philwaglab

Jim passed away in 2008.

Yes..he also removed the wagon labels and advised WFC of arrivals.This stopped suddenly in 1982 when he was moved to Temple Meads because it was felt that TOPS would take over all reporting etc.WFC then took the wagon labels off.I got a shed load off them in 1982 !!

Anyone know if the coke to ISC at Six Pit came in coke hoppers or 16 ton minerals ?

I remember seeing a report of a shunter at Ogilvie Colliery refused to shunt a train to get a vac head.He was given a verbal and told he had to do it next time.It was 2 am in the morning with limited siding lights and he was up to his boots in water because it was raining heavily...good oldl South Wales sidings !!!

I have a memo issued by the NCB saying that no unfitted minerals were to be loaded to Scotland or the Southern region from 1977 onwards.If a wagon arrived at STJ and was unfitted to these destinations instructions were given to reconsign the wagon else where

CTT was a bit of a body blow for me as I used to collect wagon labels from various yards when they had been removed by BR for checking/booking in !!

We went over to CTT at Ebbw Vale in 1981 for outward tinplate.No wagon labels attached and the traffic seemed to get to the destinations !!

Penzance Ponandane was one of the last yards to handle MCO and MCV wagons.It closed in 1984.

Loco coal for the Graig Merthyr locos came from Ogmore Central washery

Quite right.Air braked hoppers were being used before the miners strike of 84.It was planned to phase out the old coal depots from 1980 onwards.

From 1978 only one railman on site....Jim Trudgeon.He dealt with all the paperwork,weighed wagons and liased with Western Fuel

And don't forget the coal from Wales & the Phurnacite Plant to Scotland............Worked to Bamfurlong in the 70's !!!!!!

The weighbridge at Newport Lliswerry was often used to weigh non rail scrap traffic

The weighbridge at Wapping Wharf also weighed scrap in transit.It was also used to check weigh loaded coal hoppers inwards for Western Fuel and weigh out the duff from Wapping Wharf to Uskmouth Power Station

Yes shocks and highs brought in coil from Llanwern....usually sheeted

I remember meeting the chargeman at Wapping Wharf a few times........he was Jim Trudgeon.....a real gentleman.He did all the clerical work and removal of wagon labels.He also operated the weighbridge on site,one of only a few left in the country.The weighbridge was used mainly to check weigh coal into wapping Wharf for WFC,but he did weigh scrap enroute from the west country to their destination ie South Wales,the midlands etc

Yes every colliery had a weighbridge.Most in South Wales were on ground level but there were a few with overhead weighing facilities.These were at Beynon,Celynen North & South,Six Bells and Lady Windsor.The buildings used to vibrate when weighing was taking place.Its a wonder how they never fell down !!!

The tall building at Beynon Colliery is the outward traffic weighbridge.Once the wagons had been filled they were gross weighed and from the tare painted on the wagon it was possible to calculated the weight of the coal inside the wagon.The weighbridge had the dials in the building and these were connected by rods to the weighbridge plate on which the wagon ran.The weighman would then make out the wagon labels and invoices in this building.Coal from this colliery went for washing at either Abertillery or Hafodyrynys with a small amount going to local merchants

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 ?

There were two derailments in the area.The one was when a class 14 ran away from Avon Colliery and ended up through the catch points at Gelli Groundframe.The other was at Glyncorrwg when a Class 14 ended up going over the bank at the weighbridge.I suspect that the photo is at Glyncorwg as two cranes were brought in to put the loco back on the track.The derailment at Gelli was only a matter of lifting the loco back on but there were a few wagons piled up around the junction

The coal siding at Dorchester South lasted until the early 80's .The main merchant was T.Burt who had an office just inside the coal yard.

In the Bridport Branch book it shows a recovery train on November 11th 1975 that year recovering the stop block at Bridport Station.

When I visited Dorchester South Station in 1972 there was trainloads of coke being unloaded on a siding adjacent to the down (Weymouth) platform.This originated from Cwm Coke Ovens at Llantwit Fardre and were destined for the Ministry of Works mainly schools etc in the area

Rose Heyworth Signalbox opened in 1960 and closed in October 1964.It then was used as a rather posh shunters cabin until March 1984.The structure was dismantled by a private buyer(I Think) in 1986.The internal stairway was made of good quality timber and the upper floor was polished right up until closure in 1984.

I wore a donkey jacket and had a British Rail badge which I bought at a station kiosk.Got away with almost anything !!!!