Poole Port Freight

[jackrob]

Where can i find information on the freight movments than run into Poole Port? They run of a branch from Hamworthy station to the docks.

 

Any infortmation would be kindly recieved.

[rob D2]

Hi,

If you are registered on wnxx.com interactive forum, the guys who run freightmaster are normally on there and generally willing to provide headcodes/times, or are you just interested in more general info ?

[pitbull1845]

Hi,

If you are talking about up to date freight workings then the only one scheduled is a stone train which is an as and when required, which is normally a Friday(?) and thats only to an industrial estate near to Hamworthy station. Idon't think it goes all the way to the docks.

 

Its normally Hauled by a 59.

 

Other than that its not used except for the very rare Network Rail working.

It was a bit busier quite a few years ago, I remember one working was a steel train.

 

 

Hope that is of some help, sorry its not exact time and day details, if I find out i will post it here.

 

Cheers

Scott

[Gordon A]

Jackrob,

 

Over 20 years ago, when I worked down in the docks there was the tail end of coal traffic on the Wharf opposite Town Quay.

There was tinplate rolls imported from a rolling mill in Holland. These were loaded onto bogie bolsters and taken away by an 08 shunter.

The tin plate traffic were the most regular movements.

 

Timber and other bulk cargos arrived by sea.

.

There was for a while a container train that brought whisky down from Scotland for export on Truckline Ferries.

 

I believe there is an Oakwood Press book titled something like Rails around Poole.

 

Gordon A

Bristol

[Fat Controller]

Jackrob,

 

Over 20 years ago, when I worked down in the docks there was the tail end of coal traffic on the Wharf opposite Town Quay.

There was tinplate rolls imported from a rolling mill in Holland. These were loaded onto bogie bolsters and taken away by an 08 shunter.

The tin plate traffic were the most regular movements.

 

Timber and other bulk cargos arrived by sea.

.

There was for a while a container train that brought whisky down from Scotland for export on Truckline Ferries.

 

I believe there is an Oakwood Press book titled something like Rails around Poole.

 

Gordon A

Bristol

 

Searching 'Hamworthy Quay' should throw up something. There was both inbound and outbound steel billet and coil traffic until the early 1990s. Since then, there's only been intermittent stone traffic.

[Ian J.]

I believe scrap metal was taken out by rail for a while not so long ago, though I could be wrong. Certainly it's not used much at all today. I used to work at one of the shipping agents on the docks back in the late 80s, but we never handled cargos in or out by rail (that was done by the other agents). From what I remember, I saw steel was the main rail born cargo, either in rebar (reinforcing bar for concrete in bundles), and rolls of plate steel (called 'coils', but they aren't coiled...) for the Rover plant in Swindon I believe.

[rob D2]

Yes

I seem to recall scrap trains in the Ews era at least

[RobR]

Hi,

If you are talking about up to date freight workings then the only one scheduled is a stone train which is an as and when required, which is normally a Friday(?) and thats only to an industrial estate near to Hamworthy station. Idon't think it goes all the way to the docks.

It unloads at the industrial estate, but has to go further down the branch to run-round. This used to involve going across the level crossing on the road into the ferry port, and on to Poole Harbour Commissioner property. Following objections from P H C a new connection was put into an existing siding just past Hamworthy Park level crossing in, I think, 2008, so the run-round is now done entirely on railway property. This can be seen from the park alongside.

The last scrap trains ran in 2005, and were loaded on the dockside.

Rob

[yellowvanman]

poole quay with shunter and 60 waiting for wagons to be loaded ..late 90s

[yellowvanman]

Scrap train waiting to run round after being loaded at Ham junc...same place as stone is unloaded.

[Ian J.]

09 015 (I think) at Hamworthy in late 89/early 90, on steel coil wagons:

 

[pitbull1845]

Some nice photos and info here, the Dock shunter is still there, slowly rotting away..

[yellowvanman]

37s on the stone at Hamworthy late 90s and failed 37s at Brock with 6V99 Ham-Cardiff ..late 80s

[pitbull1845]

Excellent stuff Yellowvanman, I've just sold all of my modern EWS stock and I am returning to the late 80's early 90's so these photos are giving me ideas... I really appreciate you posting them.

 

Jackrob has this answered your initial question??

 

Cheers

Scott

[jackrob]

Excellent stuff Yellowvanman, I've just sold all of my modern EWS stock and I am returning to the late 80's early 90's so these photos are giving me ideas... I really appreciate you posting them.

 

Jackrob has this answered your initial question??

 

Cheers

Scott

 

Yes, thanks everyone for the info and pictures. Sad to see it decline though. Not too long ago I used to go down to the docks with my dad and observe some workings, although even then they were quite rare. Seems strange its not used frequently though, its good links, roads and rail wise and theres lots of containers and things coming to the docks on lorries.

 

poole quay with shunter and 60 waiting for wagons to be loaded ..late 90s

 

And also, what is this shunter?

[br2975]

In sectorisation days what had started out as a Severn Tunnel Jct - Hamworthy service became a Tidal (Cardiff) - Swindon (Cocklebury) - (Bevois Park) Southampton - Hamworthy job.

.

Initially diagrammed for Canton (Metals) 37s the service became one of the first to employ Canton (Metals) Cl.60s.

.

This was at the behest of Allied Steel & Wire, who were very pro-rail, and received scrap from Cooper's, Swindon and delivered some steel products to Southampton, and also received billets from Holland shipped into Hamworthy Quay, for re-rolling at the Cardiff Rod Mill.

.

Outwardly the service would drop off empty scrap wagons at Swindon (Cocklebury Yard IIRC) for tripping to the scrap yard, and would then run on to Southampton where any loaded BDA/BEA or SEA/SPA wagons with rod, bar or coil would be deposited for unloading. The train then continued to Hamworthy with empty BDA/BEA bolsters for loading with imported billets. Later the train would also contain wagons for loading with scrap at Hamworthy.

 

On the return, the empty BDA/BEA & SPA/SEA wagons were collected at Southampton, and scrap from Swindon and the train would head back to Tidal (Cardiff).

.

The billets imported by ASW from Holland were the product of a 'concast' machine (continuous casting) and as a result were concave at one end, and convex at the other. They had to be received at the Cardiff Rod Mill the right way around, and that was the reason for opening the branch from Long Dyke into the Cardiff Rod Mill.The photo above of a Cl.47/37 combo at Brockenhurst shows imported billets on a BDA/BEA.

.

Such was the link between ASW and the Poole Harbour operators that at one time a (surplus) former ASW Yorkshire Engine Co. 0-6-0DE of the 'Janus' class was used at Hamworthy Quay for shunting. Another similar loco was despatched to Trafford Park, Manchester another source of ASW traffic.

.

Sheet coil was carried on the service in vac braked BNX wagons (IIRC) as shown in the pic above, hauled by a Cl.37. but these wagons appear not to have reached the 1990s on this service (or the traffic dried up ?) and the survivors congregated at Goole/Immingham.

.

The JXA coil wagon shown with the Cl.09 shunter above was one of a series built by Powell Duffryn during the mid-80s and which were very common on the S.Wales - Hamworthy axis. In fact some were letterd for 'John Carter, Poole'. They were eventually converted to JNA (?) scrap wagons, by fitting box bodies.

.

Brian R

[pitbull1845]

Thanks Brian, very informative.

Regards

Scott

[br2975]

Thanks Brian, very informative.

 

We aim to please or as my 'Chief' now likes "Make every contact count".

.

I think me means with 'joe public' not railway forums !

.

Brian R

[jamie92208]

Just found this topic and have also just got back from a week in Bournemouth. This included a trip to Poole and a short visit to Hamworthy. I drove across to the branch and went over the level crossing not far from the docks. There were two Network Rail Vans there and some men in orange working about 100 yards away (possibly on the crossing equipment. The rails appeared to have been used recently. Does anyone know if any traffic has started up again to the docks themselves.

 

Jamie

[pitbull1845]

Hi Jamie,

A fence has been built across the tracks, closing the docks off.

The only traffic that has used it recently is the stone train (apart from a railtour and NR train) The stone train didnt enter the dock area. This has now stopped so there are no current services onto the branch or indeed the docks.

[jonhall]

37s on the stone at Hamworthy late 90s and failed 37s at Brock with 6V99 Ham-Cardiff ..late 80s

 

I've been lokking for that photo with the pile of phoneboxes for ages - I couldn't remember where I'd seen it - I think that shows the part demolished cement silos - we had been discussing if there were two or three - I think that shows the base of three.

 

Hampton COurt MRS are building Hamworthy in 4mm

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/11520-hamworthy-dorset-coast-c1988/page__st__25

 

Jon

[jamie92208]

Hi Jamie,

A fence has been built across the tracks, closing the docks off.

The only traffic that has used it recently is the stone train (apart from a railtour and NR train) The stone train didnt enter the dock area. This has now stopped so there are no current services onto the branch or indeed the docks.

 

Thanks for that Pitbull. I just wondered if the NR work was due to some other expected new traffic.

 

Jamie

[new puritan]

Hi Jamie,

A fence has been built across the tracks, closing the docks off.

The only traffic that has used it recently is the stone train (apart from a railtour and NR train) The stone train didnt enter the dock area. This has now stopped so there are no current services onto the branch or indeed the docks.

 

 

Last stone train to Hamworthy ran on 01/06/2012 and I managed to miss it on my travels but snapped the penultimate return working at Eastleigh on 31/05/2012 with 59101 up front.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark

[PaulRhB]

Thanks for that Pitbull. I just wondered if the NR work was due to some other expected new traffic.

No it's just the standard test train, if they mothball the branch they might cut it off the circuit eventually. A freight only line is fairly easy to re-activate as they can get away with spot re-sleepering. The only proviso is that the planning dept. tell the p-way if there's a sniff of new traffic or you get similar panic to when the Furzebrook section was booked for a train after a couple of years of no trains and the p-way had taken it off the inspection rota to save money. Quidhamton sdgs near Salisbury are rotting away slowly but they have maintained sufficient length so that tampers and trains can use the crossover for single line working etc. You wouldn't want to put a loco over the pointwork at the the quarry end now though without some work first.

[PaulRhB]

So much for that being the last train,

7O51 heading to Hamworthy! Poole 0915

59005 & 16 loaded wagons