Heaviest railway vehicles which ran in the UK?

[Western 52]

What is/were the heaviest vehicles to run on the UK railways? My guess would be the molten iron Torpedo cars used in steel works, which I've heard can weigh several hundred tons, but anything heavier?

 

[Grumpy Git]

What is/were the heaviest vehicles to run on the UK railways? My guess would be the molten iron Torpedo cars used in steel works, which I've heard can weigh several hundred tons, but anything heavier?

I don’t think they’ve ever run on the ‘public’ network?

Are they even the same gauge?

 

[Snow1964]

There were a couple of huge railway guns, each had a 14 inch gun originally ordered for a Japanese battleship, but not delivered which were used about 1916-1918. They were known as BL14. They weighed about 250t,

One of them was subsequently used to mount a standard 18 inch gun (strictly a howitzer) and I think it was used in Kent in WW2

 

[100andthirty]

What is/were the heaviest vehicles to run on the UK railways? My guess would be the molten iron Torpedo cars used in steel works, which I've heard can weigh several hundred tons, but anything heavier?

In Port Talbot some of their torpedo cars weigh 600t fully laden - about 400t of molten steel. They are carried on four, three axle bogies. That's a 50t axle load. And they don't have any brakes!

 

[Mattyblob]

There were a couple of huge railway guns, each had a 14 inch gun originally ordered for a Japanese battleship, but not delivered which were used about 1916-1918. They were known as BL14. They weighed about 250t,

One of them was subsequently used to mount a standard 18 inch gun (strictly a howitzer) and I think it was used in Kent in WW2

The largest was the Boche Buster!

 

[hwl]

What is/were the heaviest vehicles to run on the UK railways? My guess would be the molten iron Torpedo cars used in steel works, which I've heard can weigh several hundred tons, but anything heavier?

The heaviest to run on the national network will probably have been the Dounreay reactor pressure vessel and parts transporter wagon with 16 axles.
No bridges where it operated loaded so minimal clearance issues.

 

[GC class B1]

In the 1970s a number of molten steel carrying torpedo wagons were built to operate on BR lines when part of the steelworks where the steel was produced by the blast furnace was closed for some work and the molten steel had to be moved to another location. These weighed about 250 Tonnes had 4 bogies and were a similar design to the ones at Scunthorpe and Port Talbot. I believe these are the heaviest vehicles to operate in Britain.

 

[507020]

Is the question what was the heaviest railway vehicle ever or what is the heaviest vehicle currently running on the British network? I was expecting 185s to be mentioned.

 

[DarloRich]

What is/were the heaviest vehicles to run on the UK railways?

The one with the most people in surely.

( i will get my coat)

 

[lyndhurst25]

In the 1970s a number of molten steel carrying torpedo wagons were built to operate on BR lines when part of the steelworks where the steel was produced by the blast furnace was closed for some work and the molten steel had to be moved to another location. These weighed about 250 Tonnes had 4 bogies and were a similar design to the ones at Scunthorpe and Port Talbot. I believe these are the heaviest vehicles to operate in Britain.

Cargo Fleet to Consett.

Molten Metal Trains

In August 1969, British Steel Corporation (BSC) introduced a daily service of trains to carry molten iron the sixty three miles from the Cargo Fleet Works in Middlesbrough to the steelworks in Cons…

southpelawjunction.co.uk

 

[lincolnshire]

Cargo Fleet to Consett.

Molten Metal Trains

In August 1969, British Steel Corporation (BSC) introduced a daily service of trains to carry molten iron the sixty three miles from the Cargo Fleet Works in Middlesbrough to the steelworks in Cons…

southpelawjunction.co.uk

They also used to operate at times in North Lincolnshire from Appleby Frodingham works through to Normanby Park works, most of the journey was on the works railway execpt one section between Crosby Mines Signal Box and Normanby Park South Signal Box on B.R. tracks. The trains was also operated by the steelworks loco,s who also ran over this same section of line with ore trains from the ironstone mines to the steelworks.

 

[themiller]

The heaviest to run on the national network will probably have been the Dounreay reactor pressure vessel and parts transporter wagon with 16 axles.
No bridges where it operated loaded so minimal clearance issues.

I think you mean the wagon built by Head Wrightson which carries a spent fuel flask and can have its rail bogies replaced at Thurso with road bogies for the trip from Thurso station to Dounreay.

 

[Mikw]

I've got a very large friend, known affectionately as "Mr Food" - any train that he's on will be the heaviest currently on UK Rails!

 

[richieb1971]

Last I heard UK national railways have a 20 ton axle limit. The locomotive with the most axles is 6 currently. So the heaviest vehicle (if talking locomotives) would be less than 120 tons.

The class 46 was the heaviest diesel loco at 138 tons with 8 axles. From recollection they were all withdrawn in the 80's. The nuclear flask test of 1984 at Old Dalby had a class 46 designated for the purpose of the crash because of its weight and immiment withdrawal.

I believe Steam Engines (if including the tender) are heavier and still run on the railways regularly. So on the national network, its going to be one of the steam locos.

 

[Townsend Hook]

Last I heard UK national railways have a 20 ton axle limit. The locomotive with the most axles is 6 currently. So the heaviest vehicle (if talking locomotives) would be less than 120 tons.

The class 46 was the heaviest diesel loco at 138 tons with 8 axles. From recollection they were all withdrawn in the 80's. The nuclear flask test of 1984 at Old Dalby had a class 46 designated for the purpose of the crash because of its weight and immiment withdrawal.

I believe Steam Engines (if including the tender) are heavier and still run on the railways regularly. So on the national network, its going to be one of the steam locos.

According to Wikipedia a class 67 has a weight of 88-90 tonnes/87-89 long tons, so will have an axle weight considerably above 20t across it‘s four axles. Presumably that 20t limit hasn’t existed for at least two decades.

 

[3973EXL]

According to Wikipedia a class 67 has a weight of 88-90 tonnes/87-89 long tons, so will have an axle weight considerably above 20t across it‘s four axles. Presumably that 20t limit hasn’t existed for at least two decades.

If you also lookup Route Availability on that source, you will see RA10, Network Rail maximum axle load for permitted routes is in excess of 25 tonnes .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_availability#Line_calculations

 

[furnessvale]

If you also lookup Route Availability on that source, you will see RA10, Network Rail maximum axle load for permitted routes is in excess of 25 tonnes .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_availability#Line_calculations

For many years, the maximum axle loading on UK railways has been 25 old fashioned TONS, which are of course heavier than those new fangled metric ones!

 

[D7666]

What is/were the heaviest vehicles to run on the UK railways?

Question is not limited, other than to UK, to railway, and to heavy.

My suggestion then is Jodrell Bank telescope.

~2000 tonne.

Engineering Timelines - Jodrell Bank radio telescope

For run (or at least ran) on rails forming two concentric circles it does, hence is a railway vehicle.

At one time the bogies were scrap ex GWR 4-6-0 kettles although maybe (?) those were done away with many many years ago.

 

[jopsuk]

For many years, the maximum axle loading on UK railways has been 25 old fashioned TONS, which are of course heavier than those new fangled metric ones!

Although not massively- 25 imperial tons is 25.4 tonnes (and 28 US tons)

 

[etr221]

There were a couple of huge railway guns, each had a 14 inch gun originally ordered for a Japanese battleship, but not delivered which were used about 1916-1918. They were known as BL14. They weighed about 250t,

One of them was subsequently used to mount a standard 18 inch gun (strictly a howitzer) and I think it was used in Kent in WW2

The British Army had two 14 inch guns on railway mountings in WW1, as described - HMGs (His Majesty's Guns) Boche-Buster and Scene-Shifter. The 14 inch guns (being non-standard in British service) were declared obsolete in 1926: while the guns themselves were scrapped, the mountings remained.

Not introduced until 1920, the "Ordnance BL 18in howitzer Mk 1 on mounting railway truck 14in gun and 18in howitzer Mk 1" (i.e. same design of railway mounting) was slightly heavier - total weight was 250 ton 8 cwt. Two of the howitzers were built, and were declared obsolete in 1945.

A total of four of the railway mountings seem to have been built - one was used for both 18in howitzers (in turn). The other mounting, and the two which had been used for the 14in guns, went into store, and were reused in WW2 for ex Naval 13.5 inch guns (somewhat lighter in weight).

The molten iron torpedo wagons that ran over BR seem - at about 245 tons - to have been slightly lighter than the 18in gun on mounting: I don't know how heavy those used internally at Scunthorpe were.

 

[jackot]

Is the question what was the heaviest railway vehicle ever or what is the heaviest vehicle currently running on the British network? I was expecting 185s to be mentioned.

Yep, I was going to say the same. 185s must surely be the heaviest passenger vehicles, unless the voyagers beat them to that record.

 

[pdeaves]

Talk of the mounted guns has me thinking. The 'static' weight is quoted, but what would the 'effective weight' at the moment when fired? Obviously it depends on the angle but I would assume any shot would have an upward component, which leads to an equal-and-opposite downward component.

 

[D7666]

Yep, I was going to say the same. 185s must surely be the heaviest passenger vehicles, unless the voyagers beat them to that record.

Nope.

If you mean any passenger vehicle currently passed to run on the network, then the Hasting DEMU motor coaches are marginally heavier than 185s, and, if the P5 books are correct, one end car in a 390 is heavier than any 185 car. Not checked for anything else.

 

[Irascible]

I would imagine the railway guns had transient axle loads rather in excess of their more constant ones...

 

[MisterSheeps]

There's a photo in The Great Northern Railway in the East Midlands, Colwick Yards, Nottingham London - Road - Gedling - Basford (Pub RCTS) Fig 217 of a 'Well Trolley' that could handle up to 150 tons, and shows a Stator Generator set heading for a power station in the West Midlands, parked in Basford good yard until the next Sunday when the down line to Egginton Junction would be slewed towards the up to enable it to pass under bridges. It seems to have 18 wheels per side on 5 wagons (central one carrying the load), had a large girder either side. Mind boggling effort involved

 

[randyrippley]

A few years back a mystery photo appeared on the Cumbrian Railways site, asking for help identifying an absolutely massive gun (presumably naval) on rail wagons. Thinking back on it, I suspect it may have been one of these 18" monsters - BL 18-inch Mk I naval gun

BL 18-inch Mk I naval gun - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Largest and heaviest ever British gun, barrel and breech together weighed 149 tonnes
Three were built, two fitted into HMS Furious - where they were too powerful for the hull to handle, so were moved into coastal monitors

I've never been able to find the photo again so can't be sure of the ID but I think it's a good bet

==edit==
this page gives slightly more detail but includes the comment "After the monitors were scrapped following the end of the war, the 18" (45.7 cm) guns were used for various testing purposes. Gun number 1 was used at Silloth for cordite proofing tests in 1920" - could explain why the photo was in a Cumbrian collection

United Kingdom / Britain 18"/40 (45.7 cm) Mark I - NavWeaps

www.navweaps.com

 

[Dr_Paul]

Cargo Fleet to Consett.

Molten Metal Trains

In August 1969, British Steel Corporation (BSC) introduced a daily service of trains to carry molten iron the sixty three miles from the Cargo Fleet Works in Middlesbrough to the steelworks in Cons…

southpelawjunction.co.uk

Fascinating! Having lived in London all my life, where industry is -- or rather was, as I doubt if much is manufactured here these days -- pretty much all light, the wonders of heavy industry never cease to amaze me.

 

[MisterSheeps]

A few years back a mystery photo appeared on the Cumbrian Railways site, asking for help identifying an absolutely massive gun (presumably naval) on rail wagons. ... Gun number 1 was used at Silloth

there was of course the (originally Vickers, later MoD) rail connected range at Eskmeals (south of Ravenglass) used for testing naval guns going into ships being built at Barrow

 

[randyrippley]

there was of course the (originally Vickers, later MoD) rail connected range at Eskmeals (south of Ravenglass) used for testing naval guns going into ships being built at Barrow

thanks, I didn't know that