Great Western Coffee Shop

All across the Great Western territory => Across the West => Topic started by: grahame on June 29, 2020, 05:37:44



Title: Freight in our area
Post by: grahame on June 29, 2020, 05:37:44
I have just stumbled upon a picture of the Avon Gorge showing river, road, and rail with a freight train - in Bristol Railway Enthusiasts Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/230589460445846/permalink/1532359870268792/) (sorry - link will only work if you're a member)

Quote
The SuO 1842 Severnside-Brentford climbs past the site of Sneyd Park Junction, 28/6/20, on a rather dull and blustery evening...


Now - I had kinda assumed that any freight from Avonmouth went via Henbury these days as there weren't paths through Clifton Down - at least during the day- but it appears I'm mistaken.

Where are the freight flows in the South West these days?


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: CyclingSid on June 29, 2020, 06:52:31
Quote
link will only work if you're a member

I presume you mean of Bristol Railway Enthusiasts Group.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: grahame on June 29, 2020, 08:02:33
Quote
link will only work if you're a member

I presume you mean of Bristol Railway Enthusiasts Group.

Yes, that Facebook page. Sorry to be unclear.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: rogerw on June 29, 2020, 09:37:27
Never knew they existed. I have applied to join


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Bmblbzzz on June 29, 2020, 10:04:57
I have just stumbled upon a picture of the Avon Gorge showing river, road, and rail with a freight train - in Bristol Railway Enthusiasts Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/230589460445846/permalink/1532359870268792/) (sorry - link will only work if you're a member)

Quote
The SuO 1842 Severnside-Brentford climbs past the site of Sneyd Park Junction, 28/6/20, on a rather dull and blustery evening...


Now - I had kinda assumed that any freight from Avonmouth went via Henbury these days as there weren't paths through Clifton Down - at least during the day- but it appears I'm mistaken.

Where are the freight flows in the South West these days?
I had assumed the same. But I'd also noticed there are yellow lines on the platforms at Redland, Montpellier, etc, which implies trains passing without stopping. So that would be these freight trains. Although I also think I might possibly perhaps have read they serve the incinerator, which is on the Severn Beach "extension" so inaccessible from Henbury without some complicated reversing manoeuvre.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: GBM on June 29, 2020, 11:08:52
Whilst there is some clay traffic from Fowey, I guess there is nothing West of Lostwithiel?
Apart from notwork fail traffic for maintenance, etc.
I believe everything for Falmouth Docks in now all on the road, leaving the branch line for passenger use only.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: rogerw on June 29, 2020, 11:59:58
No traffic from Fowey, except empties. China clay traffic as far west as Burngallow, most going to Fowey but a few trains still, I think, to other UK destinations. Still cement traffic to Moorswater


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: grahame on June 29, 2020, 13:42:20
No traffic from Fowey, except empties. China clay traffic as far west as Burngallow, most going to Fowey but a few trains still, I think, to other UK destinations. Still cement traffic to Moorswater

Still west of Plymouth - St Blazey / Goonbarrow / Ernesettle - anything?


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: rogerpatenall on June 29, 2020, 14:59:22
No traffic from Fowey, except empties.

So, Roger. How do they get there? Are they empty on the way in - or is there some magic wagon manufacturing plant producing empties for distribution? I'm intrigued.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Celestial on June 29, 2020, 15:32:56
No traffic from Fowey, except empties.

So, Roger. How do they get there? Are they empty on the way in - or is there some magic wagon manufacturing plant producing empties for distribution? I'm intrigued.
I guess traffic to Fowey are "fullies", traffic from Fowety are empties. So in that sense the statement was correct?


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Robin Summerhill on June 29, 2020, 15:49:05
Getting back to Clifton Down, RTT suggests that the only regular freight traffic currently going that was is the Brentofrd to Avonmouth consignments for the incinerator and the empties back.

As has already been noted, routeing it this way avoids a complicated freversal. Furthermore, as it is in the Bristol area in the small hours there is nothing else using the line at the time.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Rooke on June 29, 2020, 18:14:33
This train is routed via Clifton down on Sundays only back from Severnside tyo Brtentford. All other workings are normally via Henbury hence topping and tailing of the train.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: johnneyw on June 29, 2020, 21:25:28
Last year, I was sad enough to get up a tad early to see the early freight service pass through Redland Station. I was quite impressed with how long the train was. Feeling like a coffee was in order, I jumped on the next Severn Beach service to Temple Meads but overestimated the opening times of Bony's and the other outlet in the underpass. Dismayed, I took the return service home for some cafetier coffee and reflected on what a sad loss Kiera's coffee trike at Redland was.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Umberleigh on July 05, 2020, 11:32:23
In 2017 I stayed in an AirBnB that backed onto the Severn Beach line near Montpellier station and my bedroom had a view of the line. Much to my surprise, I was awoken in the early hours of the morning by a 66 and container train heading towards Avonmouth (powering up from the junction on the main line). Witnessed this twice during the week.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Umberleigh on July 05, 2020, 11:50:49
To add, a large amount of freight west of Exeter has been lost since the 1990s. What remains are occasional Alphington spur scrap metal trains, very occasional MOD trains to the depot on the first stretch of the Gunnislake line (sorry, can't think of its name, Ernesettle?), the Moorswater cement, the china clay workings around Fowey and Burngullow etc. and china clay trains north beyond Exeter (saw one last summer). For a while we had the timber trains from the Heathfield branch but sadly the Dawlish seawall collapse put paid to those, and they were switched to Exeter. The rest are all related to track renewals, such as aggregates.

Lost were the regular Meldon aggregates flows, the bitumen, china clay and scrap metal flows to Plymouth and fuel trains down to Penzance (thanks GWR :-[) and also china clay and fuel oil workings on the Heathfield line (I'm sure there's more). Its a bleak picture when you consider that in the early 80s the Barnstaple branch alone carried china clay, cement, timber, chemicals and fertiliser freight (and milk tanks until the 70s).


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Pb_devon on July 06, 2020, 07:45:00
You were correct....the MoD armaments depot is Ernesettle.
Also the occasional nuclear waste flasks from Devonport Dockyard to Sellafield. This is guaranteed future traffic as submarine decommissioning will continue for many years.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Umberleigh on July 19, 2020, 20:46:44
I recently came across a reference to Railfreight once carried on the Bodmin & Wenford heritage railway and then onwards from Bodmin Parkway by EWS. Something to do with a lighting supplier using the old EWS Enterprise mixed trainload service that ran from from St Blazey. Can anyone shed any light on this?


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: bradshaw on July 19, 2020, 21:00:50
https://www.bodmin-heritage-diesels.co.uk/home1/Freight.html

This link gives the details, the company was Fitzgerald lighting


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Bmblbzzz on July 20, 2020, 13:48:36
I recently came across a reference to Railfreight once carried on the Bodmin & Wenford heritage railway and then onwards from Bodmin Parkway by EWS. Something to do with a lighting supplier using the old EWS Enterprise mixed trainload service that ran from from St Blazey. Can anyone shed any light on this?
Was it a light goods service?


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: old original on August 06, 2020, 07:31:40
DB Cargo has retained it's China clay contract in Cornwall or a further two years..

https://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/db-cargo-extends-cornish-clay-train-contract



Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Umberleigh on August 16, 2020, 19:23:29
Great news but only two years suggests they are really being squeezed by Imerys to keep on top of costs and thus prices


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Umberleigh on August 16, 2020, 19:39:32
Found this article that explains how the clay trains operate and that the combined Par Docks & Trevisco trains up to Exeter and beyond still have to be split because of the Devon banks:

https://www.railmagazine.com/trains/current-trains/stop-start-66-put-through-its-paces


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Bmblbzzz on August 17, 2020, 09:47:27
Found this article that explains how the clay trains operate and that the combined Par Docks & Trevisco trains up to Exeter and beyond still have to be split because of the Devon banks:

https://www.railmagazine.com/trains/current-trains/stop-start-66-put-through-its-paces
Quote
The Auto Engine Stop Start (AESS) technology, manufactured by ZTR, will be fitted to 30 locomotives by the end of this year, and a further 60 in 2015. By the end of 2016, all 174 DB Class 66s based in the UK will be fitted with the technology.
Wow! I'd never thought of trains having this too.


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Bmblbzzz on August 17, 2020, 10:05:50
Also from that article, the description of the unloading process, with the train split into two sets, the "Beetle", a traverser and a whole lot of shunting going on, freight operations by rail do sound complicated!


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Lee on August 17, 2020, 15:18:07
Also from that article, the description of the unloading process, with the train split into two sets, the "Beetle", a traverser and a whole lot of shunting going on, freight operations by rail do sound complicated!

(https://smartindustryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/Truck770x385.jpg)


Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: RichardB on August 19, 2022, 11:51:27
Here's a tweet which includes a speeded up film of a china clay train from Rocks dries at Goonbarrow Junction to Carne Point, Fowey Docks.  The film was made by Matthew Thompson of Network Rail.

https://twitter.com/claywagonbodmin/status/1560496909105725440



Title: Re: Freight in our area
Post by: Witham Bobby on August 19, 2022, 14:43:23
No summary of freight traffic on GWR territory would be complete without mentioning the stone traffic originating from Merehead and Whatley quarries.  Back in the mid 1970s, with 8 - 12 trainloads per day leaving Merehead, you'd have thought that The Mendips would all be flattened within 20 years.  And yet they keep pulling the stone out, half a century later



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