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[as described in a contemporary but undated reprint from The Railway Engineer.]
(A facsimile of the original document can be downloaded here.)
For very many years past, following upon a period of activity in the building of locomotives, the Wolverton Works of the London Midland & Scottish Railway have been devoted to the construction and repairing of the passenger coaching stock of the London & North Western Railway, now forming part of the London Midland &, Scottish group. In these works there has recently been installed a new system governing the building of passenger and freight vehicles, the latter being confined to the covered type of wagon. The system aims at what is referred to as progressive construction, whereby the output of vehicles is increased by the introduction of new methods designed to economise time and labour and thus expedite the building operations from start to finish.
By the courtesy of Mr. R. W. Reid, Carriage and Wagon Superintendent of the London Midland & Scottish Railway, and with the assistance of Mr. C. L. Mason, Divisional Carriage and Wagon Superintendent, we were recently enabled to follow the working of this system in the shops at Wolverton, and at the same time to take a number of special photographs for the purpose of illustrating the present article. The drawing reproduced below shows the general lay-out of the plant and clearly exemplifies the stages which mark the progressive system of construction throughout the works.
The point at which the system may be said to commence is in the Progress Office, of which a general view is given in the first illustration, with, in addition, a separate view of one of the progress boards. If progressive building is to be successful it is essential that a supply of completely manufactured parts should be on the ground at the point of erection before the building of a vehicle is commenced. Under the old system of erecting it was possible, if a shortage of any one part occurred, to complete a large number of bodies up to the point at which this particular part was required, and even if the whole of the body shop floor eventually became taken up by partially built bodies, it was still possible to keep the body makers employed in splicing bottom sides and cantrails and fitting the pillars in position alongside the partially erected bodies. Under the new system of progressive construction it is, however, impossible to do this, and with a very few exceptions a shortage of any one part holds up the whole of the line. In order, therefore, to make absolutely certain that the manufactured parts are always ready and on hand, and further, that there is a sufficiency of raw material and parts in all stages of completion following up, some form of stocktaking is necessary, and this stocktaking must be kept up to date from day to day, and even hour by hour. It is the purpose of the Progress Office to ensure what may be termed the feeding of the works with the necessary parts.
Plan of Wolverton Works, L.M.S.R., showing Progressive Building of Railway Carriages and Wagons.
The material for a given vehicle is split up for convenience under various grouped headings, such as underframe and bogie material, finished woodwork from the sawmill, and finishing and trimming material. One or more of these groups is placed under the control of an individual who is responsible for keeping up the supply of all the material coming within his jurisdiction. In order to do this he follows up the material throughout its various processes, from the raw to the finished state, and plots its progress on a chart or series of charts. These charts, which are pinned to the walls of the Progress Office, are divided up into sections corresponding to the various stages of construction. The material itself is itemised in a column on the left-hand side of a sheet of squared paper, on which each square represents one set of material - that is to say, the total number of articles of that description which are required for one coach, wagon, bogie or underframe as the case may be, so that the amount of material in progress is shown by horizontal lines. The length of these lines, measured in squares, represents the number of carriages or wagons which can be built with the material available. These lines are of various colours, each colour representing a different department, namely, that which deals with the particular item shown. Thus, for any particular ironwork detail, the raw material on the ground is indicated by a green line, and the amount of parts finished in the smithy by a blue line. In a similar manner the number of parts finished by the machine shop is shown by a red line, and the number of finished articles delivered to the erecting shop by a black one.
A vertical thread on the chart shows the actual number of vehicles which have been completed to that stage at a given time. The length of the line to the right hand of this vertical thread shows the quantity of material ahead of the actual progress of the vehicle. Should the person in charge of the chart see that any item is likely to fall behind, he pins a flag at this particular point, and if the article is likely to be held up for want of raw material a blue flag is pinned up; but should the delay be due to one or other of the works departments getting behind with the manufacture, a red flag with a numeral upon it is used, this indicating the shop or department in question. The shop at fault is clearly shown on the chart as its horizontal line is much shorter than the similar line above it showing the progress of the earlier operations in its manufacture. In other words, it demonstrates that the previous department has completed its work to within a certain number of the article, whilst the horizontal line below being much shorter shows that this particular department has plenty of material to work upon, but has not yet completed its parts. The red flags, therefore, are not strictly necessary, but they form a rapid visual indication, and as each foreman pays a visit once a day to the Progress Office, it is merely necessary that he should walk round and glance at each chart and see whether there is a red flag with the number upon it corresponding to his shop. Should he find any such flag he makes a note of the articles to which they refer, and on his return to the shop gives these particular parts special attention. As soon as the supply reverts to normal again the red flag is removed.
Interior of Progress Office.
Progress Chart in Progress Office.
Wadkin Chain and Hollow Chisel Mortising Machine. Mortising Wagon Timbere by Jig and Mortise Registering Device.
Greenwood & Batley Machine for Boring Wagon Cantrails through Steel Bushed Jig.
Tenoning Machine by Thos. White & Sons, Paisley.
Mortising Coach Timbers on Horizontal Machine by means of Jig and Mortise Registering Device.
In the preparation of the details themselves in the various shops the underlying idea of continuous progression from one operation to another is adopted so far as is possible. The old lay-out of machines and benches has been altered where necessary or desirable, being now so grouped as to make the process practically self-contained and continually progressing in the various stages from the raw material to the finished detail in one predetermined direction without any redundant movement, finishing wherever possible at the point where the detail is to be used. This saves unnecessary handling, and also avoids work being neglected whilst in a half-finished condition. This frequently necessitates the redistribution and scattering of men who formerly worked in one department and under one roof. For instance, instead of sending work to the paint shop to be painted, the painters are in many cases permanently located at points where work is sufficiently finished to allow of its being treated by them.
As an instance, carriage doors which were formerly framed up in the body shop and then transferred to the finishing shop for the fixing of the interior lining, afterwards being sent to the polishing shop to be french polished and finally returned to the body shop for fixing in position, arc now dealt with by an altogether different method. A certain number of finishers and polishers have been drafted from their own shops to a section of the body shop, where the body makers frame up and panel doors. The body makers pass the doors to the finishers, who in turn pass them to the french polishers, the doors then moving along to those whose work it is to hang the doors in position, the operations being so arranged. that the polished door is completed just at the point where it is to be hung on the coach.
Machine for Boring and Countersinking Wagon Sheeting, made at Wolverton.
The timbers used in the construction of the railway carriages and wagons at Wolverton comprise teak, oak, Jarrah, mahogany and deal. These are brought to the works in the form of square baulks or round logs, or, alternatively, as scantlings, all being converted and machined in the sawmill, and the pieces sent to the erecting shops ready for assembly. The waste wood is converted into various useful articles, such as keys, trenails, scotches, &c., the remainder being used for firewood. The logs are cross-cut to length on a large circular saw, and then cut into suitable planks or scantlings by various machines, such as horizontal log band, circular rack and vertical re-cut band saws, after which the large timbers are squared up on a four-cutter machine, correct to size, the smaller parts, such as coach pillars, quarter light rails, &c., being faced on a hand-feed planing machine and brought to size in a thicknessing machine, which latter is fitted with a sectional feed roller.
The timber is cut and milled to standard limit gauges, and by jigs and tern plates of various kinds. The several operations such as mortising, tenoning, grooving, rebating, halving, boring, checking, &c., are performed without marking out or a pencil line of any description, with the exception of the very long, heavy timbers, such as coach bottom sides and cantrails. As is quite obvious, a considerable saving of labour is effected by this method, and what is equally important, greater accuracy is secured.
Constructing and Trimming Seats and Seat Backs.
Steam-Bending Carriage and Wagon Roof Sticks.
Several up-to-date machines have recently been installed in the works at Wolverton, these having a higher output capacity than those displaced. For instance, a double-ended tenoning machine has been introduced, this having two spindles with a circular saw on each, and four spindles with cutter blocks having an endless chain feed fitted with dogs. The timber when placed on this machine is automatically carried forward, the circular saws cutting each end to the required length, and the cutter blocks finishing the operation by tenoning each end, or by bevelling or rounding.
An improved patent band re-sawing machine, with combined vertical and horizontal feed, is used for cutting deals, battens, &c., into boards, after which they are passed through a. high speed four-cutter moulding and seaming machine. This latter is capable of producing accurate sawing at a very high rate of feed, and it is here that the boards are moulded for the carriage roofs, partitions, floors, &c., and also sheeting for the wagons.
Several new chain cutter and hollow mortising and boring machines have also been installed, one of them having automatic action. On these very clean and accurate work is done by means of simple but effective jigs.
Each of the component parts of a coach are carefully gauged and inspected before leaving the sawmill to ensure its fitting correctly in position without hand labour in the body shop. The previous method was to leave the pieces slightly large, and then to ease them by plane or chisel until they fitted into the mortises, &c. The quarters are pressed together in a compressed air jig, and then placed on a bench and the panels, mouldings and windows fitted to them. The same method is applied for the ends of the coach and the partitions. The ash sweeps for the roof are steamed and bent in a specially designed wood-bending plant, of which an illustration is given herewith.
The carriage doors are all made BO as to be interchangeable, the doors being first of all pressed together in a compressed-air jig, and then panelled up. The door next passes to a specially constructed machine, which cuts the three grooves for the hinges, these being then fixed by screws, after which the door is ready for testing in the gauge, the latter consisting of a metal frame providing a replica. of the door opening in the coach. The doors after being fitted in this gauge are handed over to the coach finishers, who fit the casing boards, either of walnut or mahogany. From there the doors pass to a polishing room, and thence to what is known as No. 3 position, where they are fitted to the actual coach. The interior finishing passes through a similar process to the body woodwork
The timber arrives in the finishing shop and is machined by the aid of jigs and stops, passing from the machine to adjacent benches, where it is fitted together. As much as possible of this finishing is assembled by the use of compressed air and screw cramps, the picture frames and corridor doors being examples of this method of working. Once assembled, the details are passed through a multiple drum-sanding machine and sent for staining and polishing before being erected in the carriage.
The upholstery of the carriages also travels along progressive lines. The component parts of the woodwork for the sides, backs and quarters are assembled in jigs by a gang of finishers, and when completed they are transferred by means of a conveyor to the trimmers, who are supplied with cloth and other material cut to the correct size and stitched. The seat backs and seats pass along benches fitted with rollers in the centre, so that each man performs his own operation and then passes the back or seat along to the next man in the line. The completed upholstery is finished at- the point where it is to be fixed in the coach at stage 7 (see drawing).
The brass work is cast in the brass foundry, and from there it is sent to the brass finishing shop for machining and cleaning up, afterwards traversing the plating department where it receives either venetian bronze, oxidised silver or plain brass lacquer finish, next passing to position No. 3 for fixing in the carriage. The brass shop is laid out- with the rough brass stores on one side, whence the castings pass to the machines, thence to the benches, and from there to the polishers, next to the platers and finally to the lacquerers at the other side of the shop, each operation in turn bringing the parts further across the shop.
The electric light generating unit is made completely in the works. The parts of the generator are cast in the foundry and machined in the machine shop, the complete parts being delivered to the train-lighting department, where the armatures are wound and the generator completely assembled. This also applies to the regulator and switchgear, the cells being manufactured in the cell shop, the lead plates cast, pasted, joined to the bridge, :fitted in lead-lined teak containing boxes, formed and delivered complete.
The actual operations performed at the respective stages in the construction of the carriages vary necessarily according to the class of vehicle that is being built, that is to say, they differ as between a corridor and non-corridor vehicle, and also vary according to the interior finish. The operations set out below show those which have been adopted for 57-ft. corridor composite coaches containing three first-class compartments, and four third-class compartments, as the diagram shows. In order of sequence the operations are carried out as follows:-
First Operation.-This includes :-(a) Floor: Bottom sides (received from the sawmill in two portions). End bars and crossbars are fixed in position on the underframe, the whole being cramped together and secured by the corner knees. Corridor lavatory partition bearers and flour boards are then fixed. (b) Ends : The ends, which are already framed together in jigs and boarded, are fixed in position. (c) Quarters: The quarters, which have already been framed in jigs, panelled up, moulded, glazed and painted one coat outside, are then erected and secured in position with corner knees. (d) Cant rails, already prepared, fixed. (e) Divisions: Made in jigs, with cross boards screwed together with automatic screwing machines, and 3-ply panels above the luggage rack are fixed in position. (j) Bottom framing, battens and bottom quarter panels fixed and doorways gauged.
First Operation in Progressive Building of Standard Carriages : Completed Bottoms.
First Operation (continued): Bottom, Quarters and Ends Erected.
Second Operation. Roof.-(a) Roof sticks and irons fixed, sides straightened up, and roof boarded, canvased and painted lead colour. (b) Side and end cornices, weather strips and water drips fixed. (c) Finishers fix ceilings, roof packings, roof cable runners, corridor partitions and patteras. (d) Electricians install distribution, &c., cables (previously prepared on the bench).
Second Operation in Progressive Building of Standard Carriages: Constructing Roof.
Interior of Standard Corridor Coach at Completion of Second Operation.
Third Operation.-(a) Doors, which have been made and gauged in a master jig, cased inside and polished, are hung, the locks and handles fitted and seat bearers fixed by body makers. (b) Inside ceilings painted white. (c) Roof ventilators fixed, gangways, end steps, end commode and ascending handles fixed. (d) Passenger communication fitted. Finishers fix lavatory tanks and fix and clean up frames, round quarter-lights. (e) Electricians fit lamp fittings, switches, &c.
Third Operation: Hanging Doors.
Fourth Operation.-(a) Body makers fit door bumpers, door guides, door bottom blocks and drip strip. (b) Finishers case up lavatories. (c) Inside ceilings painted third and fourth coats of white, and outside body the second coat lead colour and first coat of filling. (d) Light slips, &c., polished.
Fifth Operation.-(a) Finishers frame up corridor and lavatory partitions ; fit window bars and lavatory fittings. (b) Second coat of filling on outside.
Sixth Operation.-(a) Finishers hang sliding doors, corridor parting and end doors, lavatory doors, :fit squab and photo frames, compartment quarter panels, pillar facings, “hit-and-miss" vent regulators and compartment vent lights, and welt door mouldings ; also fit cornice mouldings. Fix wearing plates. (b} Fitters fix and connect steam heaters and fit passenger communication tube and chain. (c) Trimmers lay linoleum in compartments and corridors and ·”Paraflor" (as made by the North British Rubber Co. Ltd.) in lavatories. (d) Third and fourth coats of filling applied.
Seventh Operation.-(a) Finishers fix luggage racks, seat backs, blind hoods, door lights, seats, tables, &c. (b) Underneath seats and heaters painted, quarter-lights bedded, frames cleaned up.
Eighth Operation.-(a) Outside of coach rubbed down and first coat of lead colour applied. Stepboards fixed by carriage makers. (b) Coach is then transferred to the paint shop for completion of painting.
In fitting the electric lighting installation, the whole of the lighting cables are cut to exact lengths, and all joints made and taped prior to erection. As soon as the casing is in position at stage 2, it is only a few minutes' work to pull the cables through the casing and fix the capping. One lamp holder is then fixed in each compartment and the end of the lighting cable plugged into the shop mains, a socket for this being provided at each stage. A high voltage lamp is then fixed in each compartment to give light when necessary for the men working in the compartments.
As several of the illustrations show, wooden platforms or stages are erected at different levels, so that men working on the various portions of the vehicles are facilitated in their task. Some of the work is performed, as a matter of course, at ground level, and thc highest staging gives immediate access to the roof of the vehicle.
Bogie for Standard Carriage.
The rolled steel bars, comprising the structural members of the underframe and bogies, are deposited in one corner of the shop, from whence they are passed. through the straightening machine, then cut to length on a saw, drilled and placed on the rack adjacent to the first assembling operation. Here also are situated dumps for the various forgings and knees from the manufacturing shops.
The following is the order in which the various members of the underframe are assembled :-
First Operation.-(a) Solebars, truss bars, longitudinals, crossbars, diagonals, headstocks, buffer brackets, diagonal braces, gusset plates. (b) The ends, comprising the crossbar, diagonals, headstocks and buffer brackets, are jigged together before they are assembled in the underframe, and the truss bars, step irons and brake hanger brackets are riveted to the sole bars.
In the second operation the cross truss frames, having been previously jigged together, are assembled in the frame. Rivet holes are reamered where necessary, and riveting is then completed. The third operation consists of mounting the drawgear, brakework, brake and heating pipes, and electric light installation, and the fourth operation is that of painting. The fifth operation consists of lowering the underframe on to the bogies. The bogies are assembled adjacent to the underframes and in a somewhat similar manner, the final operation being carried out near to and on the same road as the underframe lowering operation.
Underframe and Bogies for Standard Carriage.
The progressive system in course at the Wolverton Works is applied to carriage repairs as well as new construction.
Three long vehicles, or five short ones, are put in hand at one time, and the repairs are divided into four operations, each operation requiring two days to complete. The order followed is:-
(1) Coachmakers remove doors, locks, handles, strip panels and gangways. (2) Finishers strip interior (nets, blinds, trimming, brasswork, &c.). (3) Painters burn off.
In the second operation :-(1) The coachmakers re-fit doors, panels, fascias and mouldings. (2) Finishers repair ceilings, panels, &c., scrape lights and re-mould quarterlights. (3) Painters polish lights and paint one coat inside.
The third operation covers the following :-(1) Coachmakers re-fix locks and handles, window lights re-bedded. (2) Finishers replace casing boards and mouldings on doors. (3) Painters apply two coats of paint and one of varnish inside, and two coats of priming outside.
In the fourth operation :-(1) Coachmakers re-fit gangways and fix door stops and commode handles, end steps, &c. (2) Finishers replace inside finishing, brasswork, seats and backs. (3) Painters apply four coats of filling. (4) The coach is then ready to go into the paint shop for rubbing and completion of painting.
One gang, consisting of four coachrnakers and two labourers, prepare and place all timber, panels, and other material on the spot where it is required, and no man engaged on the actual repairs is required to leave the job to look up any material.
Covered Goods Wagons-Preparation of Material. At the present time covered goods wagons are being turned out of the works at the rate of one per hour, or slightly over the hour, but by the employment of more workmen and slight modifications of the lay-out this time could probably be halved. The whole of the component parts of the wagon, both wood work and iron work, receive two coats of paint before being assembled, and the wagon as a whole receives its third and final coat of paint immediately after erection. This final coat is left to dry till the following morning, when the necessary writing is put on, and as soon as this is dry the vehicle is ready for traffic. With the exception of the axle-boxes and buffer guides, practically the whole of the fittings on a standard wagon are drop stamped or pressed, punched or drilled in the machine shops, and dipped in red oxide paint.
The channel sections are straightened, passed on to the saw and cut to length, and then go to the drilling machine. From here they pass to the milling machine, and are next conveyed on rollers to the jigs, in which the centres and ends are assembled and riveted. Simultaneously, the solebars have been placed in position and the centre and ends of the frame assembled on the main jig, where they are riveted. On this jig the guards are put on and set and bearing springs fitted. This last-named operation is performed with the underframe reversed, that is, turned upside down, as shown in one of the accompanying illustrations. The frame rests in supports, two at each end, and by this means the work of fitting the springs is greatly facilitated. The frame is now picked up by the crane and turned over and dropped on the wheels, which have already been prepared and fitted with axle-boxes and brasses and placed in position.
The next operation consists of :fitting the curb angles and drawgear. The third operation is the erection and riveting of the end and side stanchions, which have already been drilled and painted. In the fourth operation the brake work and buffers are fitted. The whole frame is then painted and is ready to be moved to the wagon shop for the body to be built.
Final Stage in Building of Standard 12-Ton Covered Goods Wagons : Painting and Writing.
The wagon body is prepared practically in :five sections -(1) bottoms, (2) end sections, (3) quarter sections, (4) doors, (5) roofs. Each section is made in jigs and is practically complete when painted with two coats of lead colour for assembly. The sections are conveyed to the point of assembly by mechanical means, handling being reduced to a minimum.
The first operation in assembly consists of fixing the bottom on to the underframe. In the second operation the quarters and end sections are erected. The third operation consists of the roof being lowered by an overhead crane and bolted and screwed to the sections. In the fourth operation the whole of the body is bolted up to the stanchions and braces. Next, the doors are hung and the pillars lined inside and brace covers and fillets :fixed inside the body.
After a final coat of paint outside, and writing, the wagon is ready for traffic. Five wagons, in the various stages of assembly, are coupled together with bars, so that they move forward from operation to operation as one unit. As the wagon at the head of the line is completed it is uncoupled, and at the rear another frame ready for the first operation is attached.
General View of Underframe Shop for Standard 12-ton Covered Goods Wagons./p>
Assembling and Riveting Buffer Trimmers on Machine made at Wolverton. Gravity conveyor by British Mathews Limited. London, E.C.
Building Standard 12-ton Covered Goods Wagons: Construction of Underframe Ends on Jigs.
Assembling Underframes : Note Inverted Position.
Lowering Underframe on to Wheels.
Erecting Stanchions and Fitting Brake and Drawgear.
General View, showing Assembling of Bodies for 12-ton Standard Covered Goods Wagons.
Lowering Roof on-to Body of Standard 12-ton Covered Goods Wagon.
Hanging Doors on 12-Ton Covered Goods Wagons.
It is difficult to speak in detail of the exact influence which this new system at Wolverton will have on the rate of production, since the designs of the vehicles which arc being constructed are different to any previously built there. The carriage building operation has not been going on for a sufficient length of time to enable those responsible to estimate what the possibilities of the system are. It seems, however, safe to say that double the number of vehicles previously turned out can be built by the same number of men in half the floor space.
A great point in connection with the system is, however, that the area occupied is very much less than formerly, and this in itself is a great boon in a works which have been established for many years past, with the result that it is difficult or impossible to extend the premises and secure a greater output by that means. A good deal, of course, depends upon the general lay-out of the shops as a whole, and as to whether the subsidiary operations can be conveniently grouped alongside the main erecting lay-out, or whether there is any inherent difficulty in the transportation of the various detailed parts.
Probably the ideal factory for the purpose would comprise a single shop of large proportions under one roof, the length of which would be about two or three times the width. One end would be occupied by the forge and foundry, and following on this there would be the machine shops, succeeded in turn by one long avenue devoted to erecting operations, starting with underframes, body and :final finishing, the painting being done in stages, and the finished vehicles passing out at the far end. This lay-out would probably be about two-thirds of the way across the shop, a large proportion of one side being occupied by the saw mill and finishing mill, whilst the other side would be devoted to the work of trimmers and other subsidiary occupations.
It has been found that considerable benefit accrues from applying the progressive system to carriage and wagon repairs, for the reason that a shortage of repaired material is shown up at once, and therefore the amount of shop space occupied as with new work is considerably reduced. Not only that, but. the average time that a vehicle is under repair is automatically reduced. In practice several vehicles are given to one gang to repair, so that they may have continuous employment should any of the vehicles be held up for repair details. In consequence of this, under the old system, so long as the men are employed no special effort has to be made to hurry up the repairs of the details, such as locks, handles, brass work, general brake work, &c., and in consequence a vehicle takes up valuable room without any work being done on it, and any form of check which is made to ensure that vehicles are not unduly delayed entails a lot of clerical and other labour. _As, explained, the progressive system removes these drawbacks.
Our inspection at Wolverton, which was facilitated in every way by Mr. C. L. Mason, Divisional Carriage and Wagon Superintendent, and Mr. C. O. D. Anderson, Works Manager, showed the system to be working in every way smoothly and apparently to the greatest advantage. The beneficial influence on the system of the Progress Office was very clearly shown, and it is certain that, if anything, the workmanship has been improved rather than otherwise by the methods followed.
Site contents Copyright © LMS Society, 2025
May 20th, 2025
Site contents Copyright © LMS Society, 2025