oil terminals no more...

[hmrspaul]

I have reposted my old selection of oil refinery, loading points etc. photos at http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/oilterminals - all better quality than before.

 

I am slowly building up collections of wagons and other items at private sites, so some of the ones in this group may be of interest.

http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/industrialinternalwagons

 

Regards

 

Paul Bartlett

[eastwestdivide]

Remains of one here (I think) between Aldwarke and Swinton.

That was latterly Croda I think, formerly Yorkshire Tar Distillers. Local papers had plans to build houses on that site - I wouldn't fancy growing veggies in the gardens.

[hmrspaul]

That was latterly Croda I think, formerly Yorkshire Tar Distillers. Local papers had plans to build houses on that site - I wouldn't fancy growing veggies in the gardens.

A few photos of YTD here http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/ytdscenes

 

Before brown field sites are reused considerable care is taken in ensuring that the land is acceptable for domestic or industrial use with rehabilitation if necessary, which can mean considerable removal of contaminated soil and replacement.

 

Paul Bartlett

[caradoc]

There was a terminal built at Islip between Oxford and Bicester Town. It was for fuel for Upper Heyford. The airbase had it's fuel piped in but I think this terminal was a belt and braces job just incase of distruption. I do not remember any trains using the terminal from at least the mid 70's. Don't know about any earlier times or when it was built but was it in the cold war era? I believe the track is still in the terminal.

 

According to Bill Simpson's book 'Oxford to Cambridge Railway' Volume One (OPC 1981), the oil terminal at Islip was opened in the mid-1930s, and used by the Air Ministry at first, being taken over by Esso after WW2. He also says the terminal was hardly used after 1969, but until then 60 wagons a day were supplied, which seems a large number for such a small location. I don't recall any large storage tanks at Islip, so, as Brian says, was the fuel pumped direct to Upper Heyford and stored there ? Due to its size, Upper Heyford, in its heyday, would certainly have required vast amounts of fuel.

[Fat Controller]

A few photos of YTD here http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/ytdscenes

 

Before brown field sites are reused considerable care is taken in ensuring that the land is acceptable for domestic or industrial use with rehabilitation if necessary, which can mean considerable removal of contaminated soil and replacement.

 

Paul Bartlett

My sister, who's a geotechnical engineer, spent quite a few years project-managing 'brownfield' site rehabilitations- former gasworks and tar distillers were the nastiest, due to the various phenols and dioxins, and often the only solution was to put a concrete cap over the most profoundly affected areas. One recent technique, though, is to scrape the topsoil into long, narrow, heaps, seed them with very specific microbes, and then cover them with plastic sheet. After about a year, most of the 'nasties' have gone.

[Fat Controller]

According to Bill Simpson's book 'Oxford to Cambridge Railway' Volume One (OPC 1981), the oil terminal at Islip was opened in the mid-1930s, and used by the Air Ministry at first, being taken over by Esso after WW2. He also says the terminal was hardly used after 1969, but until then 60 wagons a day were supplied, which seems a large number for such a small location. I don't recall any large storage tanks at Islip, so, as Brian says, was the fuel pumped direct to Upper Heyford and stored there ? Due to its size, Upper Heyford, in its heyday, would certainly have required vast amounts of fuel.

I suspect Islip, like other, similar, terminals, would have supplied quite a few local bases, and not just Upper Heyford. Off the top of my head, there were a few other bases nearby into the 1990s (Brize Norton and Fairford spring to mind), whilst WW2 saw a lot around the area. The storage tanks at such locations, and at the airfields themselves, were often underground; the surface evidence would be a geometric pattern of vent pipes and inspection covers on top of some grassy mounds. There's been some recent discussion about rail-served military bases, which had links to some aerial photos of such sites.

On the subject of Upper Heyford; was it used for the location shots of 'Lewis' a few weeks ago, or was that another former base?

[Pyewipe Jct]

My sister, who's a geotechnical engineer, spent quite a few years project-managing 'brownfield' site rehabilitations- former gasworks and tar distillers were the nastiest, due to the various phenols and dioxins, and often the only solution was to put a concrete cap over the most profoundly affected areas. One recent technique, though, is to scrape the topsoil into long, narrow, heaps, seed them with very specific microbes, and then cover them with plastic sheet. After about a year, most of the 'nasties' have gone.

 

The latter is a technique called 'bio-remediation', I believe, & was used on a reasonably large scale during the construction of the first phase of the University of Lincoln, which occupies much of the site of the former GN engine shed & GN/GC goods yard at East Holmes - large areas were found to be heavily contaminated with oil, presumably spillage from the lubrication of steam locos & later diesel loco fuelling.

 

Returning to the topic at hand, however, there was also an 'oil stores' siding on Ropewalk to the south of the shed that was in operation by the '20s (I have a photo of two 'motor spirit' tanks there in 1924).

 

I've also had a rummage through my files & found an agreement document between the LNER & Shell-Mex & BP Ltd. for the provision of 'pipe lines & stand posts' at Catterick Bridge station on the Richmond branch dating from June 1935. The attached plan shows three new stand posts - two for 'spirit & kero' & one for 'spirit (A.M.A)' - adjacent to an existing siding to the north of the running lines, at the eastern end of the station, with pipe lines then running south (presumably under the railway) to a depot to the south-east of the signal box.

 

 

Kevin

[JohnH]

There was a small oil terminal at Connel Ferry in the Western Highlands on the Oban branch. An earlier poster mentioned Oban. In the Scottish(& Welsh) 'Freight Only' book there's a mention of two oil terminals there, one at the quayside and one at the old goods depot in the town itself. Has anyone any photos of the 'town' depot in Speedlink years?

[LNERGE]

Sandy. Kelmarsh, Islip, Saffron Walden etc all mentioned as current terminals..

 

http://www.linewatch.co.uk/map-PDF/map-GPSS.pdf

[ianfolland]

The terminals at Padworth and Newbury were mentioned above - Padworth was closed by the mid-80's but can just be seen in the background of a picture I posted on the old RMWEB site at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=48193, showing the Reading trip, 6A89 in Padworth sidings 10 October 1986. I believe the oil terminal is still there (and connected?). The rest is built on.

 

This train also conveyed occasional (TEA's) traffic for Newbury at this time, though not on this occasion, as well as the odd stray tank for Theale. Newbury was on the up side near the racecourse and served by setting back off the up line.

 

A similar thread about Army sidings no more might also be interesting. The vans on my 6A89 pictures were destined for Thatcham, now a housing estate, with extremely tight curves, the scene of several mishaps, mostly it seems involving parked cars, but I seem to recall a story about the demise of the end wall of the army's engine shed. Does anyone know?

[The Stationmaster]

The terminals at Padworth and Newbury were mentioned above - Padworth was closed by the mid-80's but can just be seen in the background of a picture I posted on the old RMWEB site at http://www.rmweb.co....php?f=7&t=48193, showing the Reading trip, 6A89 in Padworth sidings 10 October 1986. I believe the oil terminal is still there (and connected?). The rest is built on.

 

This train also conveyed occasional (TEA's) traffic for Newbury at this time, though not on this occasion, as well as the odd stray tank for Theale. Newbury was on the up side near the racecourse and served by setting back off the up line.

 

A similar thread about Army sidings no more might also be interesting. The vans on my 6A89 pictures were destined for Thatcham, now a housing estate, with extremely tight curves, the scene of several mishaps, mostly it seems involving parked cars, but I seem to recall a story about the demise of the end wall of the army's engine shed. Does anyone know?

 

Padworth oil terminal was definitely still there on Sunday as I duly noted while enroute back from Taunton - but I'm not sure if it is still rail connected and it does look (and has for sometime) rather run-down.

[br2975]

"Gulf Oil" - Cardiff Docks, who initially purchased D9530 from BR in 1969 in order to shunt this terminal. It's not known whether or not the loco was ever used there, as it appears to have gone straight to Waterston refinery in west Wales, and was later sold to the NCB.

.

There were a couple of terminals located on the branch from Grangetown (Cardiff) alongside Ferry Road to the Ely Tidal Harbour. By the mid-70s a Radyr based Cl.08 would work to Penarth Curve North and three paths were available through the day onto the Ferry Road branch, where one terminal was shunted by a Planet loco owned by South Wales Warehouses. Rationalisation saw the branch truncated, and the terminal siding moved closer to Grangetown station - final closure came around 1983.

.

Finally, one that 'bucked the trend' - the 'Minimet' terminal on Cardiff's foreshore, and alongside the Queen Alexandra Dock entrance lock lost its rail business several years ago, until a DB(S) operated Lindsey OR train started up again at the back end of 2010, with the Cl.66 working straight to the terminal, negating the need for a Tidal pilot - as shwon in this shot of 08689 shunting the terminal on 9th June, 2005, just before rail traffic ceased.

.

Brian R

[dibber25]

Staines on the branch line from West Drayton - now terminates at Colnbrook - I have a picture of the final train departing the terminal.

 

The Cory depot at Staines West had two 'last oil trains' - one via Colnbrook and West Drayton circa 1981 (when the M25 construction severed the line and a new connection to the SR was put in)and the final last train via the 'new' connection to the SR Windsor lines about 10 years later. Trains of TTAs (bogie tanks were used for a time) carrying central heating oil were headed by Stratford Class 37s and 47s. The depot opened in 1964, shortly before the branch closed to passengers in 1965 (another case of one bit of BR not knowing what the other was doing!). The first train had a 61XX 2-6-2T, subsequently it was usually Hymeks, then Class 22s, although there is one recorded instance of a 'warship', one of a 'Western' and one of a Class 40 working through to Staines. The branch was GWR 'red' route restriction. I have photos taken throughout its career.

CHRIS LEIGH

[Mark Saunders]

Two major ones are:-

 

The Shell Refinery at Teesport, the Junction is still called Shell junction and the bridge over the Wilton branch still bears the Shell logo.

 

Leeds Oil Rail Terminal on the Hunslett East branch from Neville Hill.

 

Other ones are:-

 

Killingholme Admiralty oil wharfe near Immingham, it was vintage with brick built storage tanks.

 

Greetland junction.

 

Appleby's at Harrogate and Scarborough, these were supplied by a block train from Stanlow that ran to York with it splitting in three portions, one for Harrogate, one for Scarborough and Heavy Fuel oil for Cleveland Potash at Boulby (another lost terminal).

 

Various terminals in the former ICI plant at Wilton.

 

Mark Saunders

[nrm69]

Having lived at Bunchrew (not Buncrewe) I don't recall oil tanks but it may have been before my time, late 70s and early 80s. We looked out onto the line about a mile North of the disused Bunchrew station. It's also not mentioned on RailBrit which is usually pretty good source of information. Be interested to see any pictures or maps if they are available?

 

http://www.railbrit.co.uk/Inverness_and_Ross-shire_Railway/frame.htm

 

I'm sure that Lairg though still has oil trains, search on Railbrit and there are some recent images.

 

The Highland Bitumens plant was at Culloden and I can recall passing the tankers there when on the main line trains, there would be a small flame visble sometimes which I guess would be keeping the bitumen liquid. Peco do these wagons in N gauge. http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2308310

 

Someone else also mentioned Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate, we used to visit my Gran and frequently walk the dogs on the old Potts line which joined onto the occassionally in use branch to the Oil depot in the Abbey Foregate. Highlight of my holidays would be seeing the train, always an 08, from memory they would stop and change the points at a ground frame and then have to unlock gates into the storage compound. There are pictures somewhere at my parents house of us next to the line with the train in the background. I think there was only one train a week which was why it was considered safe to walk along the line!

 

http://shrewsburyrht.org.uk/history/shropshire-and-montgomeryshire-railway/

[The Stationmaster]

The Cory depot at Staines West had two 'last oil trains' - one via Colnbrook and West Drayton circa 1981 (when the M25 construction severed the line and a new connection to the SR was put in)and the final last train via the 'new' connection to the SR Windsor lines about 10 years later. Trains of TTAs (bogie tanks were used for a time) carrying central heating oil were headed by Stratford Class 37s and 47s. The depot opened in 1964, shortly before the branch closed to passengers in 1965 (another case of one bit of BR not knowing what the other was doing!). The first train had a 61XX 2-6-2T, subsequently it was usually Hymeks, then Class 22s, although there is one recorded instance of a 'warship', one of a 'Western' and one of a Class 40 working through to Staines. The branch was GWR 'red' route restriction. I have photos taken throughout its career.

CHRIS LEIGH

 

 

And there is of course the Colnbrook terminal which is still there although I presume it is still only used on an 'irregular' basis just to make sure that all is in order and to keep the kit in full working order.

[dibber25]

And there is of course the Colnbrook terminal which is still there although I presume it is still only used on an 'irregular' basis just to make sure that all is in order and to keep the kit in full working order.

 

My understanding was that Colnbrook was brought in to use after the Langley fire (both depots feed into a pipeline to Heathrow)but primarily for 'emergency' use. It is precisely on the old station site and readily visible from what was the level crossing on the Old Bath Road. Last time I saw it, the motive power was a Class 60 and the train was from Milford Haven.

Chris Leigh

[Simon Lee]

And there is of course the Colnbrook terminal which is still there although I presume it is still only used on an 'irregular' basis just to make sure that all is in order and to keep the kit in full working order.

 

Usually runs 3 times a week at present from Lindsey, though obviously varies with demand, went up considerably a few years ago after the Buncefield explosion.

 

Regards

Simon

[Tankerman]

A very old oil siding was the one put in at Penmere on the Truro-Falmouth branch during WWII to supply the storage tanks at Swanpool. Although it was out of use by 1956/7, the oil being brought in by tankships by then, it remained rail connected, and usable, until the early 60's.

[emdpowerrules]

From my 1980s fotting days on the Cambridge line Stansted handled BP jet fuel for the airport. Cambridge had Charringtons at Brooklands Avenue, Esso Coldhams Lane and BP Barnwell Jn.

 

On the GWML in the 1990s there was a Thameshaven-Littlemore(on the Oxford-Princes Risborough line) that one time split in Hinksey Yard with a portion for Banbury and another possibly Didcot loco, kept a Class 47 busy all day. The Oxford-Risborough line is still part open and serves the BMW Mini plant at Cowley.

[mikeh]

As well as

 

Tile Hill

Warwick

Wolverhampton Stow Heath

 

 

 

Bates & Hunt received oil products from Bromford Bridge to depots at Abbey Foregate (Shrewsbury) and Machynlleth, as well as possibly Northampton (might not have been a Bates & Hunt location).

 

This traffic was sent out in vac-braked rail cars (as they were known to B&H) and was serviced to Machynlleth on the 8J23 Bescot-Coton Hill-Machynlleth service. Because the Machynlleth terminal could only accomodate two tanks at a time there, changeover was required at times other than when the class 25 was available to us. This resulted in the chargeman having to "sweet talk" a spare driver into using spare DMU for the shunt. This involved going up to the pens siding to withdraw the discharged tanks, and cross them over in to the upside yard, then return with a couple of loaded cars. Its probably a good job that Control didn't get wind of our shunts too often because they'd have had kittens at the thought of a two car Met camm with 80 tons of heating oil on the drawhook !!!

 

 

There was an industrial terminal within the Patent shaft complex at Wednesbury, which received 100t tanks from Cardiff, but that was purely for the works there. Just down the road Ocker Hill (oil) PS received trainloads of heating oil for the station, but this was again internal use, rather than commercial.

 

There

 

Some notes from the Midlands...

 

Not seen Bedworth Murco mentioned? Still served most days by trains from Lindsey & Port Clarence and occasionally Robeston.

The big one in the Midlands is of course Kingsbury (Warwickshire Oil Storage) of course with up to 3 trains a day from Humberside.

 

Esso at Northampton received trains from Fawley until the pipeline opened to Bromford Bridge when it was served by rail from there. Abbey Foregate was also served from Bromford this way. Bromford was famous for the pairs of SR BRCW Type 3s from Fawley but also had two trains a day from Avonmouth King Edward Dock well into the 60s.

Rowley Regis took product from Llandarcy, Stanlow, Ellesmere Port and Thameshaven

Albion initially took product from Ellesmere Port then Cardiff then the new refinery at Robeston

 

Warwick was a Regent terminal in the old Cape Yard

Banbury was another Hartwells location, served from Stanlow and occasionally Llandarcy

There was a Petrofina terminal at Nuneaton, served from Stanlow and later from Avonmouth

Stow Heath was the Esso terminal at Priestfield while there was a BP siding at Wednesfield Heath

Soho Pool has featured in these columns before with a Regent/Texaco terminal served from Cardiff until 1981

There was another Regent terminal at Hartlebury (Leapgate Sdgs) on the Bewdley branch, served from Avonmouth as a Q path with Nuneaton.

 

Industrial users with block trains apart from Patent Shaft included

Croda Chemicals at Four Ashes (Stanlow & Thameshaven)

IMI Witton (Stanlow)

Round Oak Steel Works (Stanlow)

BIP at Langley Green (Stanlow)

BMC at Longbridge (Stanlow)

 

There was also traffic to gas works in the 60s at

Coleshill Lurgi (Hebranston and Thameshaven or Stanlow)) plus Naptha from West Thurrock for a while.

Tipton Lurgi (ditto)

Nechells (ditto)

Northampton (Thameshaven)

 

Most of the 60s power stations take oil by rail for starting the boilers, both Ironbridge (Cardiff) and Rugeley (Lindsey or Thameshaven) did so with Rugeley still getting the occasional train.

 

Oil traffic was one of the big sucess stories of the Beeching era with all the major oil companies signed up to long term contracts which committed them to building large fleets of rail tank cars. Without that the pipeline networks would have been built much sooner.

 

Regards

Mike

[TheSignalEngineer]

There's some sort of large storage facility on the Down side between Poynton and Bramhall. Formerly rail served, the outline of the tracks can be seen on Google Earth. It doesn't have a sign on the road to say what it is.

[hmrspaul]

 

Oil traffic was one of the big sucess stories of the Beeching era with all the major oil companies signed up to long term contracts which committed them to building large fleets of rail tank cars. Without that the pipeline networks would have been built much sooner.

 

Regards

Mike

I realise that there is truth in that, not least in getting the companies to pay for their own fleets (unlike for example the Steel industry and NCB) but it was not a total success.

 

When my dad moved into the bit of BRB HQ that was responsible for these contracts he realised that each of the possible trains had a crew (which would have been three men in those days) and loco allocated to it. But frequently the Oil companies did not request the train was run and therefore made no payment for the wasted crew & Loco. BRB was a typical HQ, by the early 1970s there were may have been only two people in the building that understood how railways were run. My dad was one of these two who had the additional task as "translators". For example each major traffic had a sales manager (his bosses previous job was selling carpets) and they would come in and want an explanation because an area control office (or similar) would explain that there were problems with running a train using their own parlance.

 

I suspect many of you will recognise that not a lot has changed!

 

By the way this is a great series of postings, recalling just how common these facilities were, especially when those within private works are included.

 

Paul Bartlett

[ess1uk]

Peterborough. the sidings are all over grown and you would struggle to see them unless you knew they were there.

[Oldddudders]

When my dad moved into the bit of BRB HQ that was responsible for these contracts he realised that each of the possible trains had a crew (which would have been three men in those days) and loco allocated to it. But frequently the Oil companies did not request the train was run and therefore made no payment for the wasted crew & Loco. BRB was a typical HQ, by the early 1970s there were may have been only two people in the building that understood how railways were run. My dad was one of these two who had the additional task as "translators". For example each major traffic had a sales manager (his bosses previous job was selling carpets) and they would come in and want an explanation because an area control office (or similar) would explain that there were problems with running a train using their own parlance.

 

I suspect many of you will recognise that not a lot has changed!

Worse, if anything! By the time I retired, people around me seemed to regard me as some sort of sage, just because I had been there, done that. The reality, in my own view, was that I was always a fairly lightweight operator, by then long-lapsed & out of touch. The railway now is full of hard-working and keen people, but old truths are often having to be re-learnt, which is in no way their fault. For "selling carpets" insert "Tie Rack". A thoroughly decent man, in a key role, but fresh to the industry.