Heck - Biggleswade / Bow Plasmor block train

[stivesnick]

As a daily commuter on the southern end of the ECML I see the Heck to Biggleswade / Bow Plasmor building block train most days.

 

For as many years that I can remember the train left Peterborough Yard around 05.30 and headed south to Biggleswade. It then reversed over the crossovers to then shunt the sidings by the down slow line. After the morning peak, it continued south to Bow Goods Yard in east London. 

 

This week, the train has been top and tailed by DBS Class 66 locos and I noticed it stabled in Welwyn Garden City Yard - it appears it then reverses here goes back up to Biggleswade, before heading south again. I can understand why reversing over 4 tracks on the ECML might not be ideal but the train still has to crossover the much busier 2 track section. 

 

The data on Realtime trains still has the old schedule so not much help. 

 

Anyone why the operation has changed? Are there other examples of top and tailed freight trains rather than PW trains?

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

 

 

[TravisM]

Saw it the other day with double headed DBC Class 66’s (101 and 004).  I wonder if there was some infrastructure work close by which required the train to be top and tailed.

[Revolution Ben]

 

Hi Nick,

 

I don't have the answer and hadn't noticed this change of operations.  But as you know I am, like you, a frequent traveller on the southern reaches of the ECML and I look forward to seeing the answer...

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

[Fat Controller]

On 12/04/2019 at 21:41, stivesnick said:

As a daily commuter on the southern end of the ECML I see the Heck to Biggleswade / Bow Plasmor building block train most days.

 

For as many years that I can remember the train left Peterborough Yard around 05.30 and headed south to Biggleswade. It then reversed over the crossovers to then shunt the sidings by the down slow line. After the morning peak, it continued south to Bow Goods Yard in east London. 

 

This week, the train has been top and tailed by DBS Class 66 locos and I noticed it stabled in Welwyn Garden City Yard - it appears it then reverses here goes back up to Biggleswade, before heading south again. I can understand why reversing over 4 tracks on the ECML might not be ideal but the train still has to crossover the much busier 2 track section. 

 

The data on Realtime trains still has the old schedule so not much help. 

 

Anyone why the operation has changed? Are there other examples of top and tailed freight trains rather than PW trains?

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

 

 

There are other examples of freight train movements that are top'n'tailed. One is the service from either Margam or Llanwern to Birdport, on the East Usk branch. There are no run round facilities on the branch. At one time, a brake van, equipped with a horn, was attached to the leading end at East Usk, but the van was vandalised.

[LNERGE]

The change has been noted locally. My guess is the propelling move has caused a problem at Biggleswade. I think it now goes to Welwyn, change ends, Biggleswade, change ends, into sidings, shunt, then departs north. I suspect it uses the facing ladder at St Neots and possibly there is a change ends in the up refuge siding or up platform. It then carries on to Bow.

[Steadfast]

I know trains elsewhere have run top and tail due to points defects preventing mainline run rounds. I don't know the layout of Heck to know if this is a possibility there

 

Jo

[Fat Controller]

57 minutes ago, Steadfast said:

I know trains elsewhere have run top and tail due to points defects preventing mainline run rounds. I don't know the layout of Heck to know if this is a possibility there

 

Jo

At the Heck end of things, the sidings are shown in Quail as three single-ended ones fed from a trailing crossing off the UP Main. There is no cross-over or run-round facility in the vicinity, so presumably Down empty trains must run to somewhere nearby to run-round, before running back on the Up Main and setting-back.

[beast66606]

36 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

At the Heck end of things, the sidings are shown in Quail as three single-ended ones fed from a trailing crossing off the UP Main. There is no cross-over or run-round facility in the vicinity, so presumably Down empty trains must run to somewhere nearby to run-round, before running back on the Up Main and setting-back.

 

Takes Shaftholme -> Knottingley -> Milford Jcn -> Selby -> Temple Hirst -> Heck so no run round, just a long way round to get it facing the right way to set back into the sidings.

[waggy]

20 hours ago, beast66606 said:

 

Takes Shaftholme -> Knottingley -> Milford Jcn -> Selby -> Temple Hirst -> Heck so no run round, just a long way round to get it facing the right way to set back into the sidings.

 

Take the Selby avoiding line Selby West to Canal Junction

[berwicksfinest]

Again another one of our jobs !!

 

Basically the job has not changed, BUT the main to main crossover at Biggleswade has become so degraded that Network Rail has plain lined the crossover!! with the necessity that 6L69 has to go to Welwyn to crossover to return to Biggleswade, shunt the yard and continue to St Neots, again to crossover and continue to Bow.

Hence the Top and Tail 66s

Network Rail estimation is 12 weeks said crossover will be out. But wisdom concludes Brexit may be closer !!!!

[stivesnick]

On 15/04/2019 at 20:56, berwicksfinest said:

Again another one of our jobs !!

 

Basically the job has not changed, BUT the main to main crossover at Biggleswade has become so degraded that Network Rail has plain lined the crossover!! with the necessity that 6L69 has to go to Welwyn to crossover to return to Biggleswade, shunt the yard and continue to St Neots, again to crossover and continue to Bow.

Hence the Top and Tail 66s

Network Rail estimation is 12 weeks said crossover will be out. But wisdom concludes Brexit may be closer !!!!

 

Thanks for this - most helpful

 

Spotted removed track sections from the train this morning. Also passed loaded train heading up the ECML, so looks like is now departing Peterborough earlier to maintain same time arrival at Biggleswade. 

 

Nick

[stivesnick]

The crossover between the up and down fast lines was repaired a few weekends ago. The block train now back to normal with a single locomotive.

 

Nick 

[TravisM]

I spoke to a DBC driver awhile ago and he was unsure how much longer this job will continue for as he believed most breeze blocks are largely made of fly ash from coal fired power stations.  If that’s the case, with the majority of them closed and the rest due for decommissioning soon, where’s the fly ash going to come from?

[31A]

4 minutes ago, jools1959 said:

I spoke to a DBC driver awhile ago and he was unsure how much longer this job will continue for as he believed most breeze blocks are largely made of fly ash from coal fired power stations.  If that’s the case, with the majority of them closed and the rest due for decommissioning soon, where’s the fly ash going to come from?

 

I was wondering that myself.  It's been running for many years now!

[TravisM]

Just now, 31A said:

 

I was wondering that myself.  It's been running for many years now!

 

True but many years ago, the UK had plenty of coal fired power stations to supply the fly ash.

[Fat Controller]

2 minutes ago, 31A said:

 

I was wondering that myself.  It's been running for many years now!

They'll just start 'quarrying' it from the tips at the power station; failing that, there's always furnace bottom ash from incinerators. The one at Newhaven is already sending its output to somewhere in London as an aggregate for concrete.

[SED Freightman]

The H+H Celcon plant at Borough Green manufactured lightweight blocks using flyash, but the local supplies dried up with the closure of relatively local coal fired power stations (Kingsnorth etc.) leading to a short lived flow of material by rail from the East Midlands (West Burton ?) to East Peckham.  During the latter part of 2018 the plant was converted to use sillica sand from an adjacent quarry instead of flyash.  With regard to Plasmor, I would guess they are already looking to use alternative materials once supplies of good quality flyash cease to be available and I doubt importing the material would be a viable option.  Use of incinerator bottom ash is probably unlikley due to the amount of potential contamination present and I suspect it is only used in the manufacture of relatively low grade concrete.

[dvdlcs]

Been a while since I was playing with concrete as a civil engineer, but back then there were two materials that could be used with (instead of a portion of) cement in concrete: PFA (pulverised fly ash) or GGBS (ground granulated blast furnace slag).

 

Both supplies may be on the wane. Not sure if anything else has been discovered / adapted to fill the gap in the interim.

[enginelane]

Yeap Breeze Blocks could become an endangered item

[stivesnick]

Interesting comments about the future of this rail traffic.

 

There is much pressure within the construction industry about reducing the built in carbon in building projects - so the search is on for the use of re-cycled products within the construction industry. Hopefully some new rail traffic somewhere.

 

Regards 

 

Nick