Industrial locomotives in the late 80s to mid 90s

[James]

That's fairly amazing, especially if they were from an SR build, though I doubt that. The Rustons have been retired though, surely?

I think they had BR build plates - well one did... Many wagons on the site had long lost their build plates. The scrap wagons are, I think, on old BR Iron Ore tippler wagon underframes and on some of them you can see where the plate was. It's odd, because they're incredibly hard to remove!

 

The Rustons are long gone - they were stored before diposal at Frodingham depot some years ago. I think one may have been preserved.

 

Found this rather intersting photo of one -

 

Clicky

 

There's some interesting stuff on that site too!

 

[linguistic pedant point]It's just Walrus btw (like sheep, singular and plural are the same), and the word isn't Latin so shouldn't take a Latin ending - unless you're writing in Latin of course in which case, all bets are off - it's either Dutch or Norse in origin I believe.[/linguistic pedant point].

With plurals like these I always think about Alan Partridge 'Lexus' and and 'Lexi'!

[hmrspaul]

 

Here are some from what is my most memorable day chasing industrials.

 

In July 96 I took a few days holiday in South Wales with the aim of visiting the various steelworks and other industrial sites. I'd bought an OS map, which showed a public footpath crossing the BR main lines and the point where Margam yard met BSC metals at Port Talbot steelworks. I reckoned that if I stood on the path, between tracks, then I wasn't trespassing. I wasn't sure of this strategy and still wary of being chased off by either BR or BSC employees when this beast came out of the works, heading for the exchange sidings...

 

[

 

Margham BR side were incredibly understanding. We spent days in there measuring and photographing the wagons. A very strange place, at bank holidays the beach and dunes were very crowded and noisy, Margham yard was all peace and quiet (unlike todays railways BR didn't do much freight at weekends or Bank holidays).

 

Lots of good memories coming out.

 

Paul Bartlett

[hmrspaul]

That's fairly amazing, especially if they were from an SR build, though I doubt that. The Rustons have been retired though, surely?

 

[linguistic pedant point]It's just Walrus btw (like sheep, singular and plural are the same), and the word isn't Latin so shouldn't take a Latin ending - unless you're writing in Latin of course in which case, all bets are off - it's either Dutch or Norse in origin I believe.[/linguistic pedant point].

 

Adam

This GLE Walrus was ex SR - see the Diamond bogies. The BR build had plateback bogies http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/c117187_1.html

 

Paul Bartlett

[avonside1563]

The pair that started it all. RH42483 & RH284838 in Crossley's scrapyard, Shipley, October 88. At this time they were supposedly spares to the Hunslet 0-4-0DH. Apparently, the blue one was capable of working but it wasn't capable of starting its own engine (some fault on the compresso ror air reciever) so the donkey engine on the brown one was started and it filled the reciever on it. A flexible hose from a lorry was attached between the two so the blue one's engine could be started.

 

Just thought a brief note of explanation might be helpful to this caption for those who don't know that smaller Ruston diesels use air for starting, whereby compressed air at around 300psi is introduced from the starting air reservoir into the cylinders to turn the engine over (instead of an electric starter motor). The engine usually required barring round to a starting position using a large bar inserted into holes in the flywheel on the end of the crankshaft.

 

The problem with this was that you had to get everything primed nicely and then quickly wind the starting air valve open to swing the engine over nice and quickly then snap the air valve shut to let the diesel fuel do its job. If you didn't get it right in the first couple of goes you ran out of high pressure air and would then have to start a small petrol donkey engine and compressor to recharge the starting reservoir, which could take ages when the pump got worn. A old 88DS I have had dealings with could take half an hour or more to recharge the starting reservoir if it didn't start first or second time.

[ailg8048]

One of the Scunthorpe 48DS's is indeed preserved

 

200793 - Went to Swansea Vale and is now at the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway

 

http://www.aligrieve.fotopic.net/p44029927.html

[James]

What livery is it carrying?

[Natalie]

 

RR10256 at the loading point at Croft quarry, Leics. sometime in the early 90s. My brother and I had walked along a footpath next to the BR Nuneaton-Leicester line and watched as a class 56 reversed a load of empties into the exchange siding. Minutes later a TH 0-6-0DH appeared out of the quarry and was coupled up to the train. The driver, seeing us taking photos of his engine, asked if we'd like a ride. Is the Pope a Catholic? He shouted up to the signalman in the box on our side of the line, who confirmed there were no trains coming, and we crossed over and got onboard the loco. A couple of minutes later and we were in the quarry. The Rolls Royce was the spare loco.

 

I was a Leicester Manual Relief Signalman during the early 1990s and often worked Croft Sidings box. Apart from the virtually LNWR interior the box lacked such niceties as track circuits or dollies to control set back movements over the slip/crossing into the sidings from the down side (from Leicester). Added to that was the fact that the line was curved making set back movements really difficult. The shunter at Croft was legendary and got up to all sorts of mischief... The fact that it wasn't supposed to come out onto the mainline didn't stop it coming to Hinckley one night- but that is another story...

[AMJ]

For those that don't know one of the standard gauge V tipper wagons that used to operate at the Sheffield Sewarage works is at Middleton Railway and was used for ballast until we got a proper ex BR balast wagon.

 

Nice photos Ruston.

 

The other year the Rolls-Royce car club I'm in organised a trip on the Appleby-Froddingham railway - we had steam. Essentially they said do not lean out to take photos. Got photos easily of many locos! Many leaning out as can be seen of the Janus dwarfed by the big shed.

Probably best to look at all of the ones I have added into http://andrewjohnson...t/c1188364.html rather than paste individual links.

http://andrewjohnson.fotopic.net/p42148674.html

http://andrewjohnson.fotopic.net/p42148676.html

http://andrewjohnson.fotopic.net/p42239708.html

[Natalie]

You may be right.

 

I was driving past, and came upon the place by accident, circa early 90s.

 

Didn't make a note of where I was (very unusual for me).

 

Brian R

 

I would agree with Kev (did you visit me when I worked Croft?)that the pic is not Croft. The loading lines curved round from the mainline in a semi horse shoe shape. There were two adjacent single lines which both went under the loader although the left hand one was the only one I remember being used for wagons.Tucked away at the end of the two sidings was a crossover road to allow running round- I can't recall it being used when I was there, wagons being shunt released with the train engine if needed.

 

I had no problems getting round the quarry but then the staff knew who I was. We also used to park our cars in the quarry opposite (where they stored concrete blocks) where we could see them. During the heavy snow during late 1990 I was at Croft keeping it open on the night shift because of snow. By the time I went in the morning the snow was quite deep resulting in me being unable to get up the quarry access road without digging it clear- much to the amusement of the ECC staff and lorry drivers!

 

Shame I never took many photos at Croft- and then none in the quarry itself.

[mr45144]

I would agree with Kev (did you visit me when I worked Croft?)that the pic is not Croft. The loading lines curved round from the mainline in a semi horse shoe shape. There were two adjacent single lines which both went under the loader although the left hand one was the only one I remember being used for wagons.Tucked away at the end of the two sidings was a crossover road to allow running round- I can't recall it being used when I was there, wagons being shunt released with the train engine if needed.

 

I had no problems getting round the quarry but then the staff knew who I was. We also used to park our cars in the quarry opposite (where they stored concrete blocks) where we could see them. During the heavy snow during late 1990 I was at Croft keeping it open on the night shift because of snow. By the time I went in the morning the snow was quite deep resulting in me being unable to get up the quarry access road without digging it clear- much to the amusement of the ECC staff and lorry drivers!

 

Shame I never took many photos at Croft- and then none in the quarry itself.

I never did get to Croft when you were there but did spend some time at Hinckley. We had a reasonable selection of industrial locations in the area back then.

 

Kev

[Boris]

I must say, those pictures are quite inspirational, they remind me of growing up in the late 70s and early 80s with the very last of the industrial steam (and some diesel) in the remains of the Ashington coal field. Mind you I'm also impressed with the girth of the shunter in one of those first pictures, I didn't realise they made orange overalls quite that large!

[Mark Saunders]

A note on internal ballast wagons at Tata ex BSC Scunthorpe

 

Last September I saw no ex Grant Rail ballast hoppers either Walrus or Procor PGA but there were two Sealion present!

 

I suspect it is since Grant Rail became wholly owned by Volker (hence the rebranding on their track machines).

 

Mark Saunders

[Barry O]

TThat's when it really was the Hunslet Engine Co. and not simply a name used by a firm in the midlands...

 

I think the last works manger of Hunslet Engine at Jack Lane who is now working for LH may have a bit of an issue with that - and Hunslet still have a work place in Leeds - and hope to sell some new diesel shunters soon. There are a number of his colleagues working for Hunslet and LH - he had a hand in the Eurotunnel bodies at Qualter Hall where they painted them in the paint booth retrieved from Jack Lane.

 

I will ping him and see if he will put some photos of the new Hunslets on here

 

 

[brianthesnail96]

Cracking stuff Dave

[James]

Last September I saw no ex Grant Rail ballast hoppers either Walrus or Procor PGA but there were two Sealion present!

I'm sure there was a Walrus on site - there are Whales still in Dutch colours.

 

The PGAs are stored at Frodingham, or at least where last year.

 

I suspect it is since Grant Rail became wholly owned by Volker (hence the rebranding on their track machines).

I'm confused by this...

[Ruston]

A few more.

 

BOCM Silcock operated an internal railway system at their Olympia works in Selby. I made a couple of visits but I was too late to see the proper loco, JF 4200003, in action. At the time they used a Mercedes Unimog 4x4 truck, road-railer. There was also a Strachan & Henshaw road-railer tucked away. I wasn't particularly interested in those and the aim of my visits were to see the Fowler, which was supposedly still in working order and nominally the spare loco. The works has since closed and is derelict. The bike was mine, a Kawi GT550 rat bike.

 

 

And not too far away , next to the ECML, at Great Heck was the Plasmor block works and sidings. JF4220038 in the chocolate brown colour in which it was recieved from the Middleton Railway.

 

Butterley Engineering had occupied the site at Ripley, Derbys. since being founded by Benjamin Outram in 1790 and was still going when I visited in 1995. They had a YE 0-4-0DE and this Drewry 0-4-0DM, built by the Vulcan Foundry (w/n D294) and named Teucer. At this time the works was still connected to BR via the tracks of the Midland Railway Centre. The works has since closed and the site flattened.

 

[jackrob]

What do you want to know? I've got an original sales booklet for these and the 0-4-0DEs that were supplied to SCoW. It has a description of the locos, loco photos, a GA drawing and photos of the power unit. I'd scan it but my flatbed scanner won't talk to the laptop because I don't have the driver for it and I'm not sure how we stand with the forum rules on copyright.

 

 

Thanks for the help, but I don't need any specific information. I was thinking about books about them, but I found a few on amazon now, so I'll be fine.

 

Thanks anyway.

[hmrspaul]

A few more.

 

BOCM Silcock operated an internal railway system at their Olympia works in Selby. I made a couple of visits but I was too late to see the proper loco, JF 4200003, in action. At the time they used a Mercedes Unimog 4x4 truck, road-railer. There was also a Strachan & Henshaw road-railer tucked away. I wasn't particularly interested in those and the aim of my visits were to see the Fowler, which was supposedly still in working order and nominally the spare loco. The works has since closed and is derelict. The bike was mine, a Kawi GT550 rat bike.

 

 

And not too far away , next to the ECML, at Great Heck was the Plasmor block works and sidings. JF4220038 in the chocolate brown colour in which it was recieved from the Middleton Railway.

 

Butterley Engineering had occupied the site at Ripley, Derbys. since being founded by Benjamin Outram in 1790 and was still going when I visited in 1995. They had a YE 0-4-0DE and this Drewry 0-4-0DM, built by the Vulcan Foundry (w/n D294) and named Teucer. At this time the works was still connected to BR via the tracks of the Midland Railway Centre. The works has since closed and the site flattened.

 

Not inside the works (never thought to ask them!) but the BR Conger set worked into the works, some photos on my collection such as http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/p49802450.html and http://gallery6801.fotopic.net/p49802439.html

 

Paul Bartlett

[Ruston]

Three pics of one of the last 48DS locos to be used in industry.

 

W/n 265617 was supplied new, in 1948, to Blackett Hutton Ltd. Steelfounders of Guisborough in the North Riding. When I saw it in March 1995 it was still working and carrying its original lined green livery, albeit faded and dirty, that it had been given at the RH works in Lincoln all those years ago. At one time the foundry had been connected to BR so, presumably, the loco would have handled traffic in and out but by 1995 it's sole purpose was to push and pull a single flat wagon. The flat would be loaded with a vessel containing molten steel from the electric arc furnace to the casting shops, a distance of about 150 yards.

 

 

 

[Ruston]

A couple of pics taken at the Allen Rowland scrapyard at Tyseley in 1996. A Hibberd 4wDM (w/n 3958) and a Yorkshire Engine Co. 0-4-0DE, which I didn't record the identity of. I think these must have been taken on a Sunday when the yard wasn't working.

 

 

Rolls Royce10279 at the Bolsover Coalite plant in August 91. The Coalite plant produced a form of coke as a smokeless fuel for household use. I always used to enjoy the smell of coal tar that drifted from here right across to the M1 when I was driving on that road. The plant closed several years ago now and I miss that smell when travelling on the motorway. They also had an 0-6-0DE Yorkshire here as a spare, which I've got a photo of. I'll post it when I find and scan it.

 

Rolls Royce 10283, one of a pair of 4wDMs, at the very modern loco shed of the Preston Dock railway in May 95. I'm led to believe that this railway is now run as a preservation project but that they still run tanker trains - does anyone know if that's correct?

 

YE 2760 at Allied Steel & Wire, Cardiff. I took this one during the same trip as the pics, shown previously, at Port Talbot.

[newbryford]

 

Rolls Royce 10283, one of a pair of 4wDMs, at the very modern loco shed of the Preston Dock railway in May 95. I'm led to believe that this railway is now run as a preservation project but that they still run tanker trains - does anyone know if that's correct?

 

Yes. The Ribble Steam Railway runs as a "heritage line", but the Sentinels transfer bitumen tanks from the exchange sidings near Strand Road, to the Lanstar terminal in the docks. Timetabled to 3 days each week.

 

In fact, the bitumen traffic has just received new tanks - replacing those that are about 40 years old!

 

The Sentinels are fitted with train air brakes. Details on the Ribble Steam Railway stocklist - lookup "Enterprise", "Energy" and "Progress"

 

Enterprise on the old TEA tanks

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Ruston]

British Oak Disposal Point was situated at Calder Grove, near Wakefield and was connected to the BR Horbury Junction - Barnsley line. The site was operated by the National Coal Board Opencast Executive (British Coal OE at the time of these photos) and was on a truncated section of a line that once went all the way to Caphouse colliery (now the National Coalmining Museum for England www.ncm.org.uk) via rope-worked inclines. I first encountered the site in 1987 when 08016 and 03037 were kept here but the locos never worked as far as I know. The ex-BR locos were removed and the site was left without any locos or any rail traffic until for a few weeks in 1993 the BCOE sent Hunslet 7410 from Wentworth Stores to work traffic at British Oak. As far as I know this was the last time any rail traffic worked into this site. It is now closed, the track lifted, buildings and plant demolished and completely overgrown.

 

 

7410 leaves the site and crosses Blacker Lane, heading for the exchange sidings.

 

The loco is about to take the curve to the right toward the exchange sidings. The track straight on once led to a staithe on the Calder & Hebble Naviation.

 

Coupled up to the short train of HAA hoppers and heading through the exchange sidings. These sidings were laid with heavy pressed steel sleepers.

 

 

Edit: I'm not sure that I've got these in the right order. To be honest I can't remember if loaded trains came in and the coal was transferred to lorries or vice-versa. It's a long time ago and I never was sure what a "Disposal Point" was meant to do. They certainly didn't mine coal on the site at this time.

[Ruston]

I've found a few more.

 

AB 478, an 0-4-0DH was another of C.F. Booth's resident shunters in 1988 and is seen here near the rail entrance to the yard, off the Brightside to Masborough line, with the embankment just visible carrying the line to Treeton North Junction.

 

An unidentified YE Janus loco at work on the BSC Shelton site in 1996.

 

RH 375713 seen working during another visit to the Pyewipe works in May 96.The old tippler wagons had been replaced by a more modern fleet of flat wagons with open-topped containers.

 

Next door to the Pyewipe works was Ciba Geigy's works, which used this rare Hunslet 'Yardmaster' loco. Unfortunately I never saw it work but this rare beast has been preserved, along with some of the Tioxide Rustons at Ludborough. Here's a short video that I found on youtube -

[halfwit]

That Yardmaster could be an interesting little project - makes me want to hunt it down with a tape rule.

[Ruston]

Me too. So many prototypes, so little modelling (and money) time, eh, Paul?

 

Steelworks locos this time.

 

Hunslet 7543 and Yorkshire 300hp loco 2825 at BSC Workington, July 96.

 

Yorkshire, Janus class, 2735 at United Engineering Steels' Aldwarke works, April 96.

 

Again, April 96, Aldwarke - YE2889 [93] & YE2904 [31].

 

Yorkshire DE2 class 0-4-0DE at C.F. Booth's yard, January 89. This loco had come from the UES Templeborough works just down the road.

 

BSC Teeside works on a Sunday in 1991. Various GEC 6wDE locos lined up.