An answer appeared in an email from Geoff Gauntlet.
'The women on the coal truck are trimming the load to ensure that nothing can fall off. A lump of coal slipping off the truck as it made its way along the line could do some nasty damage to anyone adjacent to the track e.g. a shunter, permanent way man or even a passenger stood on a station platform. The receiving coal merchant would also be a few lumps short of what was weighted into the wagon at the screens.'
Seems logical to me.
This from and email this morning:
Take a look at this. The bits before the grovelling are great especially the short clip at about 50sec. Never seen that mentioned let along modelled.
So what is going on with the coal shovelling?
It looks like typical human rights abuse from that period. A bit like the joke from "Ripping Yarns" where someone had to linseed oil the school cormorant... and yes, that bit at 50 secs is marvellous! Note the guys in the background hammering seven shades out of something.
ReplyDelete