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Pictures of quaint small goods yards in the 70s-90s


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Tunbridge Wells Central https://www.kentrail.org.uk/tunbridge_wells_central_goods_3.html

 

and Woking were very late survivors with traditional wagon-load coal deliveries.

 

Paddock Wood had a big Transfesa Depot, but it also had ferry van traffic to what I think was a small fruit and vegetable distributor (and animal feeds?) in the Up side yard, using the old bay platform, well into the 1980s.

Edited by Nearholmer
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44 minutes ago, jools1959 said:

Andover’s goods yard was still used until the 90’s (I think),

It still is for permanent way equipment and some (rare) military traffic to Ludgershall.  UKF finished years ago and I don't know if the bakery ever got supplied by rail.  The goods shed has a road transport company operating out of it now.

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15 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Tunbridge Wells Central https://www.kentrail.org.uk/tunbridge_wells_central_goods_3.html

 

and Woking were very late survivors with traditional wagon-load coal deliveries.

 

Paddock Wood had a big Transfesa Depot, but it also had ferry van traffic to what I think was a small fruit and vegetable distributor (and animal feeds?) in the Up side yard, using the old bay platform, well into the 1980s.

In later years, the Transfesa depot was used as a warehouse for 'Whirlpool' white goods; there was usually a decent load of wagons from Dover train ferry. When the Tunnel opened, the trains from Dolland's Moor would run to Wembley, then trip the Paddock Wood traffic back.

There was also a distribution depot for Rowntree's Chocolate, behind the Down platform.

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RE Diss photo,

Thanks for posting.

That's one busy yard, what with grain hoppers, Esso 35t oil tanks, and a lot of Lowfits. Judging by the chocks, they'd been carrying vehicles, but what? Is there a miltary base near-by?

p.s. I like the A40 Farina- we had one, the same paint scheme, in the mid-1980s.

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16 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

RE Diss photo,

Thanks for posting.

That's one busy yard, what with grain hoppers, Esso 35t oil tanks, and a lot of Lowfits. Judging by the chocks, they'd been carrying vehicles, but what? Is there a miltary base near-by?

p.s. I like the A40 Farina- we had one, the same paint scheme, in the mid-1980s.

I don't know if they were all that colour from the factory, but a high proportion of the later survivors seemed to be. 

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21 minutes ago, PatB said:

I don't know if they were all that colour from the factory, but a high proportion of the later survivors seemed to be. 

There were some in a cream and red scheme, and possibly others. Good little cars; we had a 'Countryman' version, the only bad design fault was the layout of the two-part back door, where the upper part let water drain into the lower, causing body-rot.

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40 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

RE Diss photo,

Thanks for posting.

That's one busy yard, what with grain hoppers, Esso 35t oil tanks, and a lot of Lowfits. Judging by the chocks, they'd been carrying vehicles, but what? Is there a miltary base near-by?

p.s. I like the A40 Farina- we had one, the same paint scheme, in the mid-1980s.

 

Diss yard was in use until the late 1980s for grain traffic with the 4w wagons in the photos replaced by polybulk wagons

 

There is a large military site at Thetford Forrest used for training, although the yard at Brandon would be closer. The most recent use of military traffic in the area used the the heritage Mid-Norfolk railway  to deliver vehicles to Dereham. 

 

Regards 

 

Nick 

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4 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

RE Diss photo,

Thanks for posting.

That's one busy yard, what with grain hoppers, Esso 35t oil tanks, and a lot of Lowfits. Judging by the chocks, they'd been carrying vehicles, but what? Is there a miltary base near-by?

p.s. I like the A40 Farina- we had one, the same paint scheme, in the mid-1980s.

 

It's the most magic place in the UK, as you approach it Diss appears!

 

Mike.

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The most recent photograph of such yards I have found of use is in Andy Gibbs's splendid _The Southern Region in the 1970s and 1980s_, Stroud : Amberley Publishing, 2018, p.10, of Hastings Yard (in the background).  It might be worth while trawling through the 1970's/80's photographic literature, e.g., Marsden's _Southern rails in the 1980's_, 1983, p.84, has a picture of a 47-hauled Freightliner with Basingstoke Yard in the background, and Rhodes's _Freight trains of British Rail_, 1982, has atmospheric pictures of Strood Yard, pl.24, and King's Lynn Yard, pl.38.

 

I must credit the inspirational photographs posted by others here of, amongst others, Bristol and Rochester Yards.  Worth doing a search for the threads if seeking ideas.

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2 hours ago, Jack Benson said:

Botley sidings

 

Botley '73 with WR hydraulic action

 

The sidings used by Foster Yeoman were part of the Bishop's Waltham branch and may still be intact.

 

JP

 

I wasn't aware of the station until you mentioned it, but this picture shows the loader right next to the station which makes it very modellable.

 

Botley signal box

 

Also East Kilbride is what inspired my original thread as I believe that it still had a coal yard next to the station until the 80s.

 

Before & After : East Kilbride. 1985.

 

Clayton West although it was a coal mine connection that was still in use rather than the goods yard itself.

 

Clayton West, West Yorkshire 30th December 1982

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, montyburns56 said:

 

I wasn't aware of the station until you mentioned it, but this picture shows the loader right next to the station which makes it very modellable.

 

Botley signal box

 

 

Botley was the discharge point, the loads coming in from the Mendips. I remember it in pre-electrification days, Thumpers running Portsmouth Harbour to Salisbury IIRC, but the Wiesterns had gone, replaced initially by 47s....

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Whitby and a few other stations on the Esk Valley line retained goods facilities (coal) into the 1980s - I remember seeing the goods trains whilst on holiday there in the '70s but haven't to any pictures I can share.

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