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Inner city freight sidings ca early 90’s


russellwar
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Hi everyone,

 

I am trying to get some ideas for one or possible two siding near a large town terminus.

my layout is set in South Yorkshire and I have space for a couple of sidings in the approach to the station ( probably 4-5 wagons max) and a loco.

 

I am trying to get prototype inspirations where wagons may have been unloaded as this is the only easy way to get freight traffic onto the layout. I have got rid of the idea of oil and departmental sidings, so in reality I am either looking at speed link / distribution sector workings, metals or possibly cement. I have all the stock so all could be feasible, but if anyone could suggest locations to look at anywhere in the country that may offer one or 2 sidings in this type of location then I would be greatful for the audience.

 

thanks

 

Russell

 

 

 

 

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Please note that the Speedlink network was shut down mid 1991 spelling the end of wagonload freight traffic in the UK.

 

What freight remained was all worked on the block train principle and if there was insufficient to justify trainload quantities it was transferred to road haulage.
 

Small terminals or short sidings would have thus gone out of use in 1991 too and unless you want to invoke rule one and alter history then you are going to find your options limited.

 

It should also be noted that at the time there was an awful lot of pressure by HM Treasury on BR to generate funds by disposal of unused land (None of this ‘consult everyone just in case someone might want to use it in 10 years time’ stuff that applies now) - so if the freshly redundant sidings offered development opportunities then BR wouldn’t hesitate to flog off the land.

Edited by phil-b259
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A long way from Yorkshire, but Colchester Hythe had a private coal distribution depot well into the 90s. The depot was at one side of the station but there were sidings on both sides.

Hythe is 1 station along the Clacton branch, so it only usually saw 4 trains an hour: 1 London-Clacton semi fast & 1 Colchester-Clacton stopping service in each direction.

I remember seeing anywhere from 2-14 HEA hoppers as I passed. I never saw them getting dropped off or collected but I believe this happened overnight. I suspect they got dropped off at the main line station & moved to Hythe behind one of Colchester's 08's. I saw an 08 in the station only once, but this was from a distance.

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Have a look at Penistone Goods. In 1987 there were still two tracks from there to Huddersfield Junction and a loop, and a (rumoured) plan to create a Speedlink loading point there for Hepworth Iron Company who by that date made earthenware pipes. The lines were lifted in 1988 (below). 

20200713_102032.jpg.9376aa41233056784cf13d1839d3b206.jpg

 

Not inner city but urban - town centre on one side, housing on the other. 

Edited by Wheatley
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1 hour ago, Pete the Elaner said:

A long way from Yorkshire, but Colchester Hythe had a private coal distribution depot well into the 90s. The depot was at one side of the station but there were sidings on both sides.

Hythe is 1 station along the Clacton branch, so it only usually saw 4 trains an hour: 1 London-Clacton semi fast & 1 Colchester-Clacton stopping service in each direction.

I remember seeing anywhere from 2-14 HEA hoppers as I passed. I never saw them getting dropped off or collected but I believe this happened overnight. I suspect they got dropped off at the main line station & moved to Hythe behind one of Colchester's 08's. I saw an 08 in the station only once, but this was from a distance.

 

At one time there was a dedicated Speedlink Coal network which dealt with lowish volumes to private terminals (as opposed to MGR mine to power station jobs). However this did not survive the dissolution of speed link itself - if flows were retained they were basically large enough to be treated as trainload operations in the same vein as MGR operations.

 

The thing is coal is both dirty and has a relatively low price per volumes, so just as with aggregates bulk flows are not really things the road freight industry is exactly enthusiastic about transporting. This helped some shortish coal train flows to be retained in the post Speeedlink world as they could be managed alongside traditional trainload coal MGR style operations. That said as the financial screws kept being tightened on BR, the viability of such low volume trainloads meant they gradually died off as the decade progressed.

 

As regards the Hythe terminal, if only had short sidings then its possible a mini trainload could be sent to Colchester yard and a few wagons at a time could have been tripped down to the terminal by the depot 08. However such techniques were very much on borrowed time by the 90s and should not be regarded as typical.

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Blackburn trainstore ,

Gidea park ,

isis at canton,

papworth at Ely,

Neasden bottled water ,

 

I’d do some fickr searches - these all had traditional style van unloading - I think some survived the end of soeedlink as “ contract services “ or via  ( I think it was called ) cobra rail freight .

 

 

and of course I think they all began again 94-95 with trans rails “ enterprise “

 

Edited by rob D2
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3 hours ago, rob D2 said:

Blackburn trainstore ,

Gidea park ,

isis at canton,

papworth at Ely,

Neasden bottled water ,

 

I’d do some fickr searches - these all had traditional style van unloading - I think some survived the end of soeedlink as “ contract services “ or via  ( I think it was called ) cobra rail freight .

 

 

and of course I think they all began again 94-95 with trans rails “ enterprise “

 

It was 'Tiger Rail Freight', largely centred around flows from the South West to Scotland. Cobra were a long-established operator, mainly operating coke trains from Derwenthaugh to Wakefield and potash/ salt trains from Boulby to Middlesbrough Goods, Teesdock and elsewhere.

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The Cobra facility at Wakefield is for sure looking like at an inspiration but I also like the photo above from Cardiff. 

Having seen the different amount of traffic that seemed to go into Cobra, this could be an ideal solution.


Was there a kit or ready made version of this building? i seem to recall seeing it somewhere, no idea why however? Pikestuff unit seems to be similar

Edited by russellwar
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5 hours ago, russellwar said:

The Cobra facility at Wakefield is for sure looking like at an inspiration but I also like the photo above from Cardiff. 

Having seen the different amount of traffic that seemed to go into Cobra, this could be an ideal solution.


Was there a kit or ready made version of this building? i seem to recall seeing it somewhere, no idea why however? Pikestuff unit seems to be similar

A long time back, someone modelled something like cobra . I think it was in modelrail , May have to  ask dibber25 if he remembers it 

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There’s a version in the Peco Settrack Plans Book for N gauge that would transpose to OO. 

On 04/10/2020 at 19:27, rob D2 said:

A long time back, someone modelled something like cobra . I think it was in modelrail , May have to  ask dibber25 if he remembers it 

 

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