W.R. Early 1980s Freight Photos - South Wales Severn Tunnel Junction to Pantyffynnon.

[The Johnster]

Probably Long Dyke for the first photo, but I am less sure it originated at Canton sidings; the 47 in the background is on no.1 platform road or no.1 goods and seems to be moving in the up direction.  I cannot see what it is hauling or maybe it is light engine, but it is almost certainly moving; there would be no reason for a loco to be stationary in that position.  It suggests to me that a movement has taken place that would have prevented the 08 moving out of Canton sidings to be moving along the up main at the same time as the 47 is here.  This is not a statement of provable fact, just how it looks to me.

 

I think it is more likely that the 08 is working a transfer from Radyr to Long Dyke, perhaps the remains of the old E76 duty in the WTT but there were no targets by the 80s.  It would have come via Radyr Quarry and what is now the City Line, North Curve at the back of Canton Carriage sidings, and has just cleared the junction with the main line between the Clare Road bridge and the station; this would not foul any other movement on the up relief/platform 2 road, platform 1 road, or no.1 goods, leaving the 47 free to do it's stuff.  The loco is on a yard pilot duty, as there is a shunting pole across the buffers, though there does not seem to be a travelling shunter in the cab.

 

I am quite happy to be proved wrong.

 

The second shot is almost certainly a train with traffic from Canton sidings, probably for Long Dyke.

[br2975]

We now heading west to Cardiff Central, a station I spent many hours at over the years.

To link to a previous post here are two photos of what I think are trips from the freight depot on the up side at Canton. 

I think the Canton freight depot was formerly operated by Cory before becoming an Isis-LInk depot.

 

 

 

 

scan0018.jpg

08350 rumbles through Cardiff Central in May 1980 with vacuum braked stock, I have always assumed it came from the Cory at Canton but do not know for sure. Where would it be headed, Long Dyke? 22/5/80

 

 

By 1981 the trip looked somewhat different

scan0041.jpg

08835 passes through Cardiff Central with an air braked trip from the freight depot at Canton 7/7/81

 

cheers

 

Not so sure about what the service is in the first photo, as Long Dyke and Tyndall Fields were all but finished by 1980.

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Initially, I thought it may be paper products from the Wiggins Teape paper mill at Ely, served by a connection of the present day 'City Line' but I believe that traffic was in the procees of, or had just gone over to road transport...................albeit, Wiggins Teape was later served by the Cory / Isis Link facility at Canton / Canton Brick Yard. 

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Wiggins Teape had one time been served by "E76" a daily trip working from Radyr Yard ( pre-1971, a Penarth Curve North duty ) as mentioned above by 'The Johnster'.

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I've appended a copy of E76's daily perambulations during 1976, from the latest WTT I have.

 

By the time of the second photo, Canton ISIS Link / Cory Distribution was served by a daily trip originating at Tidal Yard and reversing at Pengam.

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It's variety of traffic (and rolling stock) was impressive.

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Brian R

9E76 030576-031076-in detail.xls

Edited January 26, 2018 by br2975

[br2975]

Sorry for hijacking your thread Kevin.

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A late 1980s view of Cardiff, Canton Brickyard sidings.

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08760 has arrived with the morning trip from Cardiff Tidal and is in the process of shunting the 'yard'

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At this time ISIS Link / Cory used both the former milk depot (behind the photographer - me) and these sidings.

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The variety of traffic was impressive.

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Anyone looking for minimum space shunting puzzle.....here's your inspiration.

.

Brian R

[bazjones1711]

As seen in Brian's pic there are different coil wagons , the ones on the left are Tiphook IHA (to become KHA) , these worked from Lackenby to Cardiff carrying coil destined for NGT in Tredgar to make tubes , the wagons on the right RLS PXA 925xx from Ravenscraig with  hot rolled coil ,  , PDUF 30xx covered coil  probably from Ravenscraig with cold  rolled coil , some VTG KIA possibly  were from Lackenby  again coil for NGT

Edited January 27, 2018 by bazjones1711

[brushman47544]

Sorry for hijacking your thread Kevin.

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A late 1980s view of Cardiff, Canton Brickyard sidings.

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08760 has arrived with the morning trip from Cardiff Tidal and is in the process of shunting the 'yard'

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Brian R

Did anyone else look at that coil wagon and van behind and momentarily see a decrepit steam loco?

[The Stationmaster]

Not so sure about what the service is in the first photo, as Long Dyke and Tyndall Fields were all but finished by 1980.

.

Initially, I thought it may be paper products from the Wiggins Teape paper mill at Ely, served by a connection of the present day 'City Line' but I believe that traffic was in the procees of, or had just gone over to road transport...................albeit, Wiggins Teape was later served by the Cory / Isis Link facility at Canton / Canton Brick Yard. 

.

Wiggins Teape had one time been served by "E76" a daily trip working from Radyr Yard ( pre-1971, a Penarth Curve North duty ) as mentioned above by 'The Johnster'.

.

I've appended a copy of E76's daily perambulations during 1976, from the latest WTT I have.

 

By the time of the second photo, Canton ISIS Link / Cory Distribution was served by a daily trip originating at Tidal Yard and reversing at Pengam.

.

It's variety of traffic (and rolling stock) was impressive.

.

Brian R

 

Cory's Private Siding agreement at Canton was transferred to Isis in October 1981,  Corys had the agreement from June 1980 but it was backdated to apply from 1978 - no doubt somebody had 'missed it' for a couple of years.

The trip in the top picture could have come from there or the old brickyard sidings or even - possibly - from further west but Brian's point makes sense so I would reasonably conclude that it had come out of one of those sidings at Canton.  

 

The trip is incidentally on the Up Platfrom Line (serving Platform 2) so the Class 47 in the background is almost. certainly on the former Western Mail Siding or Up Goods as it later became as it looks too far over to be on the Up Relief.  No problem, even that late, for a move from any of the various Canton sidings (including the old milk depot) to come across onto the Up Main behind an engine standing on the Up Goods/Western Mail Siding 

[Swindon 123]

At one time we did have a diagram at Hereford that involved changing over locos on the Waterston-Albion tanks at Canton, as the loco didn't have the range to do the round trip. The train would be left on the Up Goods at C221 signal. The inward loco would then have to run up to central station to access Canton Depot, and we aould have to do the same to get onto the front of the train. it could be a similar move that was captured in the photo. C221 signal is the one that the back of can be seen adjacent to the 08 in the photo in post 253.

 

Paul J.

[br2975]

Twenty something years before 'Rivercider' visited the area, these were the shunter / pilot duties for the Cardiff Newtown / Tyndall Fields area.

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"Shunter ? pilot ? what are they ?"

 

Brian R

[Albie the plumber]

On my to do list !

 

Ebbw Junction Depot.jpg

 

It would make an interesting model - quite surprised at how sprawly it is, and so very different from the usual modelling cliche depot layouts where the track zig zags bacwards and forwards across the board...

 

Eliminate the yards and just model the nearest main lines, and the shed.  Would be a bit different.

[Albie the plumber]

Another pair of views from the bridge at the west end of A D Junction.

scan0057.jpg

We can see more of Ebbw Junction depot here,with I think what are the re-railing vans stabled.

An unidentified class 37 heads east with MDVs of coal, probably for Llanwern BSC, and the iron ore set can be sen in the reception roads, 25/1/82

 

scan0007.jpg

On a brighter day a class 37 is stabled up against the re-railing vans in Ebbw Junction.

37268 swings around the curve from Park Junction with MDVs of coking coal from Abertillery colliery for the BSC coking plant

at Margam Abbey. In the distance 37277 heads towards Newport with a mixed vacuum braked service from Radyr to Severn Tunnel Junction which shows how busy the South Wales freight scene was in the early 1980s, 19/5/82

 

cheers

 

Am currently modelling those re- railing vans with a view to putting them on a representation of E.J. Depot .

Would anyone out there know what numbers / markings they carried ? 

 

Albie 

[Rivercider]

Well this thread has been stalled for some time, so it is time to move forward.

 

Here are a couple of photos of class 37s hauling loaded coal trains through Cardiff Central, 

one heading east, the other heading west, something which once used to puzzle me, until I got some idea of all the traffic flows.

 

37258 heads west through Cardiff Central with loaded MDVs (21t minerals) 14/4/81

 

37272 on the up through line heading east with loaded MDVs and MCVs (21t and 16t mins), 14/4/81

 

cheers

Edited January 16, 2019 by Rivercider

[andy stroud]

Hi Kevin. Nice pictures there. I do like the 21 tonne minerals, long rakes of them were fairly common in that part of the world and they make a nice change from 16 tonners. I am trying to sort some out for my layout!

Edited January 16, 2019 by andy stroud

[Fat Controller]

Hi Kevin. Nice pictures there. I do like the 21 tonne minerals, long rakes of them were fairly common in that part of the world and they make a nice change from 16 tonners. I am trying to sort some out for my layout!

There's a very nice kit available from Slimrails:-

http://www.slimrails.co.uk/index00gauge.html

[drjcontroller]

There's a very nice kit available from Slimrails:-

http://www.slimrails.co.uk/index00gauge.html

 

And it goes together beautifully, I've built quite a few over the years.

 

Douglas

[Rivercider]

Some more local trips passing through Cardiff Central.

 

08353 passes through Cardiff Central with a trip from Long Dyke to Canton Corylink depot.  5/11/80

 

The enparts trip from Cardiff Canton passes Cardiff Central, 37138 conveys two VCAs, 15/9/81.

 

08352 passes through Cardiff Central two years later the with enparts VCAs from Cardiff Canton to Tidal sidings, 14/4/83

 

cheers

 

 

 

[Rivercider]

Two ballast trains and the Canton breakdown train at Cardiff Central.

 

37213 on the up through line at Cardiff Central with empty sealion ballast hoppers, 14/4/81

 

37253 ballast with loaded sealions of ballast for the Rhymney line, 22/5/80.

 

 

37281 with the Canton breakdown train, 17/9/81

 

cheers

 

[Wayne 37901]

Nice shots Kevin.

 

Are you sure the loaded ballast train is heading for the Rhymney line? It's looking like it's on P4 there.

 

Just an observation.

 

Cheers

Wayne

[andy stroud]

Must of been one of the last 37s with numbers still showing in the headcode panel.

[brushman47544]

Must of been one of the last 37s with numbers still showing in the headcode panel.

And almost overlapping with the next development- in the background of the photo of 37281 there’s another 37 with oval buffers and cut away buffer beam skirt. When did that start? I thought it was a bit later than 1981 but obviously not.

[Rivercider]

Nice shots Kevin.

 

Are you sure the loaded ballast train is heading for the Rhymney line? It's looking like it's on P4 there.

 

Just an observation.

 

Cheers

Wayne

 

Hi Wayne,

 

I think there was a route from platforms 4, 5, and 6 up to Cardiff Queen Street.

Looking at my notes for the day, that was the last photo I took at Cardiff Central before catching a train to Rhymney,

I see that I then saw 37253 again at Ystrad Mynach,

 

cheers

Edited January 19, 2019 by Rivercider

[The Johnster]

The Breakdown has probably arrived from either downline somewhere, or the Vale of Glamorgan direction, or Radyr Quarry (City Line), and, with the secondman looking out for the guard's signal that his train is in clear of the signal, will propel back to it's berth at Canton.

 

I can't recall a connection from platform 4 to the up CEJ (Queen Street) at that time.  Platform 5 no longer existed; it was once  the down bay platform between 3 and 4 at the Swansea end, and it's ghost can be yet traced in the canopy and the platform surface.  It was used for parcels traffic, approachable from both side of the train, and the twice daily Porthcawl commuter train.  The platform sequence at the time of the photos ran 1-4, 6-9, 6 and 7 being the up and down valleys island platform respectively and 8/9 the curved island platform for the Clarence Road branch, also long defunct by this date but still in use for parcels traffic.

 

You could access platform 7 via ladder crossings from the SWML down relief eastern approach, but only the down main, 3, and 4 from the down main in that direction.  Crossings to the west of the station enabled everywhere to be routed to from everywhere, but of course passenger moves could not be routed from subsidiary signals.  There was no main aspect from 7 to the up CEJ at that time, and no route to the down CEJ from 6; this has since been rectified and the modern layout is much more flexible.  Subsidiary signals could route you from 6 or 7 via the ladder to the up or down relief for shunting moves.

 

8 and 9 are now gone, and a new platform built on a bi-directional loop south of 7.  The current layout is much less of a bottleneck, but still operates uncomfortably close to capacity in rush hours.  All platform roads and the main are now bi-directional.

 

On the other side of the main running lines, you could access the up main only from platform 1 and 'no.1 goods' alongside it, but 2 gave you access to the main and the relief, as did the signal on the up main which features in the photo of 37 272 on the up main; the lighting makes it difficult to be certain but it looks as if the train has a green aspect for the up relief; the route indicator showed 'M' or 'R'.  If this is so, it is very likely that the train has been held on the up main centre road long enough for there to be a green aspect, and the likely reason for this is that passenger traffic from the down main for 3 or 4 has been routed across it's bows.  It will work hard to get under way with it's loaded train as the line rises slightly to clear the Canal bridge before dropping away to pass beneath the CEJ; some good sound fx were guaranteed at this location!

[The Johnster]

Hi Wayne,

 

I think there was a route from platforms 4, 5, and 6 up to Cardiff Queen Street.

Looking at my notes for the day, that was the last photo I took at Cardiff Central before catching a train to Rhymney,

I see that I then saw 37253 again at Ystrad Mynach,

 

cheers

If you saw it later at Ystrad Mynach, it may have run around it's train in 4, and run via Radyr Quarry and Penrhos/Aber Jc.  It may be a quirk of the position you photographed it in, but if it is at a stand in 4 it will be because it has cleared inside the down signal by a loco length ready for running around.  22/5/80 was a Thursday, and the hoppers are loaded with ballast, so the move is probably a positioning one for a job on the weekend, which begs the question of where they have come from?  

[Davexoc]

And almost overlapping with the next development- in the background of the photo of 37281 there’s another 37 with oval buffers and cut away buffer beam skirt. When did that start? I thought it was a bit later than 1981 but obviously not.

Definitely started before 1981 going on photos I have, and not necessarily both ends done at the same time.

 

Dave

[Rivercider]

The Port Talbot to Llanwern iron ore trains were an important part of the freight scene, pairs of class 56s had taken over the work by the start of the 1980s.

 

56043 and 56037 Richard Trevithick pass through Cardiff with empties, the Clarence Road platforms referred to by The Johnster in post 271 can be seen in the background, 15/9/81 

 

 

56043 and 56038 pass Cardiff Central with an empty set for Port Talbot, 14/4/81

 

cheers

[Supaned]

Having just started to work on the Cardiff route , the pic of the Brickyard sidings is particularly interesting as we have to shunt to there regularly, Does anyone have any more pics of the yard in it's former use or further details of the trains that used it?

 

Was it only ever worked by an 08 , or did main line locos get in there too?