Brick trains on the ECML

[great northern]

Can anyone tell me please whether in the late 1950's loaded brick trains ran North from Fletton? I know there was a constant stream of trains down to London, but I can't run them. Surely there must have been a northward flow as well? At least I hope so. Any information very gratefully received. Thanks in anticipation.

 

Gilbert

[stewartingram]

Can anyone tell me please whether in the late 1950's loaded brick trains ran North from Fletton? I know there was a constant stream of trains down to London, but I can't run them. Surely there must have been a northward flow as well? At least I hope so. Any information very gratefully received. Thanks in anticipation.

 

 

Pedant mode - it is always UP to London. Can't help with the northbound workings, sorry.

Gilbert

[Dan Griffin]

my great grandfather was a gaurd on these brick trains, and my grandfather was a mechanic at the LBC garge on london road.my father still works for them, albeit hanson now, so the lbc is 'in my veins' as it were!

the trains you metion, taking fletton bricks 'up' to london ran on a daily basis, however bricks to the north ran out of the bedfordshire brick pits, with stewartby being the headquarters and these trains ran on midland metals. the kings dyke and saxon pits at whittlesea also had rail connections, either to peterborough for the south or to ely and london that way. there was the very occasional train north, but it wasnt a 'block' loading, wagons were sorted into freight trains on a wagonload basis, sending maybe 3 or 4 wagons at a time. you could tell the ECML allocated bogie brick wagons as 90% had 'return to fletton' on them, as the Hornby dublo model had. the triang brick wagons are the same as those used on both the ECML and LMS. although many of the brake vans used in the late 40's and 50's were the lms type as made by Hornby.

 

there was also a little known narrow gauge railway at fletton, taking clay to the brick works, when my grandfather was a boy he used to ride in the empty trucks that were being rope winched up gradients, the remanents of the narrow gauge and the loco shed were still there, with tracks in concrete and old level crossing until the recent hampton development.

 

hope that helps in some way

[great northern]

Thanks Dan, that is very helpful indeed, and I could not have hoped for a more reliable source of information. No down brick trains then from Peterborough......unless I invent one or two

[gresley]

Can anyone tell me please whether in the late 1950's loaded brick trains ran North from Fletton? I know there was a constant stream of trains down to London, but I can't run them. Surely there must have been a northward flow as well? At least I hope so. Any information very gratefully received. Thanks in anticipation.

 

Gilbert

 

Hello Gilbert,

 

Why do you want brick trains ? They are pretty boring, and anyway, what's wrong with the mid-afternoon Scotch Goods with an A4 at the head ? or the Aberdeen Meat return empties ?

 

gresley

[great northern]

Hello Gilbert,

 

Why do you want brick trains ? They are pretty boring, and anyway, what's wrong with the mid-afternoon Scotch Goods with an A4 at the head ? or the Aberdeen Meat return empties ?

 

gresley

 

Well,I couldn't resist a couple of Parkside kits, and they actually look quite impressive, and I've still got some empty roads in the fiddle yard, and I fancied something different....Anyway, nice to hear from you again Stuart.

[jwealleans]

IYTS, Gilbert.

 

How's it all coming along, anyway?