Western Region 1980s freight - West of England Division, my photos

[Rivercider]

I have posted a number of my photos on various threads over the last couple of years, many of them have been of freight trains which I found fascinating for as long as I can remember. Most of my photos were taken between 1980 and 1986 on an SLR camera, though I have a number of earlier poorer shots taken in the late 1970s. I have been thinking of starting a new thread specifically for them, though as it is a large subject I have decided to concentrate on the Western Region with which I am more familiar.

I started on BR in Bristol in 1977, but as my father was working for the W.R. civil engineers I already knew quite a bit about freight services, particularly in the West of England Division. From 1978 I worked in Bristol TOPS so my photographic trips were usually on midweek rest days, and I couild make use of TOPS reports to decide where to go. Many of my photos were taken in the Bristol Area, but also plenty around Exeter and also Newport and Cardiff.

I will try to add a few photos on each post, and try to link them with a theme, and include a little background information about them where possible.

 

As this thread grows I think it may be helpful to add an index for the content of each page.

Page 1  - St Blazey area and Cornish clay, Plymouth area trips

Page 2 - Newton Abbot, Exeter Riverside and local trips,

Page 3 - Exeter trips, Meldon Quarry and the North Devon Line, Taunton and Bridgwater

Page 4 - Traffic between Taunton and Bristol, Ashton Meadows and Bristol Temple Meads 

Page 5 - KIngsland Road Yard, Bristol area trips,  East Depot engineers

Page 6 - Lawrence Hill Yard

Page 7 -  Avonside Branch, traffic passing Stapleton Road,Stoke Gifford Yard

Page 8 - Tytherington stone traffic, Stoke Gifford Speedlink traffic, Avonmouth map.

Page 9 - Hallen Marsh, Port of Bristol and Smelting Works

Page 10 - Gloucester area, Worcester Yard

Page 11 - Worcester area and Newland PAD

Page 12 - Hereford. Bath Spa, the Avon Valley and Westbury 

Page 13 - Westbury loco depot, Warminster

Page 14 - Clink Road, Witham, Whatley and Merehead Quarries and Swindon

Page 15 - Swindon

 

I will start a separate thread for traffic on the London Division where I only made a few visits

I took only a few photos in this area, and they cover the following locations 

Didcot 

Oxford

Reading

Acton 

 

Later I will create a third thread covering the South Wales Division where I made more visits

and will have photos at the following locations

Severn Tunnel Junction

Llanwern steel & iron ore

East Usk Coal

Newport station steel and coal

A.D. Junction

Ebbw Vale traffic

Cardiff area trips

Aberthaw MGR

Cardiff Valleys coal

Swansea Docks export coal

Llanelli coal

Pantyffynnon area

Milford Haven oil refinery traffic

 

This will certainly be a slow process, and my photos will, as usual, be of variable quality.

Let me see how far I can get, before the novelty wears off, my scanner dies, or Mrs Rivercider finds me something else to do!

 

cheers

Edited January 15, 2015 by Rivercider

[ZiderHead]

Freight, Bristol area, BR blue. Music to my ears!

 

Looking forward to seeing these

[Eggesford box]

Go on, you know you want to!

[Rivercider]

So, where to start?

My photos scanned onto Flickr are arranged by geographically by county starting in Cornwall.

 

I know that the local staff in Cornwall sometimes referred to locations by different names,

but my knowledge of the ECC locations was based on the TOPS locations and my invaluable Baker Rail Atlas.

 

When I made my first photographic visit to Cornwall in 1980 there were a number of locations dispatching

clayhoods to Fowey with export clay.

The locations I remember were Drinninck Mill and Burngullow, and possibly Parkandillack in the west,

Goonbarrow on the Newquay Branch.

Also Wenford Bridge and Moorswater, and from Devon at Marsh Mills east of Plymouth.

Ball clay also came from Heathfield and North Devon but I do not think I photographed that traffic.

  

Class 25s had been working many of the clay trips in the area from 1971 - 1980,

I only managed a couple of photos of the 25s as by 1980 the first replacement 37s were already allocated to Laira 

25155 rests in St Blazey with clayhoods that it had worked up frm the Burngullow direction,

on the left is 37142, one of the first 37s in Cornwall, 16/7/80

 

37207 briefly disturbs the peace at Bodmin Road as it hurries west with loaded clayhoods for Fowey,

these would have come from either Moorswater, or Marsh Mills, 15/4/83

 

37274 this time, passing westwards through St Austell with empties for either Burngullow or Drinnick Mill, 8/3/83

 

Lostwithiel in the rain, 37206 comes up from the west with loads for Fowey,

it will run round in one of the loops at Lostwithiel, then head off down the branch to Fowey, 23/6/82

 

cheers

 

 

[The Stationmaster]

A massive period of change for freight on the Western with much traffic vanishing forever, some major yards closing (e.g Severn Tunnel Jcn), revised working at others, Speedlink changes, the arrival of the Class 59s and the emergence of the 'super trains' out of Merehead and much more such as the emergence of the freight business sectors and their gradually increasing influence plus us on the Region getting on with specialising the work at traincrew depots in our own version of 'sectorisation'.

[Rivercider]

A massive period of change for freight on the Western with much traffic vanishing forever, some major yards closing (e.g Severn Tunnel Jcn), revised working at others, Speedlink changes, the arrival of the Class 59s and the emergence of the 'super trains' out of Merehead and much more such as the emergence of the freight business sectors and their gradually increasing influence plus us on the Region getting on with specialising the work at traincrew depots in our own version of 'sectorisation'.

Very true Mike.

Yards, locos and traffic seemed to disappear quickly, I only managed to capture a small part of the changing scene.

 

My railway photography petered out in 1986, I was working at W.R. HQ in Swindon 1985 - 1988 when Sectorisation came along,

having been displaced from my job, and been low on the 'closed listing' process I ended up briefly a very square peg in a very round hole

and became a bit disillusioned.  Beer and football took over my interests.

 

Here are a few more pictures from my previously scanned list tonight,  most have been posted before.

In 1980 there was still the very last remains of the vacuum braked network still in operation.

At Par 37142 has just run round these two coal wagons, a 16t min and a 21t min loaded with domestic coal for St Austell, 21/4/82

 

Most of the traffic other than the clayhoods for Fowey was now airbraked and went forward on the Speedlink Network

A number of trips were centered on St Blazey , the traffic going forward on 6M72 for Cliffe Vale, or 6C39 to Severn Tunnel Junction 

37181 propels a trip from Par around to St Blazey. The 3 clay tigers on the right will be for Cliffe Vale on 6M72, 7/11/83

 

A trip from Goonbarrow arrives at St Blazey behind 45059, there is another clay tiger for Cliffe Vale next to the loco, and 3 ferry vans with export clay, 7/11/83

 

In a copy of the 1976 local trip booklet there 5 diagrams for Laira class 25s to work local clay trips including to Pontsmill.

When I photographed the Pontsmill trip it was being worked by the St Blazey 08 yard pilot.

08488 returns to St Blazey with 3 PRAs of clay for Wiggin Teape paper mill at Corpach, 

I think there shouild probably have been  brake van on this trip, 7/11/83

 

Thats all for one night, 05.00 start at work tomorrow

cheers

Edited March 19, 2014 by Rivercider

[jonny777]

Excellent photos. Thanks very much.

[Rods_of_Revolution]

Thanks for the photos!

 

From what I gather the trips to Pontsmill were sometimes (often?) controlled by a shunter rather than a guard. The wagons would be propelled up to Pontsmill with a brake van leading, if there were more wagons than usual, or there was a hold up with loading, the wagons would be left at the clay works, the 08 returning with just the brake van. When the 08 returned to collect the wagons, if the move was controlled by a shunter, a brake van would not be required (it would require a brake van if a guard was controlling the move as the guard couldn't ride in the cab). In this scenario you'd get the 08 returning with just the wagons, no brake van!

 

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong :-)

 

Cheers,

 

Jack

[Vin]

Hi all,

 

Excellent photos.

I think the 08 hauling the three PRA's should have a brake van on as its a Vacuum only 08 so no train brakes. I can't remember what the geography around that area is but I bet most of it isn't on the flat!

 

Vin

[Vin]

Cheers Mickey. It's only a couple of miles but at 15mph would have taken ages.

 

Vin

[ullypug]

Nice. I especially like the shot of the coal train at snostle. Mmmmm. Thinks...

[Rivercider]

The clay traffic from Wenford Bridge was worked by a St Blazey class 08 to Boscarne Junction

Lairas class 25s and later class 37s then worked the traffic forward to Fowey.

08113 has been working at Wenford Bridge and is seen here at Bodmin Road on its way back to St Blazey, 15/4/83

 

A short time later 37181 arrived from Fowey with empty clayhoods for Wenford Bridge 

37181 has run round the empty clayhoods at Bodmin Road and will shortly take them up to Boscarne Junction,15/4/83

 

cheer

[Rivercider]

And now we cross the border into England, errr Devon, for a couple of photos in Plymouth.

I never took many pictures in Plymouth as I was usually only changing trains on the way west.

 

Tavistock Junction was the largest marshalling yard in the Plymouth area, in the 1970s when I first knew it 

traffic had declined and it only seemed to be used for handling the clay traffic ex Marsh Mills and for engineers traffic.

The 1976 local trip booklet showed that the local 03 and 08 trip locos all worked out of Friary which had become the main yard

for handling local freight traffic which came from Exeter Riverside, The Plymouth TOPS Office was also located at Friary.

Later in the 1980s, when the Speedlink Network was developed, the roles were reversed, with Speedlink services between

St Blazey and the rest of the network calling at Tavistock Junction, and the local trips worked out from there.

 

When Friary was still the main yard serving Plymouth the Marsh Mills trip waits at Tavistock Junction to return to Friary.

08941 has a Cov-AB and some clayfits probably loaded for Stoke on Trent, these will be attached to a Friary to Exeter Riverside service,

and then connect into the daily Clayliner service from St Blazey to Stoke on Trent, 22/9/80

 

Two years later and the Speedlink Network is growing, 08953 is working a local trip from either MOD at Ernesettle or Keyham

to Tavistock Junction, and is seen passing through Plymouth.  There are 4 VEAs behind the loco, and more out of sight

as this was quite a lengthy train, 15/11/82

 

cheers

Edited March 19, 2014 by Rivercider

[rob D2]

Pure BR blue gold,

Thanks and keep it coming !

[jonny777]

Those photos bring back the memories of good old Speedlink, private industrial sidings being encouraged where possible and wagonload traffic expanding again for a short time. And all lost on the pre-privatisation bonfire of anything which did not make an 8%   return that was demanded by the faceless DfT beaurocrats.

 

150,000 extra lorries on the road, within 12 months.

 

(I hope this will not be counted as too 'political')

[queensquare]

A cracking thread that promises loads more to come - many thanks for taking the trouble to post. Looking forward to the material from around Westbury.

 

Jerry

[The Stationmaster]

Those photos bring back the memories of good old Speedlink, private industrial sidings being encouraged where possible and wagonload traffic expanding again for a short time. And all lost on the pre-privatisation bonfire of anything which did not make an 8%   return that was demanded by the faceless DfT beaurocrats.

 

150,000 extra lorries on the road, within 12 months.

 

(I hope this will not be counted as too 'political')

Agreed but to be accurate the faceless ones who demanded a higher rate of return were in fact The Treasury (fairly likely working on political orders but that has never become clear).

[ZiderHead]

Not unreasonable given that base rates averaged over 10% from 1977-1991 ...

[Rivercider]

Thanks for the comments.

I am going by memory, prompted by my photo collection, so I may miss out some important freight traffic, if so let me know.

There were some parts of the region I did not visit much, like the London area.

 

Before I move on from Plymouth I have checked my Baker Atlas to remind myself of the yards there.

 

The 1976 trip booklet showed 4 local freight trips:-

trip 5, an 08 from Friary to Ernesettle and Keyham MOD

trip 6, an 08 from Friary to Marsh Mills ECC, Tavi Jn and Laira TMD

trip 8, an 03 from  Friary to Cattewater Esso and Shell and Plymstock Blue Circle 

trip 10, an 08 on the Friary Yard pilot. 

 

I remember from the late 1970s Fisons at Avonmouth sent TTA tanks of ammonium nitrate (ANs or green tanks we knew them as)

to Fisons at Cattewater.

There was also the UKF / Shellstar fertilizer depot at Friary, like Bridgwater  I think it was operated by M Thomas

and in the Speedlink era handled other traffics.

 

IIn the 1970s Blue Circle at Plymstock sent cement in presflos on ordinary wagon load services to Chippenham,

which ran via Bristol Kingsland Road.

Another, more well known, cement flow from Plymstock was to Chacewater.

I photographed empties from Chacewater at Truro one day, the working was combined with the Penzance Long Rock fuel tanks

50025 Invincible departs Truro with the Ponsandane - Friary service, 8/3/83

 

cheers

[floss_4]

 

There was also the UKF / Shellstar fertilizer depot at Friary, like Bridgwater  I think it was operated by M Thomas

and in the Speedlink era handled other traffics.

 

 

Had a work visit out there the other day. The track to Friary then off to Cattewater past the former UKF depot, and the 3 remaining roads look to be in fairly good condition considering they haven't had regular use since about 2008. M Thomas did operate this facility along with the similar ones at Truro and Bridgwater. From what I can gather there was some occasional rail traffic their Friary site after the UKF traffic finished in the 90's. They subsequently moved to another location in Plymouth and sold the site next to Friary which is now a housing development. I think they ceased operating 2 or 3 years ago though some one is still operating M Thomas trailers.

[floss_4]

Going back to post #7 and the coal working to St.Austell, does anybody know when the yard there shut? I returned to live near St. Austell in 1981 and I cannot recall it still open then.  It was also about that time that St. Austell box closed.  I suspect the closure of the yard allowed rationalisation of the signalling in the area.

The signal box closed in 1980 but the yard remained open via the ground frame which is still there today. It received traffic such as the 1982 coal working shown during the early 80s. It was also the only run around facility post 1980 for the motorail carriages which were backed out there after a pilot (usually 37) had released the flats and put them in the siding at the back of the up platform. I don't know if there was any use of the yard by the motorail service when it went 'flats only' for it's last year or 2 of operation up to about 1985? I would guess this would be about the time it ceased having any regular use. I'm not sure when the track was lifted but it was still a derelict site in 2000 shortly after which I think the current development was started.

[Rivercider]

 

Going back to post #7 and the coal working to St.Austell, does anybody know when the yard there shut? I returned to live near St. Austell in 1981 and I cannot recall it still open then. It was also about that time that St. Austell box closed. I suspect the closure of the yard allowed rationalisation of the signalling in the area.

Possibly I was mistaken about the destination of the coal, it may have been for Ponsandane?

I made a visit to St Austell on 15/4/83 and took a couple of photos including from the bridge near the goods yard

the connection to the yard is still intact then, though rusty,

 

edit - thanks floss_4

 

cheers

 

ps  here is one of the photos I took in April 1983 at St Austell.

The layout is rationalised here compared with PD&SWJRs photos in the 'Kernow Blues' thread.

The only freight shot I took that day, it is only another set of clayhoods, but some people it seems can never get enough!

37274 approaches  St Austell heading west with empties from Fowey, my notes say it was for Drinnick Mill, 15/4/83

 

cheers

Edited April 11, 2014 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

Newton Abbot was a location I visited a number of times, but mostly on Summer Saturdays for non-stop loco hauled action.

The depot here lost its mainline loco allocation with the withdrawal of the last Warships, but retained a small allocation of class 08s.

The 08s carried out shunting duties at Newton Abbot, Meldon Quarry and in Exeter.

The Newton Abbot freight pilot shunted at Hackney Yard east of Newton Abbot and worked trips over the Heathfield Branch. On the Heathfield Branch were a number of freight locations, Newton Abbot freight depot and Newton Abbot Clays, Teignbridge for Watts Blake Bearne China Clays and Heathfield ECC and the Gulf OIl terminal.

There was also a trip working from Hackney along the main line to ECC Stoneycombe Quarry on Dainton Bank, this was worked by a mainline loco, (in 1975 it was trip.10 worked by a Western). The ballast that came from Stoneycombe was considered inferior to that from Meldon and was mostly used west of Plymouth or on branch lines. Stoneycombe also forwarded material for Taunton Concrete Works.

In the autumn of 1980 the depot at Newton Abbot closed and thereafter all shunting was carried out by a trip loco from Exeter,

or the train engine of the oil trains or clay trains from Cornwall.

 

In 1981 there were still some vacuum braked services, 47366 of Crewe works westwards through the platforms in late morning.

I do not know the identity of the service, but the presence of the presflos indicates it is going to Plymouth Friary, 5/11/81.

 

Apologies for the appalling composition, I seem to remember I nearly missed this shot completely.

Bath Roads 31419 is working the trip from Exeter Riverside, it is just about to depart back for Exeter

with loaded  iron stone hoppers from Stoneycombe for Taunton Concrete Works,

In the background is a rake of clayhoods for loading at Heathfield with ball clay for Fowey.

These clayhoods were kept in a separate pool from the ones loading china clay to avoid cross-contamination, 5/11/81

 

 

47094 gets away from Newton Abbot with a train of 11 Polybulks of export clay on a service from Tavistock Junction to Dover.

Due to the weight of this train it had been assisted over the South Devon banks to Newton Abbot by 50030 Repulse.

A pair of these trains ran roughly fortnightly, the empties returning as one complete train of 22, 5/11/81

 

cheers

Edited March 23, 2014 by Rivercider

[rob D2]

Woof woof, hubba, hubba.

 

More good stuff !

[Rivercider]

My next stop is Exeter, where I was born, so have a special affection for the city.

St Davids was a great place for trainspotting, there was always something going on.

 

Exeter Riverside was the major yard here, it had taken over the work of the former Southern Yard at Exmouth Junction,

all wagon load services, vacuum, and later Speedlink would call to attach or detach traffic.

Services westwards went to Newton Abbot, Plymouth Friary St Blazey and Truro. 

Eastbound services went to Severn Tunnel Junction, Gloucester/Bescot/Warrington/Carlisle, Stoke on Trent, Westbury and Acton.

There were four Meldon Quarry services a day, 2 from the Southern at Salisbury, 1 from Bristol East Depot, and 1 starting at Riverside.

There were also local trips to Barnstaple, Whimple, Chard Junction, Lapford and Heale and Bradninch, though traffic for most

of these locations dried up in the early 1980s.

There was also the Exeter Area local trip worked by a class 08 that served Exeter Central, Exmouth Junction and City Basin.

 

Exeter Riverside West End

There is a variety of traffic on show here along with the yard pilot 08479.

From the left are 21t hoppers empty from Exmouth Junction CCD, a ferry wagon, some clayhoods, more ferry wagons and some clayfits, 21/7/80 

 

Exeter Riverside East End

47110 waits with a Meldon service comprising dogfish hoppers and other empties including grampus., In the middle of the yard the red wagon  is probably a SPA which will have delivered steel plate to Barnstaple for Appledore shipyard, 21/7/80   

 

46016 comes up through St Davids with a vacuum braked freight from Newton Abbot. Most of the wagons are clayfits which will mostly be likely for Stoke on Trent and will be attached to 6M55 St Blazey - Stoke on Trent and Longport, the Clayliner, There is also at least one TTF tank in the train,  9/3/81

 

 cheers

Edited March 23, 2014 by Rivercider