oil terminals no more...

[Welly]

There was also a small terminal at Hethersett on the Norwich - Ely line - I think that served a WW2 airfield.

[Rivercider]

 

What I've found interesting is how some areas seemed to be almost devoid of terminals, even in the 1984 'Baker' map I looked at. South Wales is understandable, due to the proximity of refineries and ports, but North Staffordshire doesn't seem to have any, and neither does a large area from Flax Bourton to Heathfield (though there used to be an ESSO depot at Tiverton Junction, I believe).

 

The dearth of terminals in this neck of the woods is partly explained by the terminal at Bridgwater on the river Parret which was served by coastal tankers.

The Exeter City Basin terminal had already closed by this time, probably replaced by road haul out of Avonmouth I should think, much of

the Avonmouth Dock trade, especially the Royal Edward Dock was tanker traffic at this time

 

cheers.

[warringtonbankquay]

I think the former goods yard at Colwyn Bay used to handle oil traffic before it dispapeared under the new A55 and Safeways supermarket.

 

The replacement yard at Glan Conwy certainly had (has?) oil handling facilities but thy've been out of use for many a year.

 

Chris

[westie7]

Hawkhead depot in Paisley is still there and kept reasonably clear... just a pity the other side of the gates aren't.

 

Mark

[LNERGE]

Sandy Heath, part of the British Pipeline Agency network linked through to France just after D Day.. The site of the sidings is clearly visible on Google Earth..

 

[Pugsley]

(though there used to be an ESSO depot at Tiverton Junction, I believe).

There did indeed. There's virtually no sign of it now, with a haulage company warehouse built on top of where it was.

[Pugsley]

Also There was a large plant at Barton on Humber till the mid 90's - Albright & Wilson?

Barton on Humber was a fertiliser plant, which received trainloads of Phosphoric Acid from Whitehaven (and Anhydrous Ammonia from Ince, IIRC) amongst other things. Not oil though, to the best of my knowledge.

[deltic56]

That'll be Westerleigh

 

Westerleigh is actually on what is left of the old Midland Main line from Birmingham to Bristol. The line finishes by the M4, but would have gone under the M4 towards Bristol via Mangotsfield. The GWML is a few miles north of the M4 at this point, you pass under it just after the M32 intersection.

[101]

I can also think of : Swindon, Newbury & Padworth (Aldermaston).

[101]

Also Southall, Slough & Bromsgrove.

[D826]

Interesting thread -

 

Two that don't appear to have been mentioned yet are Aylesbury - a Shell terminal (Hartwells I think), north of the old huge red brick goods shed in the north yard and south of the A418 Oxford Road bridge. Used to walk past the yard every day on my way to school late 70's early 80's and hazy memory tells me while regularly seeing bogie tankers there, I don't recall ever seeing a loco other than the regular 25 and 08 yard shunter - (which around the end of my time at school was a green liveried 08.

 

Also Watton at Stone on the Hertford loop. Seen a picture in an old John Vaughan book (BR Mainline diesels - I know it had a green cover?) of a 31 with some tanks reversing into Watton. As you head north on a train to Stevenage even today, the remains of the ground frame can still be seen - (or could a couple of months ago).

 

Matt Wood

[Thomas]

A couple of pics.

 

 

Cowley Hill, St. Helens, July 1987. ( 47215 )

 

 

Burn Naze, on the Fleetwood line, April 1990. ( 47085 )

 

Tom

[Southernman46]

Staines West - some of the trackwork is still there including the connection to the Staines - Windsor line

[hmrspaul]

Staines West - some of the trackwork is still there including the connection to the Staines - Windsor line

Chris Leigh knows more about this terminal, but the connection was laid in during WW2. The SRegion refused to let it be used, so the oil from Fawley passed through SR Staines Central up to Acton and then back through West Drayton to Staines!

 

Paul Bartlett

[hmrspaul]

For a time there was also a small terminal at Frome in Somerset.

Was this an oil depot? I only ever saw it in use as a bitumen depot - http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brtmobilbitumenvb

http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/mobilbitumentua

Bachmann having produced the unique livery of the oil tank wagon they used for heating the bitumen wagons. http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/p482825666/e3961f2cd

 

Paul Bartlett

[Kris]

Only bitumen I believe Paul as you say, but as the OP also asked about bitumen I though I would pop it in for good luck. I will modify the original post though to make this clear.

[StaffsOatcake]

Carless Fuels at Bradwell/Longport. This used to occupy both sides of the line and was served by a service from Immingham and in later days was class 37 hauled.

[Geoff Endacott]

I remember Earley on the Reading - Waterloo line - which I think was Esso - but I was very young. I think it closed to rail in the 1970s.

 

Paul

It was still in use into the 1980s. I commuted to and from Earley Station from 1981-83 and the terminal saw regular traffic hauled by 37s.

 

Geoff Endacott

[EddieB]

Another one was located about a mile North of Saffron Walden. There were two sidings off the branch line and, having no run-round facilities, wagons were propelled the short distance up grade from Saffron Walden.

 

From memory, the facility opened during WW2 and fell into disuse in the 'fifties.

[Clay Country]

One I don't think anyone has mentioned yet is Long Eaton Midland Street at the southern end of Toton Yard. Trains generally came from Port Clarance in latter days, normally with class 47 haulage, although there's a view here of a 60 visiting the terminal shortly before closure in 1993 http://www.toton-rail.co.uk/fullsize/60090le.jpg the site is now an Asda, although the rails at the northern end are still there rusting among the vegetation.

[caradoc]

I had a quick look (fron a passing Voyager) at Albion Oil Terminal, between Dudley Port and Sandwell & Dudley (formerly Oldbury) on the Wolverhampton/Birmingham route. Although the storage tanks are long gone, the track appears to remain, although very overgrown, the connection to the main line remains, with the crossing plain-lined, and the exit signal from the sidings is still there. I recall an incident, possibly in the 1970s, when a train of 100t tanks was propelled slightly too far and one ended up in the adjacent canal.

[Xerces Fobe2]

Langley Berks- Tanks long gone 3 sidings still in situ one with withdrawn freightliner flats sitting in one of these sidings with trees growing through the wagons!. Loop from mainline still in use for running around aggregate trains from the Colnbrook (former Staines West branch). Re Staines West I think all the trackwork from the former oil terminal there has gone will have to check next time I am in that area.

 

Xerces Fobe.

[brian daniels]

There was a terminal built at Islip between Oxford and Bicester Town. It was for fuel for Upper Heyford. The airbase had it's fuel piped in but I think this terminal was a belt and braces job just incase of distruption. I do not remember any trains using the terminal from at least the mid 70's. Don't know about any earlier times or when it was built but was it in the cold war era? I believe the track is still in the terminal.

[Paulb1973]

As well as

 

Tile Hill

Warwick

Wolverhampton Stow Heath

 

 

Torrington Avenue (Tile Hill, Coventry) Mobilgas Depot closed in June 1971 - the recently removed Down Loop at Tile Hill station was used by trains from that depot. Picture (not my site) of it here:

http://www.gone-butnotforgotten.org.uk/tilehillkid/images/Mobilgas.jpg

 

(That link is from this website, look under "Wakefield Crossing" : http://www.gone-butnotforgotten.org.uk/tilehillkid/TileHillStation.html )

 

Paul

[Edwin_m]

Remains of one here (I think) between Aldwarke and Swinton.