Sails on Rails ; Sail trolleys & bogies

Sails on Rails

These devices, termed sail trolleys or bogies, have always fascinated me. As a youngster (in the early 1970's) I would accompany my father driving along the road which snakes through the dunes down to the South Gare, Teesside (where he worked as a Tees River Pilot), and I would look out for remains of the standard gauge railway which ran near the road - my father would then tell me that years ago they used to run trucks with sails fitted along this line. (My father died when I was eleven - this is one of the enigmatic memories I have of him. It's not impossible that this has given me a growing interest in such 'devices'.)
I've as yet to find a sail railtruck in the flesh so to speak, perhaps you know where one still lives ? In any event, if you're aware of other locations where they were used, please do let me know. (E-mail me)

Mike Munro

***Francis Works Tramway, Cliffe, Kent***
(2ft gauge)
'The sail-powered trolley used on the Francis Works tramway after it closed; it was run down to the shore at Cliffe to dig worms and inspect the sea defences. Mrs M.Foord' 'The Cement Railways of Kent', B.D. Stoyel & R.W.Kidner, p.64, Oakwood Press, 1990.

[Looks to have been converted from a side-tipping vee-skip wagon, and judging
by the complex rigging, by an experienced sailor - perhaps the one in the photograph ?]

South Gare, Teesside
('Standard' gauge)

'A sail bogie on the railway at South Gare.
(Courtesy Langbaurgh on Tees Museum Service)'
Industrial Railway Record, No.131, p.135

'...photographer A. Cattani of Redcar'
D.Bayliss, Sheffield
Industrial Railway Record, No.131, p.73

'The occasion is not known, but to judge by the top hats, the visitors about to enjoy a ride on one of the sailbogies were of some importance.
[Peter Tinsley, East Cleveland Trails and Tourism Project.]'
Industrial Heritage Magazine, 1995, Vol.13, No.2, p.15
(Sail bogie on the South Gare - Teesside)

Spurn Head Railway, East Yorkshire

'...view of a sail bogie on the Spurn head Railway.
(courtesy N.Redmayne)'
'The Spun Head Railway', Kenneth E. Hartley,
Industrial Railway Record, No.67, Aug 1976, p.276

'Sail bogie as used by the lifeboatmen on the Spurn Head Railway.
(collection K.E.Hartley)'
'The Spun Head Railway', Kenneth E. Hartley,
Industrial Railway Record, No.67, Aug 1976, p.274

***Port Stanley, The Falklands***
'A convoy of sail trollies on the Admiralty Wireless Tramway at Port Stanley in the Falklands, probably taken 1910/20ish. Quality is poor, being a scan of a not-very-well-photocopied-photograph.' Info and picture provided by Mike Jackson - many thanks

***Ransomes and Rapier, Waterside Works, Ipswich***
'Sail trolley pictured at Waterside Works, first produced in 1869' (R&R - Suffolk Record Office) 'Rail Trolleys', The Narrow Gauge No.177, 2002, p.61

[The only sail trolley I'm aware of, as offered by a manufacturer. A 'standard'
wooden framed gangers trolley - with sail and mast available as an optional extra.]

***Stokes Bay Light Railway, Gosport***
(60cm or 2ft gauge)
'RE Sail trolley travels between Fort Blockhouse and Fort Monckton, Gosport, circa 1895. (Royal Signals Museum) 'Sail and Steam to Gilkicker Point', The Narrow Gauge No.133, 1991, p.6

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