Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - Mechanical appliances used in the shipping of coal at Penarth Docks - 1906 . . .

The rams are placed at opposite sides of the main frame which carries the cradle. When the tips are at work, the 5¼ inch diameter rams are at pressure on the up and down stroke, thus balancing a portion of the weight of the cradle of the water from these cylinders is forced into the pressure-mains on the down stroke.

The tipping platform is raised by a wire-rope attached to the ends of a girder under the table, the rope passes over the pulleys at the top of the tip, down to the tipping-ram at the side, and over a pulley attached to the cradle. The tipping-ram is 12 inches diameter.

A three cylinder engine is provided for raising the point of the shoot which is suspended by a wire rope, the butt end being raised or lowered by the cradle. Two cranes are fixed on each tip, one of 8 tons and the other of 4 tons capacity.

	Each tip is carried on eight wheels, originally of cast-steel; these are now being replaced by wheels with cast-steel centres and steel tyres. The tips can be moved into any position along the quay wall by means of a four-cylinder hydraulic engine, Plate 52 (left), fixed at one end of the quay and a wire rope passing through brackets under the tips and over a drum on the engine.
	A gridiron, or raised platform, is fixed behind the tips, and against this four traverser work, Fig. 4, Plate 47 (left) ; a full and empty road is provided for each traverser, and turntables on the traverser enable the wagons to be brought on and returned from the roads leading on to the cradle. Two powerful capstans are fixed on each traverser for drawing the wagons up the ramps and returning them empty.