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Distribution of Cement to Carlisle


Dungrange

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In his book Railway Freight Operations (Ian Allan, 1999), Paul Shannon states that "Blue Circle is only too conscious of the millions which it spent on a new terminal at Carlisle in the early 1980s, only to close it down 10 years later because of reduced demand.

 

My first question is, did this travel to Carlisle via the Speedlink network and which production plant dispatched cement to Carlisle in the 1980s?  Was this a flow of cement from Oxwellmains (near Dunbar) to Carlisle, and if so, what sort of quantities were moved?

 

Looking at Freightmaster books up to Summer 2002, Carlisle is not shown on the Cement map shown in the second half of the book.  However, looking at an issue from Spring 2004, a flow of cement between Oxwellmains and Brunthill (Carlisle) is shown.  The timetables at Beattock Summit indicate that this a Friday only service hauled by a Freightliner 66 leaving Oxwellmains at 05:35 and departing Brunthill (Carlisle) at 15:00.  Is this terminal at Brunthill the same as the one that was used by Blue Circle in the 1980s?  I seem to think that I've seen a different name quoted elsewhere in relation to a cement receiving terminal.

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Mark,

 

Yes, Upperby is the name I was thinking of, located in the south of Carlisle.  Looking at the website of the Weardale Railways Trust, the line, which had been used by cement trains from the Blue Circle site at Eastgate was mothballed in 1993, which would explain the reason why Carlisle now appears to be served by block trains from Oxwellmains.

 

However looking at a Freightmaster book from Autumn 2005, there appears to also be a flow of cement from Earles Sidings to Brunthill (which seems to be to the north of Carlisle), although this seems to be bagged cement in vans (again hauled by a Freightliner 66).

 

Thanks

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Mark,

 

Yes, Upperby is the name I was thinking of, located in the south of Carlisle.  Looking at the website of the Weardale Railways Trust, the line, which had been used by cement trains from the Blue Circle site at Eastgate was mothballed in 1993, which would explain the reason why Carlisle now appears to be served by block trains from Oxwellmains.

 

However looking at a Freightmaster book from Autumn 2005, there appears to also be a flow of cement from Earles Sidings to Brunthill (which seems to be to the north of Carlisle), although this seems to be bagged cement in vans (again hauled by a Freightliner 66).

 

Thanks

 

David

 

Seaham was likewise served by both Hope and Oxwellmains till the last recession started, then it was only served by Oxwellmains!

 

However Earles has since been sold as part of the merger of Lafarge and Tarmac due to competition issues!

 

Mark

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There have been many changes in the cement industry in the last twenty years with plant closures and sales with another due to take place imminently.

 

Earles is now the sole cement factory of Hope Construction Products (a UK company). The other "Blue Circle" factories still open are currently part of LaFargeTarmac but are being sold to CRH, an Irish aggregates company (as are the LfT aggregates quarries) as LaFargeTarmac is merging with the Swiss company Holcim (who already own Aggregates Industries in the UK).

 

AI are retaining Cauldon Low in Staffs as their sole UK cement factory.

 

The former Rugby Cement plants are now owned by Cemex (a Mexican company) but even these have seen change. The Ketton and Castle Cement factories are now Heidelberg Cement (a german company).

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In July 1990 I saw a train of plain grey PCA wagons hauled by a pair of Motherwell 37/0s at Carlisle station, there were at least 10 of them (because that's the length of train I planned to model) but maybe as many as 20? I later concluded they had to be a flow to Upperby because it matched up with a picture in Rail Centres: Carlisle of PCAs being unloaded at the Blue Circle terminal (according to the caption at least)

 

Thanks

Chris H

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