Western Region 1980s freight - West of England Division, my photos

[37114]

Great thread Kevin, interesting to hear Neil's comments about the class 20's, I hadn't realised they got as far as Bristol at this time

[Downendian]

Some information on the Avonmouth bound 1970s class 20s one year 1976

The first two pairs were early afternoon and the Toton pairs in the evening. Other 20s were seen in the mid 1970s on Avonmouth bound trains but not like the glorious summer of 1976. I saw 6 pairs of 20s and one singleton in the period 1974-9 in Bristol, not I'm sure a complete list of Avonmouth 20s (the Singleton 20 185 was LD Filton-Patchway), so what was going on in 1976?

 

7 April 1976 20 031/051 (immingham)

8 July 1976 20 003/049 (Eastfield)

19 July 1976 20 175/171 (Toton)

22,July 1976 20 173/195 (Toton)

 

Neil

[lakeview770]

We now follow 46039 round the curve and make the short journey north to Lawrence Hill.

A number of my photos of Lawrence Hill have already appeared on other threads,

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/70626-goods-yards-and-freight-handling/page-4

but I will add some fresh views.

 

Before we go into the yard I will have a look at traffic passing on the main line.

The route from Bristol Temple Meads to Filton Junction had been four tracks until 1984 when it was reduced to two tracks.

At Lawrence Hill it was the Up Filton Relief and Down Filton Relief that remained in use as they served the two remaining platforms there.

scan0001a.jpg

Heading south past Lawrence Hill on the Down Filton Main, which would be lifted in 1984, is one of Bath Roads class 31s 31258, a regular snow plough wearer.

It is working local trip no.16 and is en-route from Stoke Gifford to Dr Days with a stone set of MSVs and MTVs . 

These will be for Barton Hill Shops for Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) and would be shunted into the PPM shed that night. 6/5/80

 

The following year 31258 still with ploughs is again on local trip work and passes Lawrence Hill heading up Filton Bank.

scan0002a.jpg

31258 this time with a rake of empty OBAs for Avonmouth Dock passes Lawrence Hill having departed Kingsland Road at 14.00, 2/6/81

 

Nearly all of the freight traffic to and from Avonmouth went via the Henbury Route but in 1981 there was one booked Speedlink working

that went via Clifton Down. 6C36 12.10 Swindon Transfer - Severn Tunnel Junction which was booked to convey empty steel carriers from the Pressed Steel plant at Swindon as well as enparts VCAs for various depots. It called at Kingsland Road and then via Clifton down to attach traffic from the Avonmouth area.

scan0003a.jpg

An Immingham 31 this time, 31127 is working 6C36 12.10 Swindon - Severn Tunnel Junction through Lawrence Hill, the 2nd - 5th vehicles look like VCAs so will be enparts vans, behind that are probably discharged fuel tanks from Bath Road and St Phillips Marsh returning to Fawley, 2/6/81

 

cheers 

I believe the row of shops behind this train contain Max Williams model shop, where I spent a good portion of my money over the years.

 

Andy

[lakeview770]

Thanks Kevin for all of your insider information on the freight in and around Bristol.

 

I did think that the LPG workings may have been a bit later than your photos show ( the last one that I saw had a Class 58 in 1996/7)

 

Regarding BR allocation of Class 25 the last one that I spotted behind Bath Road was from memory 25123 in 1984.

 

I also vividly remember pairs of 20's on the flasks from Bridgwater (probably 1986) easing their way north through Lawrence Hill. I don't suppose that you have any pics of 20's in and around Bristol at that time or earlier ?

 

Cheers,

 

Matt.

I regularly saw 25s on flasks around 84/86 when at college in Bristol.

 

Andy

[class"66"]

Interesting thread,wil follow this...

 

cheers neil..

[Rivercider]

Very interesting, and I remember the mid-1970s traffic well, but as previously mentioned alas only the motive power.

Without details of the trains worked we saw many pairs of 20s mostly Toton based and on two occasions from immingham and even Eastfield, I would love to know what services they were working, There was a constant almost daily traffic of pairs of 25s on vanfits, and rarely Eastern Region 31s and split headcode 37s. Class 47s from as far afield as Knottingley, Immingham and Tinsley were also seen- yes KY duffs, very strange but they were not confined to only mgr trains in the mid 70s but like hens teeth in the late 1970s.

Lovely thread, brings back happy memories, thanks for the photos and details.

 

Neil

Thanks for the comments.

I joined BR in 1977 and went into Bristol TOPS in October 1978 after the Royal Edward Yard had closed,

I can't say that I ever recall seeing a class 20 in the Bristol area or reporting one while on TOPS duty.

I live at Weston and commuted to Temple Meads so never regularly went through Avonmouth or Stoke Gifford,

the only times I remember seeing class 20s back then was at Gloucester or Severn Tunnel Junction.

 

However I have found a photo of class 20s at Hallen Marsh in 1984 on the Bristol Rail Archive site,

Peter Rendall was a supervisor in the Bristol Panel Signal Box when I knew him in the late 1980s   

 

http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/File:Hallen_Marsh_Junction10.jpg

 

 

cheers

Edited November 11, 2014 by Rivercider

[Rivercider]

The Smelting Works Grid Sidings were a short distance south of Hallen Marsh and were reached via the inwards and outwards roads,

here are a couple of views.

 

With Hallen Marsh in the back ground we see Bristol area trip 11 loco which this day is Bath Roads 31210, 5/2/81

 

To get to the Grid sidings the busy A403 had to be crossed, this road carried much traffic from the docks towards the north,

and was provided with barriers though I never saw them in use

37233 is on the crossing which was known as Smoke Lane Crossing, the overhead pipework connects into the docks, 11/2/80

 

cheers 

Edited November 11, 2014 by Rivercider

[Fat Controller]

I saw the barriers in action; the things cost me money! When I worked at Tenneco Organics on Smoke Lane, it was during the days when the government had imposed a pay freeze. Firms could only increase wages within strictly-enforced limits. To circumvent this, firms would pay a weekly 'bonus', some tied to vague ideas like 'productivity', and others to more easily measured ones like attendance and time-keeping, which is what Tenneco used. On my payslip, these would show up as 'Phase 1' and 'Phase 2', and amounted to £10 per week; this doesn'tsound much these days, but at the time, my basic pay was £1 per hour. On the one occasion I encountered the barriers lowered, during the walk from St Andrew's Road station to work, I ended up 10 minutes late, thus losing that precious tenner...

[Rivercider]

We now get to the smelting works Grid Sidings

 

Firstly a photo of one of the ISC shunting locos crossing Smoke Lane Crossing with coke hoppers.

Having previously written that I don't remember the barriers in use I can't see them in this shot, perhaps they are lowered after all., 

This load of coke appears to be all in 21t HTVs, 26/1/82

 

 

Now a view from the A403, I think I was making my way from St Andrews Road station and grabbed this shot.  

37255 shunting at the grid sidings to make up the 7C42 for Severn Tunnel Junction, the vans are probably loaded with zinc for Bloxwich

followed by empty coke hoppers,  20t (correction) coke hoppers, like the 4th vehicle, were common here until about 1981, 5/2/81 

 

 

A different view of 37255 in the Grid Sidings, to the left is a train of tanks, I remember at one time there was a timetabled weekly

service of Phosphoric acid tanks to Ince & Elton but this ceased early in the 1980s, 5/2/81

 

And a final shot of the Avonmouth area, the morning Severn Tunnel Junction train on a different morning.

This time showing some sulphuric acid tanks, one of the regular customers for the acid was Gower Chemicals in Swansea where

these tanks are likely to be headed. One tank a week went to the Royal Ordnance Factory at Puriton, and later in the Speedlink era

TTAs of sulphuric acid regularly went to Stratford Market in East London, for a while 6L46 Swansea - Dagenham Speedlink service

was routed via Hallen Marsh to collect these tanks 

47094 is ready to work 7C42 10.50 Hallen Marsh - Severn Tunnel Junction with acid tanks and coke empties, 26/1/82

 

cheers

Edited November 11, 2014 by Rivercider

[Pugsley]

I'm clicking like, I actually mean love Thanks for taking the time to post this, it's fascinating.

 

It's also interesting to see just how much Avonmouth has changed, particularly in the last 10 years.

[Fat Controller]

We now get to the smelting works Grid Sidings

 

Firstly a photo of one of the ISC shunting locos crossing Smoke Lane Crossing with coke hoppers.

Having previously written that I don't remember the barriers in use I can't see them in this shot, perhaps they are lowered after all., 

scan0043a.jpg

This load of coke appears to be all in 21t HTVs, 26/1/82

 

 

Now a view from the A403, I think I was making my way from St Andrews Road station and grabbed this shot.  

scan0044a.jpg

37255 shunting at the grid sidings to make up the 7C42 for Severn Tunnel Junction, the vans are probably loaded with zinc for Bloxwich

followed by empty coke hoppers, 24t coke hoppers, like the 4th vehicle, were common here until about 1981, 5/2/81 

 

 

scan0045a.jpg

A different view of 37255 in the Grid Sidings, to the left is a train of tanks, I remember at one time there was a timetabled weekly

service of Phosphoric acid tanks to Ince & Elton but this ceased early in the 1980s, 5/2/81

 

And a final shot of the Avonmouth area, the morning Severn Tunnel Junction train on a different morning.

This time showing some sulphuric acid tanks, one of the regular customers for the acid was Gower Chemicals in Swansea where

these tanks are likely to be headed. One tank a week went to the Royal Ordnance Factory at Puriton, and later in the Speedlink era

TTAs of sulphuric acid regularly went to Stratford Market in East London, for a while 6L46 Swansea - Dagenham Speedlink service

was routed via Hallen Marsh to collect these tanks 

scan0046a.jpg

47094 is ready to work 7C42 10.50 Hallen Marsh - Severn Tunnel Junction with acid tanks and coke empties, 26/1/82

 

cheers

The large Coke wagons were only 20t capacity- coke is much less dense than coal. There are what might be some 24t coal hoppers (HUO) in the left background of the last photo; these found favour on South Wales coke workings once the Coke hoppers had rusted through.

The sulphuric acid for South Wales was for use in 'pickling' steel coil before tinplating/galvanising; before Gower Chemicals took over the old Danygraig loco shed (latterly wagon works), I believe the tanks went direct to the tinplating plants at Ebbw Vale, Velindre and Trostre. Before the big plants were built, many of the multitude of tinplate mills in Tinopolis used urine collected from the local pubs for pickling; the same families owned the breweries, the mills and the steelworks, so I suppose this was an early example of vertical (or perhaps slightly inclined..) integration.

The gates (actually lifting barriers) were not 'square-on' to the railway, as Smoke Lane crossed at an oblique angle. This would be why they're not visible in that photo with the Sentinel.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Fat Controller

[Rivercider]

The large Coke wagons were only 20t capacity- coke is much less dense than coal. There are what might be some 24t coal hoppers (HUO) in the left background of the last photo; these found favour on South Wales coke workings once the Coke hoppers had rusted through.

The sulphuric acid for South Wales was for use in 'pickling' steel coil before tinplating/galvanising; before Gower Chemicals took over the old Danygraig loco shed (latterly wagon works), I believe the tanks went direct to the tinplating plants at Ebbw Vale, Velindre and Trostre. Before the big plants were built, many of the multitude of tinplate mills in Tinopolis used urine collected from the local pubs for pickling; the same families owned the breweries, the mills and the steelworks, so I suppose this was an early example of vertical (or perhaps slightly inclined..) integration.

The gates (actually lifting barriers) were not 'square-on' to the railway, as Smoke Lane crossed at an oblique angle. This would be why they're not visible in that photo with the Sentinel.

Thanks Brian, my error there with the coke hopper capacity, I was thinking of HUOs.

Your post had prompted me to look at some of my Flickr photos, and I think I have made a mistake with some of my South Wales captions

so you may have saved me making more errors later in this thread!

 

I have amended the caption above, 

cheers

[Fat Controller]

Thanks Brian, my error there with the coke hopper capacity, I was thinking of HUOs.

Your post had prompted me to look at some of my Flickr photos, and I think I have made a mistake with some of my South Wales captions

so you may have saved me making more errors later in this thread!

 

I have amended the caption above, 

cheers

No problem; I must admit that I'm really enjoying this thread, and just wish I'd taken more notice (and possibly some photos) of things. I did find a notebook in which I'd noted down wagon numbers and details, some of which were of wagons in the yard behind St Andrew's Road station.

[Rivercider]

Thanks for all the positive comments, corrections, additional information and likes.

 

We are now going to head north to Gloucester and Worcester, locations that I only photographed on a couple of occasions.

As I only made a few visits to this area and have only a little local knowledge this section will be much briefer,

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

In the 1980s Gloucester saw a lot of freight traffic, many trains from the North and Midlands

heading for South Wales, Bristol, and the South West passed this way, in addition Gloucester New Yard handled local traffic.

 

Gloucester Horton Road Diesel Depot had an allocation of class 08 pilots to cover duties at Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford.

In 1980 for example there were 8 locos allocated, 08364, 08486, 08646, 08778, 08796, 08826, 08836 and 08849.

Locos from a wide variety of mainline classes could also be seen as a number a parcels trains originated here

and some of the North - South West passenger services called at Gloucester, a move involving a reversal which sometimes included a loco change.

 

Horton Road Depot is seen from the west, two of the local allocation of class 08s is seen along with visiting locos.

47128, 08778, 08836, 20176/070, 47026, 25197, 31296 are stabled, 6/11/80

 

And viewed from Horton Road we can see the pits of the former steam shed, notice the spilled loco sand next to the red stores van,

The stabled locos seen are, 25197, 47026, 31154, and 47050.  6/11/80

 

cheers

 

[Rivercider]

There were quite a few freight yards and terminals active in the Gloucester area at the start of the 1980s,

many of them were served by local trips worked from Gloucester New Yard.

Starting from the north of the area were Ashcurch MOD vehicle depot, Cheltenham CCD, Quedgeley Dowmac Concrete Works,

Stonehouse CCD, Berkeley Nuclear Sdgs and Sharpness Docks, which received some freight stock for scrapping.

 

In Gloucester there were civil engineers sidings at Barnwood, and a UKF fertilizer siding, and a civil engineers works depot at Armscroft Road.

Also sidings for Gloucester Foundry, and Gloucester Wagon Repair Works, and on the Llanthony Docks branch was a Blue Circle cement terminal.

 

Here is a view of part of Gloucester New Yard, this was situated within a triangle of lines to the north/east of the station,

the main part of the yard lay parallel to the Birmingham - Bristol route with another fan of sidings lying north west/south east

adjacent to the route from Gloucester Yard Junction to Horton Road Junction, it is this part of the yard pictured below.  

 

Looking east from Horton Road Junction.

Out of site to the left the main lines head towards Barnwood Junction and Birmingham. 6/11/80

In the yard the 21t coal hoppers are probably unfitted examples stored due to the 1980 British Steel Strike which rendered

large numbers of coal wagons surplus to requirements. To the right of the main lines which lead to Gloucester Yard Junction are

some loaded 21t minerals for Gloucester Foundry.  

 

The 1979 copy of the Inter-City Railway Societys Shunter Duties booklet lists three Gloucester Area duties,

1 New Yard pilot weekdays/nights and stabling at the depot at weekends

1 Llanthony Docks trip loco, also works as second station pilot in the evenings.

1 Station parcels pilot, also shunts Gloucester Old Yard adjacent to the station, Barnwood yard and Gloucester Wagon Works,

 

cheers

Edited November 11, 2014 by Rivercider

[Fat Controller]

 There was also an RAF Stores Depot (No 7 MU) next to Dowmac at Quedgely which sent and received stores by rail; quite often small consignments, such as tins of paint or office furniture. It shut in 1995, but I'm not sure when it ceased to be rail-served.

 In the 1970s, I remember a Berry Wiggins bitumen depot near Lydney; when did that shut, I wonder?

I'm showing my age now, but I remember Class 22s and 14s at Horton Road...

[floss_4]

 

The Smelting works had an extensive rail network

 

 

Do you know if the wine warehouse now in this area considered reusing the rail connection rather than re opening the Bristol Freightliner Terminal for this traffic?

[Fat Controller]

Do you know if the wine warehouse now in this area considered reusing the rail connection rather than re opening the Bristol Freightliner Terminal for this traffic?

That would have been far too sensible for the powers that be in Bristol.. Next, you'll be asking why the rail connections in to Portbury were installed when the port was being built.

The Freightliner terminal is not exactly easily accessible (South Liberty Lane's quite narrow), and the road connections onward to Avonmouth aren't good. Presumably, it was built there as Freightliner owned the site?

[Downendian]

We now get to the smelting works Grid Sidings

 

Firstly a photo of one of the ISC shunting locos crossing Smoke Lane Crossing with coke hoppers.

Having previously written that I don't remember the barriers in use I can't see them in this shot, perhaps they are lowered after all., 

 

This load of coke appears to be all in 21t HTVs, 26/1/82

 

 

 

37255 shunting at the grid sidings to make up the 7C42 for Severn Tunnel Junction, the vans are probably loaded with zinc for Bloxwich

followed by empty coke hoppers,  20t (correction) coke hoppers, like the 4th vehicle, were common here until about 1981, 5/2/81

 

47094 is ready to work 7C42 10.50 Hallen Marsh - Severn Tunnel Junction with acid tanks and coke empties, 26/1/82

 

cheers

My layout is based on Bristol traffic in the 1970s and I have an "Avonmouth" branch where trains emerge from the helix to my lower deck. This thread is an absolute gold mine for me, and the wagonry here is just fantastic and its brought the memories of the trains flooding back, it was always an excitement for us spotters to see the lights at Stoke Gifford signal the Avonmouth branch, and loved seeing the trains climb the gradient into Bristol Parkway.

 

I'm certainly going to have to attack my pile of Parkside 21T HTVs and great to see the coke traffic too, going to the ISC smelter. These used to emerge at Patchway in the "Parkway triangle" and were almost always 37s or a CF 47. I'm going to have to add some coke hoppers now to my wish list. Some excellent modelling of them here.

 

http://www.emgauge70s.co.uk/project_cokehops.html

 

Neil

[101]

Do you know if the wine warehouse now in this area considered reusing the rail connection rather than re opening the Bristol Freightliner Terminal for this traffic?

The planning permission should have made them keep the rail link even if they didn't think it was initially required - but the planners obviously don't use common sense - integrated transport what's that?! - When the wine traffic started into West depot it was in the local press how marvellous it was that x number of lorry journeys were being taken of off Bristols streets,when it could actually have run direct,so lorry journeys were actually being added!

However the option has now gone as although until recently the junction and signalling at Hallen Marsh were intact, the track has been lifted between there and smoke lane and it is now being built upon.

Edited November 12, 2014 by 101

[floss_4]

The planning permission should have made them keep the rail link even if they didn't think it was initially required - but the planners obviously don't use common sense - integrated transport what's that?! - When the wine traffic started into West depot it was in the local press how marvellous it was that x number of lorry journeys were being taken of off Bristols streets,when it could actually have run direct,so lorry journeys were actually being added!

However the option has now gone as although until recently the junction and signalling at Hallen Marsh were intact, the track has been lifted between there and smoke lane and it is now being built upon.

 

I suppose one consolation is that the West Depot is open again and available for other traffic. Avonmouth would have seemed the better option all round though.

[hmrspaul]

My new computer appears to have failed to send my previous posting.

 

However, this has a few photos taken in the Avonmouth area.

Includes a brand new OCA, the first I had seen.

 

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/avonmouthdock

 

Paul

[Rivercider]

My new computer appears to have failed to send my previous posting.

 

However, this has a few photos taken in the Avonmouth area.

Includes a brand new OCA, the first I had seen.

 

http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/avonmouthdock

 

Paul

Thanks for that Paul,

there is a good photo of Fisons Tank Farm amongst that lot

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

I suppose one consolation is that the West Depot is open again and available for other traffic. Avonmouth would have seemed the better option all round though.

Back in about 2005 or so when I was still with EWS in Bristol and West Depot was being rented out as a car park

one of our local managers called into our office in Bristol on his way to a site meeting at West Depot.

The meeting was to look at what work was required  to reopen the yard, he said there were three potential traffic flows being considered,

One was containerised limestone from one of the Mendip quarries, near Cheddar, for Port Talbot steelworks, for which West Depot would have been the right side of Bristol.

 

cheers

Edited November 13, 2014 by Rivercider