Horse shunting.
 

I see a photo in the gallery mentioned the use of horses for shunting.

Was this a widespread practice ? I have read that Diss (GER - LNER) used horses for shunting wagons but can't remember where I read it.



Philip.

Like you i have read that horses were used at Bradford Exchange many years ago for shunting wagons and stables there as well for them.
I wonder how much they were paid.
ccmmick.

I found this little snippet


"Quote
Shunting was an activity
which was carried out a lot in
railway goods yards. It
involved moving wagons
around, the purpose being to
get them into the right
position for loading or
unloading, or to assemble a
group of wagons ready for
picking up by a passing
freight train.
In busy yards shunting
was done by small locomotives,
but at quiet country
stations
horses did the job.
Horse shunting continued
until as late as 1967 when
Charlie, the last railway
horse, was retired from
Newmarket station.
Unquote"

And this.

http://www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/fe...r/warner84.asp

Well in the early days it was used everywhere.
At least on lines in existance before 1850 to my knowledge.
The horse was tried and tested and was used on industrial sites up to the 1950s in some areas before steam and diesel finally took over.

There was branch in North Wales which used horses until its closure in 1964. What's more, it was four foot gauge ( I think) and was part of British Railways!

Shunting tractors were also used instead of horses or locos at many locations.

They used them in Bedford I have a girth strap somewhere in my loft that I found when I worked there and the shunter told me they used them

horses, trains and cats
 

interesting how we have changed from horses to trains. obviously i love them both (and cats). yes i know cats don't have much relevance but they are cute. :D

Station cats were always an essential part of the railway system,
Did we hear about the results regarding a book or film about railway cats, must have been last year or the year before?
John (G)