are now electrically welded throughout, only the wagon frames being riveted.

A number of welding machines can be seen in operation, both of A.C. and D.C. types.

On the Riveted Wagon Frame Hydraulic and Pneumatic Riveting Machines and Electric Rivet Heaters are employed.

WHEEL SHOP AND MACHINE SHOP.

In this Shop wheel centres, tyres and axles are machined to finished sizes from the rough materials. The tyres are shrunk on to the wheel centres and the complete wheels mounted on the axles. The tyres are secured to the centres by rolling the tyre over the lip of the retaining ring at a pressure of 2,000 lbs. per square inch. The centres are pressed on to the axles by hydraulic press which automatically records the pressure on graphs. The minimum pressure is 60 tons and the maximum is 90 tons with tyres fixed, 10 tons to be deducted from these pressures if pressed on before tyres are fixed.

Many new machines have recently been installed in the Machine Shop, viz.

and further machines are now under consideration.

The extensive use of multi-spindle drills should be specially noted.

DIE SHOP.

This is an annexe to the Drop Stamping Shop and is equipped with ingenious Keller Die Sinking Machine which cuts the complicated die blocks for intricate stampings. Other machines, e.g. Veloplane Double Shaper, Slotter, and small Electric Grinders are also used for die blocks, and hydraulic press blocks.

STAMPING SHOP.

This Shop was re-organised for the concentration of Drop Stamping work at Derby.

Additional stamps were transferred from Earlestown and the whole layout re-arranged to suit the required output.

The furnaces used are fired by oil but one furnace consumes pulverised fuel provided by an Atritor Unit.

NUT AND BOLT SHOP.

The manufacture of nuts and bolts for the Carriage and Wagon Section is concentrated at Derby and this Shop was reorganised to deal wth the requirements.

There are 8 bolt heading machines, 1 automatic bolt making machine, and 5 nut forging machines, together with bolt screwing and nut tapping machines.

FORGE.

Since 1930 the whole of the drop stamping work in the Carriage and Wagon Section has been concentrated at Derby Works.

Additional stamps and machines have been installed - some new, others transferred from Wolverton and Earlestown; new furnaces have been more recently installed, fired by pulverised fuel. The pulverising plant now in operation is of the central storage type; the crushing being done by ball mills. The plant is duplicated, each section being capable of pulverising 2,000 lbs of coal per hour.

SMITHY AND SPRING SHOP.

One Bay of this Shop has been converted for Electric Arc Welding of components (new and repaired). There are 2 Electric Butt Welding Machines (one of which is automatic) also a small Chain Welding Machine.

Another section of the Shop is used for Spring Making.

WHITEMETAL AND BRASS RECLAMATION SHOP.

This was until recently the Brass Foundry, but has now been converted for the reclamation of whitemetal and brass scrap.

The scrap metal is sent from all C.M.E. Shops in the Group and melted down, cast into ingots and analysed. It is then made up to the required analysis (where necessary) and sent back for use in the factories.

The surplus is sold to a definite analysis, which enables the Company to command the current market price for all non-ferrous scrap.

Three melting furnaces fired by pulverised fuel have been put into operation for dealing with the brass scrap, and an additional oil furnace of the tilting type has just been put into operation for dealing With aluminium mixtures and brasses having a high Zinc content.

IRON FOUNDRY.

Here may be seen the casting of axleboxes, brake blocks, buffer castings and all other castings used on carriages and wagons and quite a large section of Signal Department castings; the output, under extreme pressure, is 200 tons per week.

CENTRAL BOILER HOUSE.

This contains two Stirling Boilers of a capacity of 20,000 lbs. evaporation each per hour. One boiler is fired by slack coal on a chain grate and the other by old wagon wood and sawdust.

These boilers replaced 16 Loco. type boilers in various Shops and steam is conveyed all round the Works by a steam main about 3/4 mile long. The pressure is 200 lbs. per sq. inch with 100°F super-heat in the main, reduced to 80 lbs. per sq. inch for Shop heating and power purposes. These pressures being constant, the heating of the Shops is more satisfactory.

WHITE METALLING SHOP.

In this Shop all bearings are "white metalled". Great care is taken to ensure that the correct temperature is obtained for pouring the metal, and pyrometers are installed at each melting pot.

WAGON REPAIR SHOP.

The repairs to Open and Covered Goods Wagons are carried out in this Shop.

There is also a Tyre Welding Machine, the first of its type in this country.

Up to the present 3,000 pairs of wagon wheels have had either one or both wheels welded on this machine.

CARRIAGE AND WAGON WORKS PLAN

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