Goods traffic on the SDJR

[phil_sutters]

I have attempted to add a comment to this blog, but I am not familiar with blogs and their protocols. The list of goods carried on the S&D shown in the 'words' at the start, seem to reflect the post war era in the main. Until the 1940s Highbridge Wharf had significant traffic in coal from South Wales, used by both the S&D and LSWR/Southern for loco coal, rails for both railways, from the steel works across the Bristol Channel and very large quantities of timber from Scandinavia, the Baltic and Russia. The rail was transported on bolster wagons, both bogie and 4-wheeled. Timber seems to have been mainly carried in sheeted opens. These details have been gleaned from Chris Handley's excellent 'The Maritime Activities of the S&D', from both his text and the photos in the book. Highbridge also had a sizeable cattle market right up to the end of the S&D's time. There was a cattle dock on the wharf. My favorite photo of goods on the Wharf is the arrival of about half a dozen new Babcock steam rollers on LowMacs or similar, for the W.W. Buncombe family firm of road maintenance contractors. That is in a book called 'Around Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge in Old Photographs' collected by G. Maslen and H.Cavell. 

[bike2steam]

On 14/07/2019 at 21:41, johnofwessex said:

What is interesting is that a number of trains appear to have a brake van at both ends

Common practice on S&D local pick-up goods.

[tingleytim]

On 14/07/2019 at 21:41, johnofwessex said:

What is interesting is that a number of trains appear to have a brake van at both ends

               Looking back in my notebooks from 1964, the 6.35 Evercreech-Poole, the 3.05 Poole-Templecombe and the Templecombe-Blandford pick up had two guards vans, usually at either end, but twice the 6.35 had both at the rear.  The two blog pictures of 75073 (same train) would have been the 6.35 - again with vans at either end.  These were the freights that reversed at Templecombe.  The 8pm freight from Poole had one guard’s van but this didn’t reverse there. 

              If anyone feels the urge to research S&D freight traffic, the Washford Trust has masses of stuff in the Taunton record office.  Years ago I helped to archive documents that were rescued by driver Alwyn Hannam from offices at Templecombe when the line closed.  There were over 3,000 freight invoices from 1939 to 1943, especially for stone from Chilcompton and Binegar and coal from Radstock for locomotives.  Other documents included air raid precautions, animal feedstuff movements from Lever Brothers at Port Sunlight, staffing pay / conditions etc, shunting returns, engine / crew / coach diagrams, and much much more!

[bike2steam]

On 16/07/2019 at 23:44, phil_sutters said:

- Highbridge Wharf had significant traffic in coal from South Wales, used by both the S&D and LSWR/Southern for loco coal, rails for both railways, from the steel works across the Bristol Channel - 

 Mostly from the empire built up by Sir Josiah John Guest ( later to become GKN) with his interests in coal mines, and Dowlais Ironworks, who had a deep mistrust of the young GWR, and one of the main backers for a railway line from Highbridge to Poole, although died before it came about. His son became Baron Wimborne, and mayor of Poole, and married into the Churchill family.

Edited July 18, 2019 by bike2steam

[Guest Jack Benson]

An update has occurred, some images of breakdown/engineering trains and the text from Phil Sutters.

 

Breakdown/engineering trains on the SDJR

 

JB

Edited August 10, 2019 by Jack Benson
Missing 's'

[Guest Jack Benson]

And another update, courtesy of Phil Sutters, this time featuring traffic on Highbridge Wharf

 

Image courtesy of Phil Sutters

 

JB

Edited August 11, 2019 by Jack Benson