Freight Superpower or Overkill

[TheSignalEngineer]

Looking through a few photos tonight and came across this one of 50003 passing Hayle on a down freight in 1981. The loco is complete with secondman or travelling shunter, whilst the load appears to be one vac fitted 16t mineral wagon.

 

A good prototype for a small layout?

[chris_irl]

Probably returning a broken wagon to a depot or repair facility. I've seen a few similar pics, there's one of a 66 with a single Hopper wagon around somewhere...

[roythebus]

More overkill, there used to be a Rugby-Crewe parcels train, the first 2nd man job I worked on BR, a class 83 and one SR parcels van with 3 men on the loco.

[winterbournecm]

Great picture - probably used for scrap from St Erth. There were all sorts of short freights around in those days - trips into Holmans Siding at Camborne had to be short as they could foul the main line. The Hayle wharves were still in occasional use in 1981, though that would have been oil. I have seen scrap and coal wagons venture down there though. The milk could be a couple of tankls from St Erth, but picked up en route. This could have been a sizable train from Tavistock Jn which had dropped off en route.

[The Stationmaster]

Could be signalbox coal, could be any of the various things mentioned above - or none of any of it. But presumably the local supervisor used whatever loco was to hand and this was it (we used to prefer Hymeks for this sort of job, nice ride for the crew).

[Downendian]

One 1970s service was the 3B31 (3B01) Worcester to Bristol Temple Meads, which had just one GUV in the consist.

Apparently was parcels from the catalogue company Kay's. Pretty sure that must of been a loss making service

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

More overkill, there used to be a Rugby-Crewe parcels train, the first 2nd man job I worked on BR, a class 83 and one SR parcels van with 3 men on the loco.

Travelled from Crewe to Stafford on one like that. An 85 with one BG. Fastest I ever passed Basford Hall on the Up.

[TheSignalEngineer]

One 1970s service was the 3B31 (3B01) Worcester to Bristol Temple Meads, which had just one GUV in the consist.

Apparently was parcels from the catalogue company Kay's. Pretty sure that must of been a loss making service

Have a picture of a similar one at Barnt Green, with a 25 and one CCT.

[Ramblin Rich]

John Vaughan's book "An Illustrated History of China Clay trains" has a great shot of a class 50 with 2 clay hoods heading towards Fowey. I do like trains where the loco is longer than the consist!

[Rivercider]

Could the freight passing Hayle be a 16t of house coal for Ponsandane, did the traffic last that long?

If so there may well be traffic for the return leg, so there would have been a l//d move down anyway.

 

cheers

[Fat Controller]

I recollect an article in a magazine about Speedlink trying to meet customers' exceptional needs- the example they used was a single bogie tank of clay slurry from Cornwall to Warrington. As the loco was a 45 or 46, it was marginally longer than its train.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Some of this short train traffic originated in artful exploitation of a need to move locos due to unbalanced traffic flows. If there was a way to supply a service fitting a particular customer's needs on a loco move that would otherwise be light engine, that was an all around win. The economics promptly dived down the toilet when the service continued as a 'fossil', the need for the lcoo placing move having long ago disappeared...

[Steven B]

And folk wonder why wagon load frieght struggled to make any money!

 

At least they make for some interesting trains.

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B.

[298]

I've seen a 92 at Carstairs with a single 4 wheel tank wagon, and there is a clip of a similarly overpowered working here:

 

 

 

 

[LMS2968]

Remember that the loco would be working to a diagram, and the load might vary on a day-to-day basis, or might just need to go in the same direction as the load. So the alternaive would be to provide a smaller loco to move the wagon, and run the engine LE to its next point in its diagram. In the 1970s, before the WCML was electrified north of Weaver Jct, there was a two coach train Liverpool Lime St to Glasgow with TWO Class 50s at the front. On arrival at Preston, the rest of the train coupled on the back, but those two big locos with only two coaches always raised a smile.

 

Unless you know the whole picture, a sighting of what appears to be overkill CAN be very misleading.

[Ramblin Rich]

I recollect an article in a magazine about Speedlink trying to meet customers' exceptional needs- the example they used was a single bogie tank of clay slurry from Cornwall to Warrington. As the loco was a 45 or 46, it was marginally longer than its train.

 

Also pictured in JVs China Clay book IIRC! I'd forgotten that one, the 50 on hoods stuck in my mind though....

 

Here's one I found on the North Devon line - although with a class 31 pulling I think "superpower" may be the wrong description

[Rivercider]

Nice shot of the 50 with one 16t min, nice to see something a bit different.

 

Here's a short train I caught in Feb 1982,

47285 working the Severn Tunnel Junction to Moreton-on-Lugg trip,

returning into Hereford with a single van.

I later pictured 47285 leaving for Severn Tunnel having attached a TTA and 4 BDAs and BV.

 

47285 arriving at Hereford on the trip from Moreton-on-Lugg 12/2/82.

 

cheers

[Trainshed Terry]

This is not a freight train, but I should thought it went like a scolded rat .

 

I took this image at DIdcot Railway centre on a wet Sunday.

 

 

So there is aprotype for everything on the railway.

 

Terry.

[ess1uk]

Overkill but fun to model

[eastwestdivide]

Surely the highest loco:wagon length ratio would be a 40 with a single 12T van?

Warrington about 1983.

 

 

Unless of course you know different...

[Rivercider]

A class 40 and a single MSV would trump that by a foot.

 

Nice pic though

 

cheers

[Waverley West]

I remember seeing a photo of an 87 with a single blue/grey BG once. That must be pretty high up on the power/weight ratio list too.

 

Cheers,

Dave

[pitbull1845]

Pictured yesterday at Eastleigh, the MOD working from Marchwood to I guess Didcot. The 66 didn't appear to be struggling with the load! Nice easy one to model.

 

Cheers

Scott

[Stormbringer]

Remember that the loco would be working to a diagram, and the load might vary on a day-to-day basis, or might just need to go in the same direction as the load. So the alternaive would be to provide a smaller loco to move the wagon, and run the engine LE to its next point in its diagram. In the 1970s, before the WCML was electrified north of Weaver Jct, there was a two coach train Liverpool Lime St to Glasgow with TWO Class 50s at the front. On arrival at Preston, the rest of the train coupled on the back, but those two big locos with only two coaches always raised a smile. Unless you know the whole picture, a sighting of what appears to be overkill CAN be very misleading.

 

I can remember being at Twyford station one day watching a single 50 struggle by with a dead hst closely followed by 2 50's going like the clappers with 3 parcels vans behind.

 

I also remember being on Basingstoke station one evening and seeing 2x 67 top and tailing 3 Turbot wagons.

 

Pete

[Pennine MC]

And folk wonder why wagon load frieght struggled to make any money!

 

As well as the very valid points made, that these pics are quite literally 'snapshots' of only part of a loco diagram, there's also a possibility that the locos used are 'high on hours', have a traction motor isolated or are otherwise not in peak condition, and are deliberately being used on light duties and 'close to home'.