GWR Locations that saw the most variety of traffic?

[OnTheBranchline]

I was curious on the locations on the GWR where the most variety of traffic (passenger/freight/other). I would guess that one of them would be

 

Cornwall/Devon:

-Mainline passenger & Holiday expresses

-branch line traffic

-Vegetable/Milk trains

-Cornish clay

-Various freight

 

Obviously, Paddington would be included also and the mainline to Birmingham.

[edcayton]

If you are talking steam days then you would go a long way to beat Exeter St Davids with all the Southern traffic as well as the GW. In a similar vein, Reading and Oxford would also have traffic from other companies/regions.

 

Ed

[jjnewitt]

In terms of traffic variety the answer is simple: The South Wales main line. There was very little that wasn't carried along the line.

 

Express trains for London

Cross country services

Local services

Boat trains

Pullman trains (in BR days)

Parcels, fish, milk, bannana trains, vegeatble traffic in season

 

And then we get to freight.

 

Minerals of all types 

Coal, some more coal and then a bit more coal

Coke, iron ore, sand and stone

Steel in all its forms including tinplate and coil

Oil of various types

Wood

General merchandise

It goes on and on... About he only thing didn't get carried was china clay.

 

The section between Cardiff and Severn Tunnel junction had one of the densest traffic flows in the country. Paddington may have had all the glamourous passenger services but lacked the heavy freight as did the South West and the aformentioned regional interchanges. I'd be suprsied if there was somewhere in else in the country let alone on the GWR that saw the variety of traffic that the South Wales main line did.

 

Justin

[fender]

not quite up to South Wales, but I like the Newquay branch. you'd have, goods, coal, clay, local, express and holiday traffic (don't think there was any milk or agricultural expresses), but all with a picturesque single-line and with a choice of small-ish stations.

[The Stationmaster]

It does depend to some extent on what you call 'variety' but if you mean it in terms of the greatest variety in types of traffic (and probably also in terms of number of different GWR classes of loco) then there is no doubt at all in my mind that the stretch of the South Wales Main Line between Cardiff & Newport would top anything elsewhere on the GWR network;  Newport to the Tunnel would be, always, a bit different as it had some cross-country trains which went round the curve at Maindee East so you would get to see Newton Abbot and Salop engines on a regular basis as well.

 

In terms of motive power variety (albeit of a limited number of types) then the winner was undoubtedly Oxford which would guarantee you - on the right days - the sight of engines from all four Groups but nowhere near the traffic variety of the SWML.

[Miss Prism]

I kinda like the places where there was the least variety of traffic - some of those huge junctions in the middle of Wales with hundreds of signals, hundreds of coal wagons, a posse of Panniers, and nothing else.

 

Sounds good to me.

[The Stationmaster]

I kinda like the places where there was the least variety of traffic - some of those huge junctions in the middle of Wales with hundreds of signals, hundreds of coal wagons, a posse of Panniers, and nothing else.

 

Sounds good to me.

Good point Miss P although, alas, I never got to Three Cocks Junction while it still had a railway (although I've had a dreadful bowl of soup at the garden centre which stands on the site) and Dovey Jcn had a charm all of its own with intense activity occasionally interrupting the natural stillness.

[Fat Controller]

Good point Miss P although, alas, I never got to Three Cocks Junction while it still had a railway (although I've had a dreadful bowl of soup at the garden centre which stands on the site) and Dovey Jcn had a charm all of its own with intense activity occasionally interrupting the natural stillness.

I suspect neither saw more than a handful of minerals at a time, however; the sort of place Miss P describes sounds like Aberbeeg, Pontypool Road or even Radyr

[The Stationmaster]

I suspect neither saw more than a handful of minerals at a time, however; the sort of place Miss P describes sounds like Aberbeeg, Pontypool Road or even Radyr

Like this you mean, albeit in the early 1970s  -

 

 

[Fat Controller]

There's lovely...

[br2975]

I suspect neither saw more than a handful of minerals at a time, however; the sort of place Miss P describes sounds like Aberbeeg, Pontypool Road or even Radyr

 

RADYR

.

I'm not sure if 'variety' comes into it, but after some research; here is what I euphamistically term a 'trainplan' for Radyr Yard drawn from the relevant 1971-1972 WTT's.

.

I have left out the timetabled DMU passenger services BUT have included (i) the football specials to and from Ninian Park Halt, some of which would lay over in the yard during matches, and (ii) parcels and news workings together with their related light engine and ECS movements.

.

Read through this and wonder where it has all gone in the intervening 40+ years ?

.

Brian R

Radyr Quarry trainplan-1971.xls

[TerrySVR]

Banbury must be a candidate with all sorts going through there even Eastern Region locos.

[buckdancer]

My favourite was always Tramway Crossing in Gloucester.

Enormous amounts of freight plus many passenger trains of all varieties.

Plus close to 2 sheds.

The locals must have spent a good percentage of their lives waiting for trains to clear the crossing. 

[bike2steam]

Having just come across this rejuvenated thread, for my sixpenneth I'd say Dr Days Bridge to Filton Junctions Bristol  - perhaps?? The only place I know of where the bankers had a minimum time in which to do their work.

Edited December 10, 2014 by bike2steam

[Bulleidnutter]

Would go with TerrySVR. Banbury surely must be a close runner

[brianusa]

OK.  So where would be the current contender for traffic in general?

 

Brian

[Ozexpatriate]

I have always thought the Plymouth area interesting.

 

Railmotors ran the suburban services. (I don't know what replaced them in later days.)

I presume there were boat trains to Millbay - certainly passengers disembarked in tenders to catch trains at Millbay.

The docks - Millbay, North Quay and Lockyer's Quay would have had a variety of goods.

The LSWR ran from Devonport Jct. to Friary.

Presumably there would have been inbound rural branch traffic from Tavistock. (I assume there would have been some kind of milk traffic.)

Naval stores went to the dockyards.

The Cornish Riviera Express was hauled by Cities, Saints and later Kings were exchanged with Castles at (I presume) North Road.

The LSWR and GWR shared Laira Bridge to Turnchapel and Yealmpton.

 

Clearly not every location would capture all of this, but there are lots to choose from.

 

I wonder though, were there fish trains?

[Siberian Snooper]

There was fish traffic from Millbay Station. There was through milk traffic from Cornwall, I'm not sure if there was milk down from Lifton or whether it was Ambrosia products, in which case there may have been milk to Lifton.

 

Also up from Cornwall were the various seasonal flower and veg specials.

 

China clay from Cornwall and Marsh Mills.

[brianusa]

The actual 'location' with the most concentration of traffic, rolling stock possibly would be Laira yard by the Embankment.  Transfer goods traffic from Tavvy Junction,  Friary and Devonport would mostly be assembled there along with freight off the docks and branches.  Add to that the proximity of Laira shed and carriage sidings meant there was always a lot of action.  Long distance goods seemed to be attended to at Tavistock Junction.  Then there was the Lee Moor railway, not much action but added to the interest.

 

Brian.

[Eggesford box]

The North & West line might be considered. Not the density of the SWML but plenty of ex LMS engines, bankers and a wide variety of traffic. 

[The Stationmaster]

OK.  So where would be the current contender for traffic in general?

 

Brian

Either the Thames Valley (but it's different depending which side of Reading you are) or South Wales mainline east of Cardiff as these are really the only places where you get the maximum mix of train types and the traffic density.  Anywhere else and the density of freight traffic falls off almost to non-existence whereas in some places in the Thames Valley you can sometimes reckon on seeing 4 or 5 freights in less than an hour plus the maximum variety in passenger unit types plus occasional local hauled passenger trains as well.

[bike2steam]

There's a fair amount of container traffic coming in, and out of So't'on at the moment, coming via both Bristol, and Reading, so much so they're causing a stir with plans of extending the container port to the other side of the river..

Edited December 13, 2014 by bike2steam

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I always thought that Mutley in Plymouth would form an interesting basis for a "round and round" layout. Tunnel at one end forms an ideal scenic break, with virtually anything GW including Kings - plus of course all the Southern stuff. The name always makes me smile when I think of a particular cartoon character.

 

Currently, as Mike says, the Thames Valley between Reading and Didcot sees a heavy flow of both passenger and freight traffic.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Bordesley GW was a good mix around 1959-1962.

 

Kings and sometimes Castles on the expresses, with the diesels starting to come in, and of course the Blue Pullman from 1960. The Birkenhead sleeping car, Suburban traffic both through and heading for Moor St with DMUs and Prairies in the main, but also a mixture of 4-6-0s and the occasional Mogul at peak times plus empties and light engines. Holiday traffic with any locos and stock that could be turned out on the day. 

 

Through freights including vans and general merchandise, Iron Ore and Coke Hoppers to Bilston. Coal, oil, cattle wagons in the pens on Bordesley Viaduct, market traffic to Moor St. Trips from Bordesley Yard to the warehouse and yard at Pitsford St (Hockley Goods). Transfer freights to the LMR at Bordesley Junction.

 

Ex GWR classes I saw in the area on normal services at that time included all of the 4-6-0s, Moguls, 41/51/61/81xx Prairies, 57xx/8751/94xx/74xx Panniers, 56xx and 72xx tanks 28xx, 47xx. Add a few of 9fs, WDs and Standard 4-6-0s and a sprinkling of LMS types, mainly 8Fs but also Black 5s, the occasional Jubilee and Scot

 

Then of course there was the Midland's Birmingham and Gloucester line over the top with Midland 3Fs banking up to Camp Hill.

[bike2steam]

As good as Old Oak West Junction, but substitute '72xx, Jubilees, and Scots' for B1's, with Southern Q1's, W's, and S15's on the West London line.