Help with prototype examples of small factories/industries in 1970s served by rail

[Michael Hodgson]

On 07/11/2021 at 19:05, KeithMacdonald said:

 

@Andy Kirkham - have I found the correct location? Foundry Lane on the Roskear branch, east of Cambourne Station.

 

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=50.21502&lon=-5.29054&layers=168&b=1&marker=50.186430,-5.418167

 

They haven't yet decided exactly where Cambourne Station is going to be built.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambourne_railway_station

 

 

[KeithMacdonald]

Doh! My typo.

Foundry Lane on the Roskear branch, east of Camborne Station.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camborne_railway_station

[enginelane]

On 07/11/2021 at 09:05, doilum said:

How about a glassworks? Covered hoppers of soda ash, sheeted 13T sand wagons and palvans (I think) taking away the finished bottles. Real life locations at Castleford and Knottingley, the former using a wagon turntable to access to the works.

Maltkilns? Vans are loaded through sliding doors on the back scene whilst PO covered hoppers load from a silo.

Chemical works? Short trains of acid or chlorine tanks, vans and sheeted ICI open wagons. Plus perhaps an international tank or ferry van.

Most of this had dried up by the mid 70s but was still common at the start of the decade.

yes lots of different traffic can be used. Kiln Lane a small lockdown constructed layout was based upon a couple of sidings and a line going up to the works. 
 

[uax6]

How about a Government food stuffs Buffer Depot? These took in foodstuffs for use in emergencies and where often rail connected. 

 

Andy G

[Axlebox]

The Darlington Chemical and Insulation works (at Darlington) was rail served up until the late 70s or possibly the very early 80s...

https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW029512

[ColinK]

The Metal Box factory at Westhoughton was rail served.
 

Plus there was another factory on the Wigan - Southport line, possibly made explosives.

[Fat Controller]

27 minutes ago, ColinK said:

The Metal Box factory at Westhoughton was rail served.
 

Plus there was another factory on the Wigan - Southport line, possibly made explosives.

ICI Gatshurst. It used to manufacture quarrying and mining explosives. The factory was on the other side of a valley from the railway, so a narrow-gauge railway was used to transport the boxes of explosives from one to the other. I think there was a photo in one of the 'Freight Only' series by Shannon and Rhodes.

[Ramblin Rich]

7 minutes ago, Fat Controller said:

ICI Gatshurst. It used to manufacture quarrying and mining explosives. The factory was on the other side of a valley from the railway, so a narrow-gauge railway was used to transport the boxes of explosives from one to the other. I think there was a photo in one of the 'Freight Only' series by Shannon and Rhodes.

Beat me to it Brian!
There's a lot of inspiration on this thread on goods yard including an image of Gathurst and some further links later. Admittedly it's the wrong side of the country for what you want, but lots of other examples in the thread too.

 

[The Johnster]

Foundries; casting sand (bagged in vans or to be unloaded from tipplers) and steel bar or ingots in (opens, sheeted opens, possibly bogie bolsters), finished product out in crates (vans, opens, or bogie bolsters).

 

Food processing plant: fresh food (fruit, insulated), salt, oil in drums in vans, packaged product out in vans.

 

Oil distribution depot; tanks in, drums out in vans or sheeted opens.

 

Engineering workshop; steel bar in, finished product out crated in vans or opens.

 

Chemical processing, e,g, electroplating, zinc, chrome plating etc; items in in vans or opens, chemicals in drums or possibly carboys in sheeted opens, treated product out in vans or opens.

 

Examples of these could still be found, often rail connected, in the 70s before the areas they occupied were redeveloped and the businesses moved out to units on trading parks and the like; many of them couldn't survive the upheaval and increased rents and went under or were absorbed into larger companies.  They were small, often employing less than 20 people.

 

They had to have fuel, either coal or fuel oil, sometimes coke for foundries, to power whatever machinery or process was invovled, and an occasional 7-planker or 12 ton tank would turn up, sometimes to be used as an ad hoc storage facility for which the railway or the vehicle's owner would charge demurrage.  This charge, as far as the railway was concerned, was set by government in the same way as common carrier freight rates were in pre-Beeching days and one of the Beeching changes was to allow the railways to charge a more realistic rate, so this practice had become less prevalent by the 70s.  Some businesses stopped using the railway in consequence, but a good few struggled on into the 70s.

 

 

[KeithMacdonald]

8 hours ago, uax6 said:

How about a Government food stuffs Buffer Depot? These took in foodstuffs for use in emergencies and where often rail connected. 

 

Andy G

 

Andy, there was one like that at Hermitage on the Didcot Newbury & Southampton line.

 

 

Quote

During World War 2 the MOD built a large emergency supplies store close to Hermitage Station. When the railway disappeared under the Beeching “axe”, the Station area became a light industrial site and was eventually occupied by the Arena Seating Company.

 

Ref. page 5 of the Village Design Statement for Hermitage.

https://www.westberks.gov.uk/media/35719/Hermitage-Village-Town-and-Parish-Design-Statement-VDS-/pdf/Hermitage_Village__Town_and_Parish_Design_Statement_(VDS).pdf?m=636662922682000000

 

 

[Artless Bodger]

10 hours ago, uax6 said:

How about a Government food stuffs Buffer Depot? These took in foodstuffs for use in emergencies and where often rail connected. 

 

Andy G

Wasn't Tenterden Town station the site of one in WW2? I think the row of Romney huts along the back siding were it, now part of the museum.

[Dava]

More details on the MAFF buffer depots here.

https://inlanding.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/latest-post-a-little-bit-of-secret-britain/

Ideal for the corrugated iron builder. Survivors at Tenterden & Quainton Rd.

 

There we’re also massive brick cold stores, rail connected to a standard design, l recall the one at Chelford station.

 

https://inlanding.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/latest-post-a-little-bit-of-secret-britain/

 

they didn’t necessarily see a lot of rail traffic.

 

Dava

[Welchester]

There are some photographs online of Metal Box in Worcester:

 

Railways in Worcestershire

 

28 Days Later

 

[40152]

I’ve begun to take an interest in the British Industrial Plastics operations at Langley Green as a possible source of traffic, including methanol tankers from Teesside, on my early ‘80s themed layout. Lots of info. on operations in the area along with a pic (by the excellent Geoff Dowling, definitely not mine) that would get any right-minded BR blue enthusiast excited:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffsimages/49496201762/in/faves-184818877@N07/

Cheers

[w124bob]

On 22/11/2021 at 16:22, ColinK said:

The Metal Box factory at Westhoughton was rail served.
 

Plus there was another factory on the Wigan - Southport line, possibly made explosives.

I worked at Manchester Victoria, in the late 80's Metalbox was served by a direct service from Cardiff. The service was booked into Trafford Park for dropping of steel coiled wire in SPA's but this was rare. From TP it ran round at Ashbury's then to Victoria for a crew change. Booked into MB around 10am just in time to catch breakfast in their canteen! Usual load was about six VDA style vans, regular power was one of the six Mirlees/Paxman 37'9s.

Explosive into a pair of sidings at Gathurst for onward transport to a nearby quarry .I think the traffic ceased in the early 80's , this from Flickr note the narrow gauge tracks!

This must be just before the traffic finished, some useful info in the comments

 

[Ramblin Rich]

1 hour ago, w124bob said:

I worked at Manchester Victoria, in the late 80's Metalbox was served by a direct service from Cardiff. The service was booked into Trafford Park for dropping of steel coiled wire in SPA's but this was rare. From TP it ran round at Ashbury's then to Victoria for a crew change. Booked into MB around 10am just in time to catch breakfast in their canteen! Usual load was about six VDA style vans, regular power was one of the six Mirlees/Paxman 37'9s.

Explosive into a pair of sidings at Gathurst for onward transport to a nearby quarry .I think the traffic ceased in the early 80's , this from Flickr note the narrow gauge tracks!

This must be just before the traffic finished, some useful info in the comments

 

Good info on Metal box.

Gathurst was in the 'Quaint goods yards' thread, it was actually an explosives factory with narrow gauge line bringing products from the factory to the yard for pickup & onward shipment.

 

Edit- link to other thread

2nd edit, I realise I've repeated myself from November!

Edited January 4, 2022 by Ramblin Rich
linky