Goods depot between East ham and Upton park, east London

[Fat Controller]

The tinplate was stocked near the fenceline of Grangewood Street in huge piles.In the early 1970's 16 ton mineral wagons conveyed the scrap from Wisbech East,Ebbw Vale,llanelli Trostre Works & Aintree to Upton Park for de-tinning.The stockpile of scrap observed in 1973 had not been detinned and was loaded up in 16 ton minerals for Llanelli & Hartlepool for Batchelor Robinson  so I assume that either the plant at Upton Park had closed or there was over capacity held on site ?? 

I'd not heard of a de-tinning plant at Upton Park; I'd always believed that Llanelli had been the original works, dealing in offcuts from tinplate works and can manufacturers, and had been followed by Hartlepool when councils started collecting cans. Odd that Upton Park should receive scrap from Trostre; it is only about a mile from the Llanelli plant as the seagull flies.

I've just done some 'Googling'; the plant at Llanelli is now owned by an American firm called AMG, whose site makes no mention of Hartlepool. Presumably this is now operated by someone else, or has closed.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Fat Controller

[Fat Controller]

I just found this link:-

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rivercider/8090840372/

which indicates that scrap tinplate was being dispatched from Upton Park as late as 1982

[philwaglab]

When I spoke on the telephone to the yard foreman at Upton Park in November 1980 all the tin scrap then went to Hartlepool.,With the flucuation in demand I assume this was switched to Llanelli as well sometime later.The inward coal traffic into Upton Park had dwindled to about 2 wagons a week by 1980 and I assumed just went downhill from there.Other traffic for The New London Electron Works in the early 70's was an occasional tank from Haverton Hill of Caustic I think.I will check this out later.Another 2 locations which sent Tin scrap tp Upton Park was Worcester and Velindre Works ,Llangyfelach !!

[Fat Controller]

When I spoke on the telephone to the yard foreman at Upton Park in November 1980 all the tin scrap then went to Hartlepool.,With the flucuation in demand I assume this was switched to Llanelli as well sometime later.The inward coal traffic into Upton Park had dwindled to about 2 wagons a week by 1980 and I assumed just went downhill from there.Other traffic for The New London Electron Works in the early 70's was an occasional tank from Haverton Hill of Caustic I think.I will check this out later.Another 2 locations which sent Tin scrap tp Upton Park was Worcester and Velindre Works ,Llangyfelach !!

That would fit with the de-tinning process; the scrap is immersed in a hot caustic soda solution to remove the tin:-

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/692382/detinning

I wonder if Llanelli was being refurbished at the time?

[philwaglab]

Possibly but not too sure.The tanks from Haverton Hill contained Sodium Nitrite liquor.Two examples are as follows ;

 

Feb 21st 1972 Tank ICI 495 contained the above to Upton Park Consignee The New London Electron Works

April 18th 1975 Tank ICI 490 Contained the above To Llanelli Consignee Barchelor Robinson

[Brian Indge]

Sad to hear about the DOE closure, having worked in Plashet Grove for 46 years it was our Christmas watering hole during my early work years. So many of the old Companies have gone around there, Lacey's Cafe, Bells The Printers, Setchells Bakery, Frank R. Pratt's Timber Yard, Dawson's The Ironmongers, Grick's Jellied Eels to name just a few. I think only E W Moore & Sons Builders Merchants and Phillips Machinery are still there, mind you, I have not driven down there for eight years now.

 

I can remember as a child playing on the bomb site where the original 'Duke' had been standing before a bomb hit it during WWII.

 

One thing about that goods yard, it had a terrible smell of tin during the days when the sun shone on it for any length of time. 

[Fat Controller]

Sad to hear about the DOE closure, having worked in Plashet Grove for 46 years it was our Christmas watering hole during my early work years. So many of the old Companies have gone around there, Lacey's Cafe, Bells The Printers, Setchells Bakery, Frank R. Pratt's Timber Yard, Dawson's The Ironmongers, Grick's Jellied Eels to name just a few. I think only E W Moore & Sons Builders Merchants and Phillips Machinery are still there, mind you, I have not driven down there for eight years now.

 

I can remember as a child playing on the bomb site where the original 'Duke' had been standing before a bomb hit it during WWII.

 

One thing about that goods yard, it had a terrible smell of tin during the days when the sun shone on it for any length of time. 

The smell wouldn't have been the tin, but the palm oil the sheets were covered with after tinning; no idea why they did that, I'm afraid.

[philwaglab]

possably to combat rust in transit ??

[BernardTPM]

Sad to hear about the DOE closure, having worked in Plashet Grove for 46 years it was our Christmas watering hole during my early work years. So many of the old Companies have gone around there, Lacey's Cafe, Bells The Printers, Setchells Bakery, Frank R. Pratt's Timber Yard, Dawson's The Ironmongers, Grick's Jellied Eels to name just a few. I think only E W Moore & Sons Builders Merchants and Phillips Machinery are still there, mind you, I have not driven down there for eight years now.

Moore & Sons and Phillips were both still there in early 2013. F.R.Pratt's moved to a place in Barking (2011 or12).

[Fat Controller]

possably to combat rust in transit ??

The tin should have done that...

Dad did quite a lot of work on converting old tin works (I was brought up in Tinopolis..) into 'buffer stores' for tinplate during the 1960s. My recollection was that the tinplate was wrapped in bundles, covered with a sort of waxed/oiled paper (much as you still got until recently with new steel tools) then secured to a wooden stillage (a primitive pallet) with Signode banding. These would be conveyed either by railway van or sheeted lorry to the customer as required. The 'buffer stores' were required as demand was either seasonal (fruit and vegetables in particular) or was for export, dependent on when ships sailed.

[philwaglab]

I saw coils wrapped in wax type paper but the tinplate packs seem to have the edges protected and signode banded ?

[Fat Controller]

I saw coils wrapped in wax type paper but the tinplate packs seem to have the edges protected and signode banded ?

Was this inbound material at East Ham? I'm not sure when they started using coil; late 1960s? I know a small number of Bogie Bolster Es were designated for 'tinplate coil' and fitted with bulkheads and hoods, but don't know where these worked to. When air-braked stock became common-place, VCA vans and SPA Plate wagons were used.

[philwaglab]

No The coils & packed tinplate was at Ebbw Vale.I think the nearest destintaion for East Ham was Barking.

[Fat Controller]

No The coils & packed tinplate was at Ebbw Vale.I think the nearest destintaion for East Ham was Barking.

Dog food?

[philwaglab]

I dont know what the finished product contained.Most of the tinplate was sold to Metal Box who then sent the cans for filling.I know Crosse & Blackwell was one such customer but people like Heinz had the tinplate direct, so I assume they made the tins & filled them ? Metal Box at Wisbech used to make the cans and send them to Scotland for petfood,once filled they were returned to Wisbech for distribution.

[Crepello]

Yes the buffer stop is still there. Some interesting shots here--thanks guys.

[Ive595]

Been away a week and when I get back it's still going strong!  Some great stories lads, thanks for all your comments photos etc.

I have to admit I went back last week, I wish I hadn't for a start could not get into the high street  East Ham from the town hall end, then got lost around the back of the market. Eventually got parked up and walked to Katherine's road then onto Upton park, I know my memory was not that good but, was totally lost, not helped by the fact that my Grandparents house was gone years ago apparently ( end of harrow road. 

Should have left well alone, lesson learnt.

Thanks to all.

 

Ivan

[Brian Indge]

Hi Ivan,

 

Have to agree with you, things have changed - and not for the best. The end of Harrow Road went when they built Ron Leighton Way. If anyone wanted an example of how to ruin a neighbourhood, look no further than this area.

 

Brian

[BernardTPM]

And that's without the expensive East Ham Co-op building fiasco - now a car park around the Denmark Arms.

[philwaglab]

The man who looked after the yard from 1972 until closure was a railman called Jack Horwood.I think he moved from Silvertown to Upton Park in 1972 as a senior railman.Anyone know of him now ?

[CloggyDog]

The maps.nls.uk site has now added the 1:1250 (50in to the mile) maps, which show the track layout nicely.

http://maps.nls.uk/view/102910321 shows the junction and short headshunt

http://maps.nls.uk/view/102910324 shows the yard itself.

 

Both maps date from the early 1960s.

Edited November 30, 2016 by CloggyDeux

[Xlxmarkyboyxlx]

Hi all 

 

I was born & raised in Aragon road & I have to disagree with some of what has been said here. 
 

The Upton Park sidings were at the corner of Aragon road & Grangewood Street. 
there was a goods yard which stored coal & next door was a college - which was in Arragon Road & overlooked the yard at one end!
the entrance to this yard was in fact through white wooden gates in Grangewood Street  & not located in the various places that have been previously suggested. 
this yard was closed by the late 70s ~ we used to play over there as kids & I remember by my teens it was long gone ~ I was born in 1969! 

The college became a row of houses & the goods yard actually became Cleves primary school & part of Priory Park!

NOT part of the William Morley Way housing development as previously claimed. the development doesn’t stretch that far! 

hope this helps

mark 
 

 

[BernardTPM]

I agree with most of that Mark, but it did, suprisingly, last into the 1980s (closing July 1984).

I also lived in the area from late 1959 to early 2013.

[Andymsa]

I have some memory of working into this yard around 1983 so can confirm what bernardtpm says about closing in 1984