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

[HillsideDepot]

1 hour ago, Rivercider said:

 

37506 in the new Railfreight livery has just arrived at Swansea Burrows with export coal from Onllwyn. 19/9/86

 

Another great set of photos, Kevin, but I especially like this one for the detail of the various buildings, the way the cars are parked and so on. So much there to inspire and inform modelling. I note the 20mph sign against the telegraph pole, a spare for the P Way or one requisitioned to slow the cars, I wonder.

[Rivercider]

Here are more views taken from the Fabian Way overbridge.

08780 seen earlier shunting the recently arrived MDOs of export coal from Onllwyn. The double track on the bottom right leads into Swansea Docks. 19/9/86

Looking the other way off the bridge we see one of the Swansea Docks pilots (there were always 2 there whenever I went). 08259 is bringing 2 empty MDOs out of the docks, 9/11/83.

 

cheers

 

[Rivercider]

9 minutes ago, HillsideDepot said:

Another great set of photos, Kevin, but I especially like this one for the detail of the various buildings, the way the cars are parked and so on. So much there to inspire and inform modelling. I note the 20mph sign against the telegraph pole, a spare for the P Way or one requisitioned to slow the cars, I wonder.

Thanks Adrian.

I have had a lot of enjoyment over the years at exhibitions (and on RMweb) looking at model railways that recreate the railway I remember from the past. In a way this is my little contribution to railway modelling. I hope I can help inspire a few more BR blue layouts in the future,

 

cheers 

[ba14eagle]

Amazing looking at Google Earth / Bing Maps of the Swansea Burrows areas today. No railway activity at all.

Thanks for all the updates Kevin - superb as always and I am another who has received one of your books this Christmas - fantastic reading - I just need to get the South Wales one now!

[rob D2]

16 minutes ago, ba14eagle said:

Amazing looking at Google Earth / Bing Maps of the Swansea Burrows areas today. No railway activity at all.

Thanks for all the updates Kevin - superb as always and I am another who has received one of your books this Christmas - fantastic reading - I just need to get the South Wales one now!

I’m sure there is still a DB coal train from onllwyn to Swansea burrows and onwards to immingham  or somewhere 

[corneliuslundie]

This sign was certainly still there last summer, though looking a bit unloved

Jonathan

[Rivercider]

Happy new year to everyone on RMweb. Let us hope 2021 is a better year.

 

Back in 1980 when I made the visit to Swansea with my dad he only had business in the BR sidings at Swansea Burrows, but this is the view off the Fabian Way bridge looking into the Swansea Docks, I was amazed such a place still existed.

From the bridge I subsequently spent quite a few hours on later visits watching the shunting moves as the various pilots moved loaded and empty MDOs between the holding sidings and the coal hoists.

One of the two docks pilots 08259 passes Kings Dock Jcn Signal Box. To the left lines lead off to the East End Sidings, in the distance are the dockside cranes, and beyond them the coal hoists. To the right lines lead to the Violet Sidings. 9/11/83.

 

 

 

 

Kings Dock Jcn Signal Box. 9/11/83.

 

cheers

Edited January 1, 2021 by Rivercider
Grammar

[mozzer models]

16 hours ago, rob D2 said:

I’m sure there is still a DB coal train from onllwyn to Swansea burrows and onwards to immingham  or somewhere 

i live just down the road over looing the line N&B & at the moment we are getting 2 trains a week in & out

Tuesdays & Thursdays

Edited January 1, 2021 by mozzer models

[mozzer models]

The New Accurascale NCB Onllwyn Colliery HUO 24.5t internal user wagon set by brian mosby, on Flickr

[SouthernBlue80s]

20 minutes ago, mozzer models said:

The New Accurascale NCB Onllwyn Colliery HUO 24.5t internal user wagon set by brian mosby, on Flick

 

Are you able to get a current picture from the other side of bridge, I for one would find it interesting. Cheers Steve

[mozzer models]

36 minutes ago, SouthernBlue80s said:

 

Are you able to get a current picture from the other side of bridge, I for one would find it interesting. Cheers Steve

I dont have one but will take one next time i am up that end of the Valley

[SouthernBlue80s]

Just now, mozzer models said:

I dont have one but will take one next time i am up that end of the Valley

 

Thanks, I am sure a few of us will find it interesting. Cheers Steve

[Fat Controller]

Those photos brought back lots of memories of the 1960s, when father's firm did a lot of work at the various former tinplate works at King's Dock and Elba. This gave me plenty of opportunity to watch the comings and goings between the docks and Burrows Yard. At that time, apart from the sidings on the Dock Estate itself, there were further yards at Jersey Marine and Briton Ferry, so that a thousand or more wagons might be held until called forward for unloading. The area stayed fairly busy into the 1970s, but subsequently decline has been continual. Those multiple tracks at King's Dock are now a single siding, whilst Burrows Yard is perhaps half-a-dozen tracks at most. The Freightliner depot is long shut; an immense 'Amazon' warehouse (sorry, 'Fulfilment Centre') occupying some of the site.

[Rivercider]

I will use some of the photos I took from one of my visits to Swansea Docks in November 1983 to show some of the movements within the dock complex. The two pilots in the docks that day were 08664 and 08259, which made a number of moves. I think I have them in the order they were taken.

  

Within the docks railway network  there were two sets of holding sidings in use, Violet Sidings and the East End Sidings. Here 08259 is taking loaded MDOs out of the Violet Sidings, past Kings Dock Jcn. 9/11/83.

 With some of the coal hoists seen in the distance beyond the dockside cranes 08259 heads for the East End Sidings, 9/11/83.

 

 

Having arrived at the East End Sidings 08259 is now collecting more loaded MDOs to take to the coal hoists. Notice how all the wagons are arranged with the end doors facing west to help the unloading process. 9/11/83.

 

08259 now departs from the East End Sidings and heads for the coal hoists. As the wagons were required to be uncoupled and tipped individually on the hoists unfitted wagons were used, vacuum brake gear would be an encumbrance in the unloading procedure. 9/11/83,

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

The Swansea and Port Talbot Docks History website has a lot of fascinating information about the docks.

There are sections covering many aspects of the docks with sections for, shipping, rail operations and coal hoists.

 

This should link to the railway section

http://www.swanseadocks.co.uk/docksnewsite/railways.html

 

cheers

[Rivercider]

Although I never went into the dock area the coal hoists can be seen in the distance of some photos taken on a visit in 1986. On this occasion 08367 was one of the dock pilot locos.

 

08367 has drawn a long rake of loaded MDOs out of Violet Sidings and hauled them past Kings Dock Jcn, and has now started to propel them back towards the coal hoists.

 

 

The loaded MDOs are now being propelled past Kings Dock Jcn Signal Box towards the hoists. I was unable to record the number of the other class 08 in the docks that day as it never turned a wheel while I was there. 19/9/86

 

cheers

[hmrspaul]

It's a pity you didn't go into the docks. It was possible to get photo permits for all of the South Wales docks, at some in advance at others on the day by going into the main office - at this distance in time I cannot remember which required which! I don't remember ever showing a permit to anyone! The SW docks became a favourite haunt of several of us whom lived nowhere near, they had lots of unusual internal users as well as the endless minerals. 

 

Paul

[Rivercider]

1 hour ago, hmrspaul said:

It's a pity you didn't go into the docks. It was possible to get photo permits for all of the South Wales docks, at some in advance at others on the day by going into the main office - at this distance in time I cannot remember which required which! I don't remember ever showing a permit to anyone! The SW docks became a favourite haunt of several of us whom lived nowhere near, they had lots of unusual internal users as well as the endless minerals. 

 

Paul

Hi Paul.

 

With hindsight I sometimes wish I had been a bit bolder and asked if I could have a look around.

I did a number of times in the Bristol area (where I worked), so could speak to the shunters beforehand.

The only full on refusal I got when going to ask if it was OK to have a look around was at Ripple Lane,

where I got an abrupt and abusive refusal before I had even had time to say I was off-duty BR staff!

 

Anyway on that last visit to Swansea in 1986 when the pilot stopped work the place went quiet and deserted,

so on my way back to the station I think I found an open gate and walked in to the other end of the Violet Sidings.

 All is quiet in Swansea Docks Violet Sidings. The the distance the docks pilots 08367 and an unidentified loco are both shut down. The last use of the coal hoists to unload MDOs into ships at Swansea Docks was in February 1987. Coal was exported after that date in containers. There was no further work for the large fleet of MDOs, many of them were subsequently cut up at the docks. 19/9/86

 

cheers

[SouthernBlue80s]

I went on a weekend to get the numbers of the locos. It was often a few 08s and sometimes a 37. Where were the locos stabled at a weekend? It was such a long time ago I can not remember, all I wrote in my book was a generic - Swansea East Dock.

Cheers

Steve

[Fat Controller]

3 minutes ago, SouthernBlue80s said:

I went on a weekend to get the numbers of the locos. It was often a few 08s and sometimes a 37. Where were the locos stabled at a weekend? It was such a long time ago I can not remember, all I wrote in my book was a generic - Swansea East Dock.

Cheers

Steve

Locos were stabled at Eastern Depot, which was towards the Swansea end of the dock complex, more-or-less where the coal concentration depot was. On a Saturday afternoon, there would be a row of 'six-eighters', each with a brake van attached, ready for Monday morning. There'd also be half a dozen or more shunters.

[Rivercider]

Moving west, over a number of years I made a few visits to various locations, sometimes with my dad when he was checking the civil engineers wagon fleet.

 

The main marshalling yard was at Llandeilo Junction just east of Llanelli, though it had been reduced in importance as traffic declined. By the time I first knew it the yard was a shadow of its former self.

47478 passes a largely deserted Llandeilo Junction Yard with the 17.55 Swansea to Carmarthen service.

The only occupants of the yard is one long road of MDOs. In the background is the BSC Trostre tinplate works that received steel coil, and dispatched tinplate in VCAs for Metal Box. 15/6/83.

 

47243 passes Llanelli Yard with a petroleum service from one of the Milford Haven refineries. There is still some domestic coal traffic in 16t minerals in the yard. 15/6/83

 

The Landore allocation of class 03s had been modified with cut-down cabs for working over the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Line, they were often outstabled at Llanelli stabling point where 03145 and 03141 are seen. 15/6/83.

 

cheers  

 

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Rivercider
Tidying up

[Northmoor]

That's a short oil train in your second shot; normal load was 11 tanks with a 47, or 15 with 2x37s or a 56.  I don't remember Llandeilo Junction Up yard ever being busy (or even that many tracks), there always seemed to be more activity in the Down yard, which I think was the Civil Engineers yard.

[Rivercider]

1 hour ago, Northmoor said:

That's a short oil train in your second shot; normal load was 11 tanks with a 47, or 15 with 2x37s or a 56.  I don't remember Llandeilo Junction Up yard ever being busy (or even that many tracks), there always seemed to be more activity in the Down yard, which I think was the Civil Engineers yard.

It is not an area I visited very often, so don't remember it well. I expect you know the area much better than me.

You are right about the normal loads of trains out of Milford Haven. I have an old Freight Train Loads book for 1987, the load including loco for a class 47 is either 1140 or 1240 tonnes depending on destination, which equals 10 or 11 loaded 102t gross tanks.  By chance among the other photos I took that day is a blurry shot of a 37 with just 2 tanks.

37248 passes Llandeilo Junction up yard with two TEAs which I noted were on a local working to Margam, so presumably tanks from Milford Haven going for repair, it could be included in the 'prototype for everything' or 'short freight trains' thread. The empty MDOs are at the end of the siding seen in the earlier picture. 15/6/83.

 

cheers  

[Ramblin Rich]

2 hours ago, Rivercider said:

47478 passes a largely deserted Llandeilo Junction Yard with the 17.55 Swansea to Carmarthen service.

I can see that's including TPO vans. I think I remember reading that the TPO ran to/ from Carmarthen with connecting trains to Milford and Pembroke Dock, but went to Swansea for servicing during the day; presumably this is the 'empty' working running to Carmarthen to begin it's run to London in the evening.

[Northmoor]

4 minutes ago, Ramblin Rich said:

I can see that's including TPO vans. I think I remember reading that the TPO ran to/ from Carmarthen with connecting trains to Milford and Pembroke Dock, but went to Swansea for servicing during the day; presumably this is the 'empty' working running to Carmarthen to begin it's run to London in the evening.

The Down Mail used to include the overnight Sleepers as well, until they were withdrawn in the late 70s I think and came to Milford very early in the morning.  It returned in the Up direction at about 0745, to at least as far as Swansea.  Traction used to vary with 33s, 37s and 47s all used at various times.