floss_4 Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 I presume the "Imerys" wagons are the ones which would normally take clay from Cornwall to Stoke - I hope that traffic hasn't been completely lost to roads by the time Dawlish reopens... Yes they are the "mainline" wagons (as opposed to the CDA Fowey traffic wagons). I'm not sure how easy it would have been to road the clay to Riverside and tip into these wagons (using conveyors perhaps) or if this was even investigated. Hopefully the traffic will return. There are still a few years on the contract and IMERYS are usually pro rail where they still have the facilities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
treggyman Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Bill,this is interesting to me as I thought the timber was being loaded onto wagons at Lapford in the 1980s, not delivered. If that's the case then I've read it all wrong. Hi Rich I attach some pictures taken at Lapford in '87.....Hopefully you can read my notes....... I can't remember who gave me the details as I only visited Lapford yard on that day when wagons were present.....I used to collect 'Canadian Coke' Boiler fuel from the coal merchant based at the yard though but can't remember if any wagons were present at the time. As regards whether the timber was being delivered or collected, I possibly knew of the works at South Molton & put two & two together....I really can't remember....but I must have been told of it being delivered hence my notes..... Cheers Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted March 8, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 8, 2014 That's a useful set of pictures Bill! We're going a bit off-topic here & should really put this in the North Devon 1980s freight thread - but anyway, going by the description on Steve Johnson's cyberheritage page (related to Barnstaple yard) Cement I feel was the main load, followed by resin or something along this line, then timber and fertilizer would be put down and picked up at Lapford. Due to their being no run around loop at Lapford, the whole lot had to be hauled back up to Barnstaple to finally get the engine in front! Including some images like this captioned 'timber from Lapford'. His pictures were taken in 1985; possibly the traffic changed by 1987? I do know there was grain traffic at Lapford as per this image from 1986 (from Dave Vinsen on cyberheritage), which explains the pit you mention in your notes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I don't think they came down from Consett in 1987- the railway there was lifted five or more years previously. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
treggyman Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Hi Rich, you're quite right we are wandering off topic.....I only posted the original pics to show timber had been moved to/from Riverside yard before . I am quite probably wrong in my assumption that the timber was offloaded at Lapford as I had no inside contacts but took pictures of what I saw & added what extra info I saw or was told by people who seemed to know but with no means of checking if they were correct.....eg Consett !!! I've seen those linked pictures before.....Excellent aren't they !!!!! If someone wants to move the pics to the N Devon thread that's fine by me .or if preferred I can repost them myself..... Cheers Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted March 9, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 9, 2014 Thanks for all the info and pics Captain. Great to see the rail industry adapting to circumstances to keep the traffic. Better watch out though. Too much joined up thinking on here for the politicians and eurocrats. Proper railwaymen have been exiled to the frozen north for less. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Horse Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I think the 2nd load left this afternoon :) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted March 21, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2014 I think the 2nd load left this afternoon :) Yes, that's correct. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Tim's on telly again! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold gwrrob Posted December 22, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 22, 2014 Tim's on telly again! A good programme just made better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 23, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2014 That was my Agent, Algernon Cuthbertson, who happens to look very much like me. I wasn't available that day, as I was having my hair coiffeured for an immenent radio interview... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted December 23, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2014 Oh, I thought you were going to say that the second load had just arrived............ Gone already. Quackers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 Thought the performance excellent with good hand movements plus clothing suitably discoloured to represent honest toil and diligence.This person could be considered for documenterys on the railway,well done cap,n enjoyed your part last night shame its only only a short one this . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted December 23, 2014 Share Posted December 23, 2014 While its good that freight is loaded anywhere in the SW, Teigngrace somehow had the enthusiasts edge. Don't know about the business part of it but any freight on a branch line these days is interesting. Merry Christmas Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
floss_4 Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 While its good that freight is loaded anywhere in the SW, Teigngrace somehow had the enthusiasts edge. Don't know about the business part of it but any freight on a branch line these days is interesting. Merry Christmas Brian. Rail access wise Riverside is much easier - straight in then some yard shunting. Teigngrace required run rounds at Newton Abbot - Heathfield - Newton Abbot. It's good to see Riverside seeing a little more use now it's been tidied up - just a shame nothing has developed down at Tavi Jn yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 Hi Rich, you're quite right we are wandering off topic.....I only posted the original pics to show timber had been moved to/from Riverside yard before . I am quite probably wrong in my assumption that the timber was offloaded at Lapford as I had no inside contacts but took pictures of what I saw & added what extra info I saw or was told by people who seemed to know but with no means of checking if they were correct.....eg Consett !!! I've seen those linked pictures before.....Excellent aren't they !!!!! If someone wants to move the pics to the N Devon thread that's fine by me .or if preferred I can repost them myself..... Cheers Bill Just been thinking about 'Consett' again.. I wonder if the timber was felled from some of the various forests around Consett, the put on rail at Hexham? Certainly, there was a period when Hexham both received timber for Egger's plant, and despatched it to various locations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davefreight Posted December 24, 2014 Share Posted December 24, 2014 I only have Lapford recorded as a loading point for timber with the timber loaded there destined to Shotton Paper. In Spring 1987 there was even a Lapford pool of OTA (Pool 4817) alongside one based at Carmarthen (Pool 4859) and the larger Scotland to Shotton pool (Pool 4833). Pool 4817 BR/Shotton Paper Lapford/Exeter to Shotton 9 OTA's April 1987 Have timber loading as having commenced at Lapford in January 1986 and ending with the demise of Speedlink. Davefreight Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted December 26, 2014 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 26, 2014 Rail access wise Riverside is much easier - straight in then some yard shunting. Teigngrace required run rounds at Newton Abbot - Heathfield - Newton Abbot. It's good to see Riverside seeing a little more use now it's been tidied up - just a shame nothing has developed down at Tavi Jn yet. The shame of it is that Teignbridge is ultimately on a knife-edge as regards the economics of running the timber train. When running exclusively to Teignbridge, the maximum load is 16 bogie timber wagons. This requires the train to be split due to the presence of Teignbridge level crossing, but the timber loading area can only take a maximum of 8 wagons at a time. Furthermore, we've tried running round more wagons 'between the signals' at Newton Abbot and with a little jiggery-pokery (technical term) the maximum we can run round is 18 wagons, but even that is academic, due to the limitations at Teignbridge. Colas Rail can take 20 loaded wagons from Riverside, and the additional road mileage for the timber lorries is relatively unimportant as regards the economics, so the end customer (Kronospan) prefers Riverside, so that's now the plan. Riverside was tidied up about 18 months ago by Network Rail, following the return of most of the yard from DB Schenker to Network Rail. This was not part of the recently publicised transfer of locations back to NR, but an entirely separate commercial arrangement, which also provided the funds for the restoration. Tavistock Jct remains one of the DB Schenker leased sites and as such, is directly under their control (apart from the four Networked sidings at the back of the yard). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted December 29, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 29, 2014 Interesting comments on the relative merits of Riverside vs. Teigngrace. Neither is particularly good in terms of road access, as Riverside requires negotiating Exeter's traffic and Teigngrace is really just a country lane! Having had a run up to Heathfield on the 'Santa specials' it's interesting how much infrastructure is there, with the old clay loading facility and the station platforms still largely intact. It's a shame they can't be used more as the road access off the A38 would be a lot easier (notwithstanding the comments on train lengths). I assume from the comments above that the Teigngrace trains will be finishing at some stage soon.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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