Volume Thirteen - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - even more aspects -1883 - Taff Vale Railway - Wagon Rules & Regulations . . . .

AXLE BOXES

The axle boxes to be of best tough cast-iron, with proper bearing brasses, wrought-iron covers, acting with springs and straps complete. the grease space to be not less than ninety-five cubic inches.

Problems with Sheep! - The antics of the sheep that live on the hills of South Wales are notorious and stories of them are legion. Those that inhabited Cwmbargoed in the days before oil axleboxes were introduced on the humble coal wagon, however, should be offered a prize for ingenuity. Colliery sidings here still sprawl unfenced across the moorland, and the wagon examiner stationed here had one extra duty ;  perhaps ritual would be a better word, to perform. Not more than half an hour before a loaded train was to depart he had to refill most, if not all, the grease boxes on the wagons, for these wooly denizens of the uplands had learnt to lift the lids of these axlebox covers with their noses and lick out the grease inside. Such was their appetite for this delicacy that to leave the wagons much longer than half an hour would result in empty axleboxes again, and the inevitable 'hot box, en route to the docks. [1362]

AXLE GUARDS

The axle guards to be made of the best Staffordshire wrought-iron, and secured to the solebars by seven ¾-inch bolts and nuts, square from under head to the screw end. The legs to be not less than three and a half inches by three-quarters of an inch, or angle iron, three inches by one inch and a half by three-quarters of an inch, with double wings, two and a half by three-quarters of an inch. The bottom legs to be strengthened by a flat wrought-iron stay, not less than two inches by half an inch, to clip each leg and extending from one guard to the other by a tie-rod, not less than one inch and an eighth in diameter.

DRAWBARS AND COUPLINGS

The drawbars working upon elastic draw springs to be provided with proper hook and centre couplings, as shewn by accompanying sketch, having figured dimensions thereon.