Jump to content
 

Transfesa blue fruit vans - 195x to the 90ies


simao28

Recommended Posts

They look good Brian; I'd not seen those before. We could do with a list of available and suitable parts for ferry stock. I know Wizard do the chain eyes and tow anchors together on a fret as well as a good selection of brake levers. I'll have to dig out my note book when I get back to working on these and update my thread.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I kind of like the idea of a British outline HO layout that just uses European international ferry stock and such as the Lima HO Class 33. That would be an interesting project.

That's just what I have in mind Andy ;-) I'm planning a Paddock Wood kind of scenario, although since the locos I've got ready thus far have a distinctly celtic flavour, I think I'll have to move my perishables depot north of the border.

Link to post
Share on other sites

That's just what I have in mind Andy ;-) I'm planning a Paddock Wood kind of scenario, although since the locos I've got ready thus far have a distinctly celtic flavour, I think I'll have to move my perishables depot north of the border.

Glasgow had an International Freight Terminal, of fairly modest proportions, which featured in one of the shorter-lived model railway magazines (the one edited by Chris Ellis, perhaps?). It handled inbound traffic from various sources, which would make for a bit more variety than a Transfesa depot.

Transfesa themselves had another depot at Spekeland Road in Liverpool; other frequent destinations for their wagons were Manchester- Ardwick and the Greenmarket on Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Glasgow had an International Freight Terminal, of fairly modest proportions, which featured in one of the shorter-lived model railway magazines (the one edited by Chris Ellis, perhaps?). It handled inbound traffic from various sources, which would make for a bit more variety than a Transfesa depot.

Transfesa themselves had another depot at Spekeland Road in Liverpool; other frequent destinations for their wagons were Manchester- Ardwick and the Greenmarket on Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead.

Thanks, Brian. A terminal in Glasgow would be just about spot on, and I have a few other vans as well as the Transfesas; I'll have to find out more.... :-)

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

They also used to go into South Stockton until the mid 80s loaded with oranges, which probably explains the one seen in Tees

They also loaded to the 'Greenmarket' siding, on Team Valley estate,( just before Norwood coke works) at around that time. They were sent to Tees to back-load with bags and drums of chemicals for Spain and Portugal.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Since simao28's post of 21 October 2011 - 20:06 enquiring after SFV diagrams of the other types, herewith SFV diagrams 6010 (PJ FV 5501251 - 501500 & 514000 - 514399), 6011 (PJ FV 501501 - 502000), 6215 (514400 - 514499), and 6303 (PH 520082 - 520101)  post-19274-0-69000000-1488203662_thumb.jpgpost-19274-0-96584600-1488203679_thumb.jpgpost-19274-0-83272500-1488203712_thumb.jpgpost-19274-0-49480800-1488203731_thumb.jpg

 

Also attached, a Railfreight International data sheet '26 tonne Transfesa ferry van ITX dual brakes', showing the pre-UIC livery details of DB 514189 P (sic!) complete with the grid for loading dates.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Since simao28's post of 21 October 2011 - 20:06 enquiring after SFV diagrams of the other types, herewith SFV diagrams 6010 (PJ FV 5501251 - 501500 & 514000 - 514399), 6011 (PJ FV 501501 - 502000), 6215 (514400 - 514499), and 6303 (PH 520082 - 520101)  attachicon.gifSFV 6010.jpgattachicon.gifSFV 6011.jpgattachicon.gifSFV 6215.jpgattachicon.gifSFV 6303.jpg

 

Also attached, a Railfreight International data sheet '26 tonne Transfesa ferry van ITX dual brakes', showing the pre-UIC livery details of DB 514189 P (sic!) complete with the grid for loading dates.

post-19274-0-07905500-1488205641.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

Used to see these a couple of times a week coming through Leighton Buzzard, on the southern WCML. We knew them as Spanish onion trains too - you could see (and sometimes smell!) the onions through the vents. This was early '80's, but I don't recall any with brake huts though.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Just been reading through some old Railway Observers from when the Transfesa depot at Paddock Wood opened. Seems as though at least once a Class 71 was noted there, were they regular visitors does anyone know?

 

Memories of conversations with old Dover and Ashford train crews they were fairly regular visitors, such was the traffic at Paddock Wood that it merited its own pilot, at least two shifted until the early 80's. There were at least 3 other fruit importers aside from Transfesa plus the Rowntrees and UKF depots. 

 

HTH

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Interesting timing on your post - in the last few days I've been preparing my master to go to CMA for turning into my second wagon kit - the springs I have would only suit the late 70's to withdrawal in the 90's, and I'll need to draw a handbrake etch and work out how (or if) to supply a vac brake cylinder, but I suspect it would be of enough interest to justify a batch.

 

Jon

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Hello 

 

Interesting thread this has been to me...only just found it...and followed it through to this point.

Apart from the modelling perspective I would like to add possibly a few lines.

I was a guard at Ashford from 1983 to 1987 and used to work the Transfesa vans between Dover Town Yard and Paddock Wood on occasions. I never kept numbers etc but do have a record or two in my 'journals' that I kept from that time...but they just say things  like ..16 ferry vehicles, on a particular service. Because it was the era of the TOPS lists ...writing out of individual wagon numbers was a bit thumb numbing so I would only write out in the event of an incident..which never occurred whilst working these vans. I only ever went into the Keylands complex at P Wood on a couple of occasions during my years at Ashford...the normal procedure with these vans , up direction, was to run to Tonbridge West Yard, run round, then back to Paddock Wood and reverse into what was the long down siding ( Tonbridge side of P Wood station). By the time I started at Ashford running round at Paddock Wood got in the way of things apparently. On down trains it was just a case of departing that siding..for Dover.

Over the years I have often remembered these vans and looked at as much as I could online eg Paul Bartletts site etc but the one thing I discovered was that there is film footage of inside the Hither Green complex ( the P Wood depot was opened until c 1970) and the vans have the original 'gothic' style of 'Transfesa' but don't seem to be within a circle !

Sorry if people have seen this before but the link is

 

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/new-british-railways-continental-freight-depot

 

I can't make out any circles but it could be my eyes..or they are just covered in muck ?.

 

Cheers

Clive S

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hello 

 

Interesting thread this has been to me...only just found it...and followed it through to this point.

Apart from the modelling perspective I would like to add possibly a few lines.

I was a guard at Ashford from 1983 to 1987 and used to work the Transfesa vans between Dover Town Yard and Paddock Wood on occasions. I never kept numbers etc but do have a record or two in my 'journals' that I kept from that time...but they just say things  like ..16 ferry vehicles, on a particular service. Because it was the era of the TOPS lists ...writing out of individual wagon numbers was a bit thumb numbing so I would only write out in the event of an incident..which never occurred whilst working these vans. I only ever went into the Keylands complex at P Wood on a couple of occasions during my years at Ashford...the normal procedure with these vans , up direction, was to run to Tonbridge West Yard, run round, then back to Paddock Wood and reverse into what was the long down siding ( Tonbridge side of P Wood station). By the time I started at Ashford running round at Paddock Wood got in the way of things apparently. On down trains it was just a case of departing that siding..for Dover.

Over the years I have often remembered these vans and looked at as much as I could online eg Paul Bartletts site etc but the one thing I discovered was that there is film footage of inside the Hither Green complex ( the P Wood depot was opened until c 1970) and the vans have the original 'gothic' style of 'Transfesa' but don't seem to be within a circle !

Sorry if people have seen this before but the link is

 

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/new-british-railways-continental-freight-depot

 

I can't make out any circles but it could be my eyes..or they are just covered in muck ?.

 

Cheers

Clive S

I'm just guessing but i reckon the packaging containing thirty boxes of dates has since been re-branded?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Although I appreciate the thread is primarily about wagons some other details may be of interest. In the days of St. Germain/Eloi (i.e. before SNCF shared the costs with the NPdC) the division of receipts (i.e., the distribution of throughout revenue between the administrations over which the  traffic passed) resulted in income for the sea crossing being below cost. Therefore the ideal  train ferry traffic was that with a long transit over BR to recover the shortfall.  Because Paddock Wood is only a short distance from Dover this was always problem traffic but, being part of a nationalised industry RIBM was heavily leant on politically to carry it. The main reason given was, if we ceased to carry it, Spanish produce would be unable to reach the British market because lorries from Spain were effectively barred through the carnet system . Once, with the EU, Spanish lorries had unlimited access to GB however old loyalties were forgotten and the traffic quickly moved to road. I think that then the bodies of a quantity of Transfesa vans were removed and the underframes lengthened to make container wagons for Ford traffic to Dagenham - can't remember the details now but I do remember that possibly there may not have been laser-accuracy in the lengthening in that those converted wagons seemed particularly prone to derailment.

There was seasonal (before Xmas, I think) Transfesa traffic to other destinations which were, in some cases, just sidings with road access. In one memorable instance ,when the trip turned up the siding had disappeared. The initial thought was that it had been stolen by itinerant metal thieves, but it turned out our colleagues in the CE department had looked at a rusty siding and tidied it away. Quite a lot of International traffic - particularly toys from the then Eastern Bloc in the run-up to Xmas, were unloaded in very basic circumstances at sidings with no facilities other than access.

International wagons with lashing points had an anchor on to indicate that they could travel on train ferries but this did not in itself mean that they could come to GB - only wagons with the anchor enclosed in a box were within the GB loading gauge. Possibly not all Tranfesa vans were so marked.

And, pedantically, the later trips to Paddock Wood were Connectrail not Speedlink.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm just guessing but i reckon the packaging containing thirty boxes of dates has since been re-branded?

Hello LNERGE

 

Yes...I guess so !

Another thing re the Hither Green Transfesa vehicles in that film clip...does anyone know if they were blue liveried from new in the 1950s ..or was there an earlier different coloured livery at the time this film was shot in 1960 ?. What is making me ask this question is ......would the old style 'Gothic' style of 'Transfesa'...suit the blue livery !.

 

Cheers

CliveS

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hello All

 

After perusing these pages again I came across the 1960 shot of a Transfesa ferry van...no red line no circle and Transfesa inscription as per Hither Green video , two panels away from each side of the door....the link is again  pasted below and the b&w  photo is on page 2....I'm beginning to think that at at this time the vans have a brown look to me with white Transfesa lettering..unless anyone knows for sure ?.

 

http://www.forotrenes.com/foro/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18019&hilit=pitufos

 

Regards

Clives

 

I wrote:-

 

Another thing re the Hither Green Transfesa vehicles in that film clip...does anyone know if they were blue liveried from new in the 1950s ..or was there an earlier different coloured livery at the time this film was shot in 1960 ?. What is making me ask this question is ......would the old style 'Gothic' style of 'Transfesa'...suit the blue livery !.

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...