Spent ballast/spoil tips in the 1960/70s - where were they and what did they do?

[Rail-Online]

Hi,

 

I realised that I know very little about how spent or recovered ballast was dealt with in the 1960's and 1970's.

 

From my spotting days I recall on the NE region tips at Etherley Tip near Darlington, the LMR at Wigan and I think around Coalville, the LT had one near Neasden that Panniers used to work to in the early 1970s. Were there many of these type operations or were most small localised type tips?  I really do not know if these were just tips or cleaning/ re-cycling areas.

 

I have no idea what happened on the other regions especially the WR

 

This was the days before automation and my observations of PW activity was just 'dig it out and lay new ballast' certainly all the quarries seemed very busy creating new ballast (Croft, Moutsorrel, one near Coalville and of course Meldon are the ones I visited). I don't think 'ballast cleaners' were invented or in use in the UK.

 

These activities may provide good modelling potential, especially if the actual tips are 'off stage' and the exchange sidings leading to them are modelled with loaded dirty  'spent ballast' wagons being tripped onto the branch.

 

Tony

[black and decker boy]

I think the once at Ince (Wigan) was simply a tip. The value of old ballast for resale is a recent thing (due in part by taxation changes).

[PatB]

Patchway tip north of Bristol was one that I was familiar with. I agree about modelling potential. Rough and weathered track laid across a post industrial moonscape with (when I knew it) grubby 37s shuffling battered Engineers wagons around, sometimes listing at alarming angles on the not so permanent way. It was all hugely atmospheric.

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

....Kirkham had a tip, on the Blackpool line.

 

Dave

[Fat Controller]

Other tips that come to mind are the one at Patchway (Bristol), Alexander Dock Junction/ Maesglas (Newport), Alsager, Ince Moss (near Wigan). There were many more scattered about. The ballast would be removed from the wagons, then passed over a screen to separate the 'fines' and muck from the bigger bits of stone. The fine stuff would be dumped in the nearest low spot, whilst the ballast would be sold off for use as foundations for roads and similar. 

WR tips were designed around the WR's fleet of dropside ballast wagons- the sides would be dropped, and an excavator with a skimmer blade would pull/push the spoil off on to the ground on either side. If the spoil was really grotty, then the heap would simply be levelled by a bulldozer; otherwise, a front-loader shovel would transfer it to the screen. Every so often, as the spoil built up, the tracks would be slewed to take account of this; over twenty or so years, the unloading thacks at Patchway had moved from almost parallel and adjacent to the Hallen line, to next to the SWML.

The LMR's spoil trains were largely composed of a selection of superannuated opens of various types, with conventional doors, so unloading involved a lot more manual spadework. I worked opposite the reception road for Alsager tip in early 1980, and would watch the trains arrive (about one per day)- they consisted of a selection of 'Big 4' and BR 5-plank opens, ex-Shock wagons, ex-traffic Medfits (both steel and wood-bodied), and the occasional purpose-built engineers' wagon.

Ballast cleaners were certainly in use, but often they simply dumped the spoil over the cess.

[Guest bri.s]

Not sure if this is right but wasn't there one at dunford east on the woodhead route

 

Brian

[Rivercider]

On the Western Region there were quite a few spoil tip locations, some permanent ones and others were shorter term

where the spent ballast was used to raise the level of the land for future use. 

 

West of England Division

 

Stoke Gifford Tip (referred to as Patchway above) was an important location used for many years, recycling washed spent ballast took place for many years.

Power car 43068 and barrier 975678 pass Stoke Tip heading towards South Wales 26/3/80

St Andrews Road Tip was a temporary tip used to raise the land level for what later became the reception sidings and yard for the BBHT (Bristol Bulk Handling Terminal) was in use in the late 1970s.

Single power car 55032 B132 passes the site of St Andrews Road Tip, the connection to the siding is hidden by 55032 5/2/81 

Honeybourne Tip - I knew I had missed at least one! (Thanks Phil)

St Dennis Tip at St Dennis Junction on the Newquay Branch I think was smaller and handled spoil from the South West in the 1970s.  

Yeovil Junction Tip was another smaller one in the 1970s. ( I don't think this had dedicated plant but was hired in when in use)

 

South Wales Division

 

Maesglas Tip was the name of the tip by A D Jn and was an important tip for South Wales. 

Felin Fran Tip was I think a temporary arrangement and may have been in connection with land re-use.

 

London Division

Aldermaston Tip sometimes referred to as Padworth Tip I think.

Didcot Tip in the triangle was a temporary tip used to raise the land level.

Appleford Tip though this may have been a later introduction.

 

cheers

Edited April 3, 2016 by Rivercider

[APOLLO]

An older post about Ince Moss tip (I knew it well !!!!!!)

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/92460-model-rail-december/?p=1676485

 

Brit15

[Phil Bullock]

WR also had a tip at Honeybourne

 

Phil

[Fat Controller]

A look through a couple of Baker's Atlases produced the following:-

Connington (ER), Wednesbury (LMR), Shewalton (ScR), Stainton (LMR), Kirkham (LMR), Barnetby (ER), Hunslet East (ER), Elsecar, near Wath, (ER), Chaddesden (LMR), Godstone (SR), East Peckham (SR), Newhaven (SR), Farnham(SR)

[Guest bri.s]

A look through a couple of Baker's Atlases produced the following:-

Connington (ER), Wednesbury (LMR), Shewalton (ScR), Stainton (LMR), Kirkham (LMR), Barnetby (ER), Hunslet East (ER), Elsecar, near Wath, (ER), Chaddesden (LMR), Godstone (SR), East Peckham (SR), Newhaven (SR), Farnham(SR)

Interesting to see there was one at Elsecar ,think I'll have to do some research and find exactly where it was

 

Brian

[Fat Controller]

Interesting to see there was one at Elsecar ,think I'll have to do some research and find exactly where it was

 

Brian

Looking at the map in Baker,it seems to have been on the stump of the line from Wath Yard that served Corton Wood colliery, rather than on the same line as Elescar station.

[Guest bri.s]

Looking at the map in Baker,it seems to have been on the stump of the line from Wath Yard that served Corton Wood colliery, rather than on the same line as Elescar station.

Thanks for that ,I'll have a look into it ,I knew there was corton wood up there and at one time elsecar pit as well as the basin ( where elsecar heritage is now ) so I'll do some digging see how we'll used it was and when it finished

 

Brian

Edited April 3, 2016 by bri.s

[chris p bacon]

Nearest one to sandy is Connington between Huntingdon and Peterborough on the Up side.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4422369,-0.2305635,2283m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

It's over a large area and it's not until you get close do you realise just how high it is compared to the ground level around it. I wouldn't be surprised if we "mine" it in the future.

[hmrspaul]

Barlow tip near Selby

 

Hoo Junction had a ballast cleaning plant across the mainline from the marshallling yard.

 

Paul

[cobbler]

Liddlington Tip on the Bletchley to Bedford line dumped spoil into the worked out brick pits. When Liddlington closed, spoil was dumped at Forders Sidings, again in old brick clay pits

 

Richard

[Rail-Online]

Other tips that come to mind are the one at Patchway (Bristol), Alexander Dock Junction/ Maesglas (Newport), Alsager, Ince Moss (near Wigan). There were many more scattered about. The ballast would be removed from the wagons, then passed over a screen to separate the 'fines' and muck from the bigger bits of stone. The fine stuff would be dumped in the nearest low spot, whilst the ballast would be sold off for use as foundations for roads and similar. 

WR tips were designed around the WR's fleet of dropside ballast wagons- the sides would be dropped, and an excavator with a skimmer blade would pull/push the spoil off on to the ground on either side. If the spoil was really grotty, then the heap would simply be levelled by a bulldozer; otherwise, a front-loader shovel would transfer it to the screen. Every so often, as the spoil built up, the tracks would be slewed to take account of this; over twenty or so years, the unloading thacks at Patchway had moved from almost parallel and adjacent to the Hallen line, to next to the SWML.

The LMR's spoil trains were largely composed of a selection of superannuated opens of various types, with conventional doors, so unloading involved a lot more manual spadework. I worked opposite the reception road for Alsager tip in early 1980, and would watch the trains arrive (about one per day)- they consisted of a selection of 'Big 4' and BR 5-plank opens, ex-Shock wagons, ex-traffic Medfits (both steel and wood-bodied), and the occasional purpose-built engineers' wagon.

Ballast cleaners were certainly in use, but often they simply dumped the spoil over the cess.

Fascinating stuff, so the LMR 5 plank opens used for spoil were unloaded by hand, or were cranes with grab buckets? The BR(W) methodology sounds quite efficient.

 

Tony

[Fat Controller]

Fascinating stuff, so the LMR 5 plank opens used for spoil were unloaded by hand, or were cranes with grab buckets? The BR(W) methodology sounds quite efficient.

 

Tony

There weren't the relatively precise grabs and back-acters around then, so the area behind the doors would be emptied by a back-acter, and the gang on board would shovel more material into the resultant void. Such manual tasks were commonplace at the time- I remember seeing BR staff hand-balling Guinness casks out of 12t vans, whilst a colleague and I would do the same with a VTG Ferrywagon carrying 60t+ of plaster in 60kg bags (taking about six hours).

The GWR, later WR, did have better equipment, with purpose-built, steel bodied opens; the SR were similarly equipped, with their Lings, Tunnies and Lamphreys. The GWR also had the Mermaids, particularly useful when large amounts of spoil were used to reclaim land around older docks during WW2.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Fat Controller

[18B]

THere was a ballast tip at New Hucknall off the Blackwell Branch at Westhouses, 

 

there tip used the connection from New Hucknall Colliery onto the former GC line where there was a small yard and tip line from which wagons were empitied and any scrap recovered etc. 

[Banger Blue]

From Flickr (not my photo but on my faves list):

 

08850 shunts wagons at Didcot Tip. The siding in the foreground still exists and used to stable OTP. The sidings where the digger is unloading/loading the wagons is now the fuelling point and just to the right sits the Thames Valley Signalling Centre.

 

https://flic.kr/p/r2S8pP

 

Edited April 4, 2016 by Banger Blue

[Marshall5]

IIRC there was one adjacent to Ditton sleeper works (LMR) a mile or two past the Ford's factory at Halewood.

Ray.

[The Stationmaster]

Not much more to add re Western tips - Stoke Gifford was notable as being for non-combustible material only although sleepers seemed to end up there sometimes.  Maesglas was officially for anything including combustible (which basically meant wooden sleepers were permitted among muck and spent ballast but not as individual loads).

 

Yeovil Jcn saw very occasional use for tipping during the latter half of the '70s and most of what went there was off relatively local ballast cleaning jobs.  Padworth was quite busy at one stage but I think it dropped off by the end of the '60s.  Oddly there were vast quantities of material out of the 1967 layout renewal at Paddington but in the event very little of it went to tips as there was a major slip on the Greenford branch which consumed a lot of it  (and allegedly a couple of Grampus wagons as well) while several more trainloads went into another slip just west of Twyford station which consumed about 2 or 3 trainloads every weekend for several weeks.  I think anything which was leftover went to Padworth but it wasn't much and the vast majority went into the Greenford branch hole.

 

I think Appleford was only used to make up the ground ready for the binliner operation.

[bescotbeast]

Wnen Cockshute yard closed in the early 80s it became a storage point for withdrawn stock then a spoil tip. Not a great shot I know but it shows ZHV wagons and a hydraulic grab sitting on the spoil tip.

ZHV wagons Cockshute by Simon Barnes, on Flickr

[Nearholmer]

Newhaven on the SR: the tip was on the "East Beach Tramway", and was simply a large area of shingle, where all sorts of stuff, bits of old track, dead wagons etc, as well as spent ballast, was dumped. It was one of those fascinatingly deserted bits of railway, and it straggled on along the foreshore for a couple of miles, nearly to Bishopstone.

 

Kevin

[brianusa]

What about St Dennis Junction on the Newquay line?

 

Brian.