LNERGE Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 I had a trip through Immingham on Saturday and was somewhat surprised to see some SPA wagons loaded with steel. How many are left in revenue traffic and what jobs are they used on? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 The main traffic handled in them now is bar and billet from Scunthorpe to Rotherham and Wolverhampton steel terminals. Not sure how many of the 1100+ built are still available for steel traffic- some have been modified for specific engineers' use, but the unmodified ones with the engineers went back into general use when EWS took over BR's freight operations. I remember EWS making great play in the early days of using the wagons thus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesmc Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 A nice clip of them in use recently on the flixborough branch on youtube. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswild Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 SPA's often carry/ carried wire rod in coil as per : http://ukrailwaypics.smugmug.com/UKRailRollingstock/S-Tops-codes/SPA-steel-carriers/16532498_ZT7gv2#!i=1244694908&k=HnZNGGH&lb=1&s=A This is the most common traffic i've seen them carry, to places in the midlands like, wolverhampton, brierley hill, burton though there were obviously others. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Still running Roundwood to Tees Dock with rod coil and mixed with BDA/BFA's of rod. Mark Saunders Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thanks for the replies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 You do see loads of SPAs in the steelworks both sides of Aldwarke Junction (Rotherham), mostly with wire/rod coil, but a few years back there was a rake with what I can only describe as big white lego bricks, which I took to be furnace lining/refractories or similar. Sure I mentioned it in another thread on here, but can't find it with the search function. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 You do see loads of SPAs in the steelworks both sides of Aldwarke Junction (Rotherham), mostly with wire/rod coil, but a few years back there was a rake with what I can only describe as big white lego bricks, which I took to be furnace lining/refractories or similar. Sure I mentioned it in another thread on here, but can't find it with the search function.I think the 'big white Lego bricks may have been stainless slabs from Aldwarke for forging or rolling elsewhere in the Sheffield/Rotherham area. Mention of Aldwarke reminds me that there is a flow of scrap rail and fixings from Whitemoor, and possibly other locations, which is conveyed (in part, at least) in SPA/ZAA wagons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 I think the 'big white Lego bricks may have been stainless slabs from Aldwarke for forging or rolling elsewhere in the Sheffield/Rotherham area. .... Maybe, but distinctly recall them as being very white (not stainless in colour), and sharp-edged and regular in shape, unlike slabs which tend to be a bit more rounded. Still can't find the post where I asked about them before. Never mind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 The FMI wagon survey list as at Christmas listed just 31 SPA (plus 2 SEA) as being 'active' - but I suspect there will be more than that which are existant but just haven't moved for a bit. They do also still turn up on engineers duties at times (the EWS code change mentioned really just combined a 'revenue' and 'departmental' fleet into one fleet, used as needed) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Christmas is never a good time for Rod Coil movements as most is destined for the USA via the Great Lakes which are frozen in the winter so traffic stops! Before Alcan closed the Smelter at Lynemouth some ingots were carried in SPA's loaded two to a wagon but they just appeared over the sides. Mark Saunders Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Maybe, but distinctly recall them as being very white (not stainless in colour), and sharp-edged and regular in shape, unlike slabs which tend to be a bit more rounded. Still can't find the post where I asked about them before. Never mind.Another thought on these; there have been instances where large expanded-polystyrene blocks have been used to repair embankments in areas prone to subsidence. Might these have been such blocks, I wonder? There had been some works on a canal bank in Yorkshire in the last year or two that might have used them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Polystyrene - haven't seen them using those round here (the repairs to the canal bank in Rotherham town centre didn't), there were only a few per wagon and also, the wagons were inside the steelworks sidings... So on balance probably not, but thanks for the suggestion. Going back to Glorious NSE's count of only 31 active wagons, I'd have thought there were more than that just lying in the Roundwood side of the sidings at Aldwarke last time I looked. Maybe mothballed though. Must have a close look next time I'm passing - if I video the sidings, I could try to count! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Not necessarily even mothballed or stored or whatever, just not recorded as moved in a few weeks... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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